The first part of Zechariah 3 describes the fourth vision that YHWH gave to Zechariah the prophet. God shows him a courtroom scene, with the high priest, Joshua, wearing dirty clothes as a result of his own sin and those of the people of Judah. Those sins prevented him from doing the work he was supposed to do: go into the most holy place of the temple and make atonement for himself and for Judah.
Joshua appears under the name Jeshua in Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7. No matter how you write it, the name means “YHWH saves”, which could also be written as Yeshua, which is the name of Jesus in Hebrew. But here it is a human high priest, an actual historic Jewish leader, who was involved in leading a group of people back to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon, tasked with the rebuilding of the temple.
This Joshua stands in the divine courtroom and is on trial for his own sins and rebellion, and that of the people of Judah. Satan (or rather: the satan, which literally means “accuser”) is accusing him of sin. But before he can speak up and make his legal case against Joshua, YHWH doesn’t allow him to speak and says: “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan!” (Zechariah 3:2 ESV).
Joshua was a “burning stick that has been snatched from the fire” (v.2 NLT). He was plucked from the burning judgment of the exile in Babylon. He was precious in the LORD’s sight!
The angel – which is most likely the Angel of YHWH, Jesus himself – tells the others standing there to give Joshua a change of clothes:
“‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ And turning to Jeshua he said, ‘See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.’”
(Zechariah 3:4 NLT)
The change of clothes represented a cleansing of sin for Joshua and for the people he represented before YHWH. Now he was ready to do what YHWH had called him to do: he would be given authority over the temple and its courtyards (v.7).
He promised Joshua that he would soon bring his servant, the Branch (v.8). This is the Messiah, Jesus who would be coming to Israel. But the description of what the Branch will do better matches his second coming, which we’re still awaiting, than his first coming:
“I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.”
(Zechariah 3:9 NLT)
This must be something that will happen in the future, as the hearts of most Jewish people at Jesus’ first coming were hardened. They still are, even today. So the sins of the land could not have been removed “in a single day” at Jesus’ first coming. This is a prophecy that still needs to be fulfilled.
When? I believe that this takes place at an eschatological day of atonement in the future. The “old” day of atonement as prescribed in the Old Testament, Yom Kippur, is a prophetic foreshadowing of the “day of the LORD”, which is the day of Jesus’ return, which also is the day of judgment. It is when those who have been loyal to Jesus during their lifetimes receive eternal life, and those who rebelled against him will come under his judgment and experience death.
That’s the moment at the end of the final seven years of this age, also known as the “great tribulation” (Matt.24:21) or the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer.30:7), when all Israel that has survived those seven years will be saved, their sins removed “in a single day,” as Zechariah points out. This is when all Israel experiences the blessings of the new covenant (Jer.31:31-33), and a nation is born in one day (Isa.66:8).
That’s the inauguration of the messianic age, the millennium. Verse 10 beautifully describes that millennium when Jesus will reign from Jerusalem, we will co-reign with him, and there will be peace and wholeness:
“And on that day, … each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.”
(Zechariah 3:10 NLT)
The question is: where do you and I stand? Are we like Joshua, dressed in dirty clothes because of our sin and rebellion? Or do we actually wear a set of clean clothes because Jesus pronounced us clean by his blood?
Now is the time to get right with God during this Yom Kippur, so that you’re ready for the millennial Kingdom, ready to rule and reign with Jesus. Only Jesus make you pure and clean, whiter than snow.
Shalom!
Photo credit: Aluf Sadi interchange totally empty on Yom Kippur by Ronen Abudi
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