CHRIST THE STRICKEN SHEPERD
Zechariah 13:7

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"'Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion," says the LORD of hosts. 'Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand upon the little ones.'"

We are not in doubt as to the meaning of this text. Christ Himself quoted this text on the eve of His crucifixion, and declared it would be fulfilled in His death and in what would happen to His people afterward (Matthew 26:31 / Mark 14:27).

I. The sword awakened: "Awake, O sword."

1. What is this "sword"? The Hebrew word for "sword" (hereb) occurs more than 400 times in the Old Testament, attesting to its importance throughout those times as a weapon. It was longer than a dagger, sharp enough to serve as a barber's razor (Ezekiel 5:1), often "two-edged" (Proverbs 5:4), used as a close-range offensive weapon primarily for thrusting but also for slashing, kept in a sheath when not in use (Ezekiel 21:3, 4, 5).

i. This is the "sword of Jehovah" (as it is called in Judges 7:18, 20). It is the sword that belongs to Him, and which He Himself uses against His enemies.

ii. This is the sword of Jehovah's justice, not His rod of correction. It is not the instrument with which He chastises His people in driving foolishness from them (as in Proverbs 22:15). Rather, it is the instrument with which He slays the ungodly in executing justice upon them (Deuteronomy 32:41f): "If I whet My glittering sword, and My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, and repay those who hate Me. ... My sword shall devour flesh" (cp. Psalm 7:11f). As the civil magistrate wields the sword as "an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil" (Romans 13:4), so does God over the souls of men.

2. Why is this sword commanded to "awake"? Because it has been asleep! It could have performed its work of justice the first time man sinned, and on every subsequent occasion since. But it is as though Jehovah in His longsuffering told His sword to return to its scabbard and sleep until such time as He would awaken it.

3. But had not this sword been awakened before? Had not God before used this sword against several of His enemies, including Pharaoh's host (Exodus 15:9), Amalekites (Exodus 17:13), Midianites (Judges 7:20ff)? Yes, but on those occasions this sword was not fully awakened, but rather somewhat stirred in its slumber. Now for the first time it is commanded to fully awake.

II. The victim identified: "My Shepherd, ... the Man who is My Companion." The victim of the sword is undoubtedly Christ (see Matthew 26:31 / Mark 14:27). But note how Jehovah here describes Him.

1. Note Christ's supreme office: "My Shepherd". A shepherd is "one who feeds and tends a flock of sheep". Jehovah has but "one flock", comprised of all His people under "one shepherd" (John 10:16). This one flock is congregated in various places across the earth, each congregation having a shepherd over it, who may have shepherds under him (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11). Jehovah identifies all these under-shepherds as "My shepherds", or "shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 3:15). But He identifies Christ singularly as "My Shepherd", in the sense of being "the Chief Shepherd" over all His flock and under-shepherds (1 Peter 5:1-4). The supremacy of this office of Christ is evidenced also in the fact that His under-shepherds confess Christ as "my Shepherd" (as did the shepherd David in Psalm 23:1).

2. Note Christ's perfect humanity: "the Man". The Old Testament employs four words translated "man", indicating four different aspects of him: as âdâm (aw-dawm') he is of the earth and under God and over beasts (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7); as îysh (eesh) he is a male as contrasted with a female (Genesis 2:23); as enowsh (en-oshe') he is weak or incurable (Psalm 8:4 [first]); as geber (geh-ber') he is mighty and noble (Exodus 10:11). It is this last Hebrew word that is used in our present text with regard to Christ as "the Man". Christ in His humanity is the perfect man (see Hebrews 2:5-9), the "Son of Man" par excellence. When you look at Christ, "Behold the Man" (John 19:5).

3. Note Christ's equality with Jehovah:"My Companion". The Hebrew word implies one united to another by the possession of common nature, rights, privileges, interests, and aims. This is the only appearance of this Hebrew word in the Old Testament outside of ten in the Book of Leviticus, in which it is translated "neighbor" (e.g., 6:2). Jehovah here acknowledges Christ as His equal, "in the form of God" and "equal with God" (Philippians 2:6; cp. John 5:23). Jehovah owns all believers as "My children" (John 1:12) and "My friends" (James 2:23; John 15:14); but He owns none but Christ as "My Companion".

4. Note in Christ dual natures in one person: "the Man who is My Companion". In the incarnate Christ both the divine and human natures are perfectly and eternally united in one person. We must not acknowledge His humanity while denying His deity, nor acknowledge His deity while denying His humanity. Jehovah does neither! Christ is the unique "God-man" (1 Timothy 3:16).

III. The Shepherd stricken: "Strike the Shepherd." The sword of God's justice, having been asleep from the dawn of creation, is now awakened and removed from its scabbard, and commanded to sheathe itself in the heart of Christ and bathe itself in His blood.

1. Was this Shepherd indeed stricken? Of course! Not by men only (as in Matthew 26:67; 27:30), but especially by Jehovah - which is the real meaning of this text. "Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted"; "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief" (Isaiah 53:4, 10).

2. Why was the undeserving Shepherd stricken instead of deserving sinners? Every man deserves to be stricken with this sword of God's justice, because "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23) and "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23). Jehovah's Companion was not deserving of such a stroke because He was sinless - "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Hebrews 7:26; cp. Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5). Why was the Shepherd stricken?

The Shepherd Himself answers this question in John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." The sins of Jehovah's sheep were imputed (or charged) to their Shepherd, and He was stricken in their place and stead as their penal substitute. They confess in Isaiah chapter 53 that through imputation "the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (v.6), and "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows" (v.4); and that because He was their penal substitute "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities" (v.5). Jehovah the sword-bearer concurs: "for the transgressions of My people He was stricken" (v.8).

IV. The sheep scattered: "and the sheep will be scattered." This prophecy was particularly fulfilled in His apostles. On the eve of His death He told them, "Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone" (John 16:32). Sure enough, when Christ's enemies came to take Him to the place where He would be stricken, "Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled" (Matthew 26:56 / Mark 14:50). Would you have done differently?

V. The lambs gathered: "then I will turn My hand upon the little ones."

1. Who are these "little ones"? They are the Shepherd's lambs - inclusive also of the apostles who earlier deserted Him but later returned to Him and strengthened others (as in Luke 22:32).

i. They are "little ones" in God's sight – here being identified in a term of endearment. The Father is so fond of His "little ones" that He will not permit even one of them to perish (Matthew 18:14). The Shepherd is so fond of His "little ones" that He sorely warns the man who would cause even one of them to sin, or who would despise even one of them (Matthew 18:6, 10).

ii. They are "little ones" in their own sight – especially as they view themselves before God and in comparison to Him. They have belittled themselves in humbling themselves before God (Matthew 5:3, 5). And they further belittle themselves in confessing, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

2. How will Jehovah "turn [His] hand upon the little ones"? It will not be with His hand of justice, for Christ has already suffered the sword they deserved. Rather, it will be with His hand of mercy and grace, power and protection, in once-for-all saving them (Psalm 60:5) and forever preserving them (John 10:28).

But Christ will at the last day once again awaken the sword of justice, and with it slay all who do not believe His gospel (Revelation 19:15, 21). Do not be found among their number.

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