Visions of Restoration
KINGDOM HOPE IN ZECHARIAH
This summer we’re taking a deep dive into Zechariah, one of the twelve Minor Prophets. He writes after the return from exile in Babylon. The book provides a clear time frame (the second year of the Persian King Darius’s rule). Although they are back in the Promised Land, they remain under the thumb of pagan overlords. From a kingdom under the monarchy that encompassed all Palestine, Syria and lands stretching east of the Jordan River, respected by Egypt, Arabia, and Phoenicia, it’s been reduced to a tiny territory measuring approximately 35 x 41 miles (an area smaller than Delaware, Montgomery, and Chester Counties!). A tiny province of the vast Persian empire. And the foundation of the new temple is a dim shadow of the former glory of Solomon’s temple. The people are likely asking, “Is this all there is?!”
Through a series of visions and prophetic declarations, Zechariah warns the people of slipping back into the rebellious patterns of their forefathers. He calls them to repentance, obedience, and foretells the coming of the Messiah. He looks forward to a restored Jerusalem which exists to bring blessing to the whole world. And he calls God’s people to take their part in ushering in the kingdom. The Gospel writers cite Zechariah more than any other prophet to explain Jesus’s ministry, suffering, and death. Although we are living in the last days envisioned by the prophets, we still experience the “already, not yet” of God’s kingdom. Any given day we may ask, “Is this all there is?” Like the Jews restored to their land, we need a renewed vision of God’s kingdom coming in its fullness, and to hear the invitation to join in his great work of restoration. We, too, need the warning of turning to false gods, and heed the call to repentance, which basically means acknowledging God is the rightful King to whom we owe complete allegiance. As we read Zechariah through the lens of Jesus’s Person and work, the prophet takes our ache and longing in this fallen world for shalom, translating the prayer “your kingdom come” into the cry, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
Sermons will appear below after they are livestreamed.
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