“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD; Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” (Zechariah 6:12b–13, NKJV)

Zechariah was instructed to perform an unusual task: he was to take silver and gold, craft an elaborate crown, and place it on the head of Joshua the high priest. A priest had never been crowned king before. Priests came from the tribe of Levi, and kings came from the tribe of Judah, and these roles remained distinct. But the coronation of Joshua was merely symbolic, for he was a sign of the One to come (Zechariah 3:8).

It is interesting that Joshua is a Hebrew name meaning “Yahweh saves.” The Greek translation of Joshua is “Jesus.” It would be Jesus who would be crowned both King and High Priest. The prophets referred to Him as the BRANCH, indicating that He would be a “branch” of righteousness from the lineage of David. When Christ returns, He will build the millennial temple of the LORD. He will be glorified as Ruler and sit on the throne of David. But He will also be a Priest, which was something no other son of David could do. These two previously separate roles will then function in perfect harmony in Christ.

But we don’t need to wait until then to enjoy a relationship with our King and Priest. He is available to us now as our Sovereign King to protect us and lead us where we should go. He is our merciful and sympathetic High Priest who always intercedes for us before the throne of God. All this was foreshadowed when Zechariah placed a crown on the head of Joshua. This gave everyone hope that a better day was coming, and it should give us the same hope.

Have you made Jesus Christ your King and Priest, and are you allowing Him to rule your life and represent you before the Father?