Zechariah 12:10-13:1 Mourning

God speaks of the nation looking upon Jesus, whom they pierced, and mourning. They will recognize their guilt and their hearts will break. But there is still hope!

A portion of this prophecy is well known; “They will look upon Him whom they have pierced” (verse 10b, & John 19:37). But I didn’t know about the second, and heart wrenching, part of this prophecy. I believe this may be a ‘second look’ at Jesus; as in when He returns to reign on earth.

When Jesus returns, EVERY knee shall bow and EVERY tongue confess that He is Lord. Those of Israel who have not turned to Him already will be broken by the realization of what happened on Calvary. They will KNOW their guilt and be broken by it. The One they waited so long for had actually come, and they had treated Him shamefully. They KILLED Him.

But, did you notice the first section where God said He would “pour out on the house of David AND the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy” (verse 10a)? From before the people even look on Him, God is pouring out a spirit of grace on the people. This grace began from the moment Eve sinned and will continue throughout the rest of mankind’s history. It was MOST meaningful at the moment of Jesus’ death and then resurrection. But it will be VERY evident when He returns again. He will bring them yet another chance to recognize Him as THE Messiah.

Their hearts will be so broken by this final understanding that they will “mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (verse 10c). They will be so broken that they won’t even want the comfort of one another. Each family that remains at that time will turn in on themselves and weep. Not even the husbands and wives will weep together. There will be no comfort found in one another; only shame and deeper sorrow.

And then HOPE comes again! Jesus will stand ready as a “fountain, opened for the house of David AND the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness” (verse 13:1). His arms will be spread wide to receive those who will turn to Him in their mourning.

There will probably be those, like Judas, who are too ashamed to turn or feel they have no right. For those, my heart breaks! Those who believe that Jesus would refuse them forgiveness, even if they had the courage to ask for it. I KNOW He would welcome you, if you would only COME!

Jesus NEVER denied ANYONE who came to Him. He NEVER turned anyone away; when they were seeking in truth. He turned those away who tried to trap Him, but even they received something in the encounter.

When speaking of Judas and his betrayal before the fact, Jesus said “The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” (Matthew 26:24). He did NOT say that Judah was beyond forgiveness. Jesus KNEW that Judas would not ask for forgiveness. I truly believe that Jesus would have forgiven him IF he asked. But Judas’ shame drove him to take his own life, and death without Jesus condemned him to Hell. He WOULD have been better off having never been born than spending eternity in Hell!

THAT is EACH person’s choice. ‘Drink from the Fountain’ provided for our forgiveness, or spend eternity separated from God. Those who turn to Jesus, even as late as His second coming, WILL be washed white as snow and adopted into God’s family. THAT is our HOPE.

Father God, THANK YOU for providing Hope for me! I am wholly lost and undone without YOUR Hope; Jesus. I have NO righteousness of my own. And, I TOO, pierced Jesus on the cross with my sins. My hand wasn’t on the physical spear that broke through His skin but my sin was there nonetheless. THANK YOU for turning my mourning into joy by adopting me as Your child. If You NEVER did another thing for me in ALL my life, THAT alone would be enough.

I THANK YOU for ALL the things You have added to my life, beyond that MOMENTOUS gift. Even for answering my prayers about my chickens. You AMAZE me! Even when my faith was weak, YOU brought about new life in my coop. I can’t wait to see how much more You will do with the new babies!