The Temple Builder and His Temple Builders

Every one of us wants faithful leaders. We want governors and presidents who serve diligently… who lead us with wisdom and charity, who protect and provide. Don’t we? We want pastors who can discern the times, who lead with a shepherd’s heart, who know us well and faithfully teach and care for our souls. We want bosses who can motivate us, give guidance and direction on our responsibilities, who build us up and support us.

And when we have a great leader in whatever area they lead, we want to follow them. And we want to participate in the efforts. But it is so hard to find a great leader. And a bad leader has the opposite effect.

God’s people in Jerusalem at the time of Zechariah wanted a great leader. Someone to pick up the pieces, build the city, and restore the temple and its practices.

But as they looked back on their history, they didn’t have much hope. That’s because over the prior 400 years, bad leaders had led to the downward spiral of Israel. Bad kings led to the split of the nation. They were either corrupt or governed harshly, or followed pagan idols. To be sure, there were some good kings at least in Judah, the southern kingdom, but most of the rest failed. And things went from bad to worse.

That’s only the kings. The priests were likewise corrupt. God said through the prophet Ezekiel about Israel – “Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things.” Different priests at various times desecrated the temple. They allowed sacrifices to false gods and promoted immorality.

The wicked kings and immoral priests led the people away from God. As a result, God punished both kingdoms. The northern kingdom was defeated by the Assyrians. And as we’ve been studying, because of the corruption of Judah in the south, God used Babylon to defeat and send them into exile.

So, the remnant that had returned to Jerusalem were wary. They knew their history.

And after hearing all these visions that God gave Zechariah, they still wondered how God would bring all his promises to pass. Who would lead them faithfully? Who would God appoint to finally rebuild the city and the temple? Were Joshua and Zerubbabel up for the task? Were they the ones or did God have someone else in mind to fulfill his promises?

That’s how the end of Zechariah 6 fits in. In these verses, God gave them a picture and a promise of a great leader. A leader way beyond what they could imagine. A leader who would rebuild the temple and gather his people from far away and bring them near. A leader who was worthy of their honor, and whom they could follow and obey and in whose work they could participate. A new leader who would be unlike any of their leaders before.

That message is part of God’s conclusion to Zechariah’s visions. In other words, we’ve finished up the visions, and these few verses tie them all together. They explain how God will ultimately bring their promises to pass. And it will happen through a promised king, who is also a priest, who will build a new temple.

There’s something very interesting here. One of the themes of the visions has been the temple. You know that, we’ve talked about the temple in different ways.

• For example, the emphasis of God’s presence in vision 3 – his glory in their midst. The temple was where God’s presence was found.

• Or in vision 4, the focus on the priests - Joshua the high priest and the other priests who were to serve in the temple.

• In vision 5, the lampstand. Lampstands were a central object in the temple. Also in vision 5, the call for Zerubbabel the governor to rebuild the temple and the promise that he would.

Over and over a temple theme. But what’s interesting is that the word “temple” is not used anywhere in the visions. In fact, the very first time that the word temple is used in the book of Zechariah is here in chapter 6. And it’s used 4 times in verses 12 to 15.

So, one of the things that these verses do is affirm the temple themes – God’s presence and his priestly work of intercession. And second, they focus us in on who will lead the effort to build the temple and how it will be built. Because, as I’ve mentioned, those were huge questions for them. Who was going to build the temple? And how would he build it?

You’ll see an outline on the back of the bulletin.

The Temple Builder and His Temple Builders. Two main points this morning:

1. Honoring the Temple Builder – Answering who will build the temple.

2. Serving as the Temple Builder’s Temple Builders – Answering how the temple will be built.

1. Honoring the Temple Builder (Zechariah 6:11-13)

Let me point out, this is not another vision. If you look at verse 9, this time it does not say that “Zechariah lifted his eyes and he saw.” Rather it says, “the word of the Lord came to Zechariah.” So Zechariah as a prophet was given some kind of audible word from God. And in that word, God commands him to follow through with a series of tasks. This is an example of a prophetic sign or a sign act in the Bible. It’s more than just words of prophecy, it includes actions.

Verses 10-14 are the prophetic tasks that Zechariah was told to do and say.

And first, he was to find these three exiles that have just arrived from Babylon. They were staying at the home of Josiah. We don’t know much about any of them, but the returned exiles had brought some offerings for the new temple that was being built. Gold and silver.

Once Zechariah found them, he was to take their gold and silver and have a real crown made, verse 11. It was very unusual to mix different kinds of metal in a crown, so this particular crown was to be more elaborate than usual. Perhaps the gold and silver where interwoven or maybe it had multiple points on it alternating it’s gold and silver. We don’t know, but in some way the crown was exceptional.

Next, Zechariah was to take the crown to Joshua the High Priest. We met Joshua back in vision 4. In that vision, God cleansed Joshua. In essence, that symbolized a restoration to his role as high priest. Well, now, instead of clean priestly robes as in the vision, Joshua would be crowned with this elaborate crown. And this was also very unusual.

You see, a crown was for a king. And Joshua was not a king. No, he wasn’t in the line of King David. We would have expected that this crown be given to governor Zerubbabel. He was the one in the line of King David. Kings were not priests. And priests were not kings. Their roles were distinct and different. So a crown did not belong on a priest’s head. Joshua was the high priest, and Zerubbabel was the civil leader.

So picture the actual scene. When Zechariah followed through. There stood Joshua. Likely in his high priestly attire. This was a ceremony of sorts. Other people or priests would have been there. That was the point of these visible prophetic signs – for people to see. And Zechariah the prophet took this crown of gold and silver and put it on Joshua’s head. “Wait, no, Zechariah! you have the wrong guy! Where’s Zerubbabel! He’s the one who should be wearing the crown.”

But before anything could be done about the situation, Zechariah opened his mouth and said: “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.” Another shock to the people.

You see, they would have been really familiar with the name “Branch.” They didn’t have the New Testament, but they had the law, and the psalms, and many of the prophets. And they were keyed in to all the promises of a coming Messiah – a coming savior. And in multiple places, this Messiah is referred to as the Branch. The prophet Isaiah referred to the Branch… and multiple times in Jeremiah, the Messiah is referred to as the Branch. Jeremiah prophesied that only 80-90 years earlier. So they would be familiar with the Branch reference.

Because of that, this pronouncement on Joshua would also have been shocking. The Branch was supposed to be a king in the line of David. We read one of the Jeremiah references earlier in the service. Jeremiah chapter 33. The summary is that this “Branch” would be a king who executes justice and righteousness. But what’s interesting about the Jeremiah passage is that in the same sentence where it says that David’s line will never lack a man on the throne, it also says that the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence. This promised Branch would fulfill both promises – the promise of an eternal king and the promise of a great high priest.

So this sign with the crown on the high priest pointed to a Messiah who would come and who would be both an eternal king and a great high priest, unlike any other king or any other high priest.

You may be thinking, “but if Zechariah was pronouncing this on Joshua, why didn’t the people think Joshua was the Messiah?”

That’s a keen question. Let me give you three reasons why they understood this sign to point to a future messiah:

1. First, jump down to verse 14. Notice that the crown was not to remain on Joshua’s head. Rather, it was to be placed in the temple, which was being rebuilt. That indicated to them that Joshua was not the one that this crown was ultimately for. It was to be a reminder to them of this promise. In other words, Joshua with this crown was a sign of someone to come.

2. Second, this Branch is said to be the one who will build the temple (verse 12). He’ll be the Temple Builder. We’ll come back to what that ultimately means in a minute. But, on the surface, it’s a strange promise. In vision 5, Zerubbabel was charged with rebuilding the temple, not Joshua. Furthermore, that work had already started and would be complete within a couple of years. In other words, this promise that the Branch would build the temple, could not have been referring to Joshua. No, it pointed to a future temple and future temple builder.

3. Third, in verse 13. It says, “there shall be a priest on his throne,” referring to throne of the Branch. At this point in history, there is no throne and there is no king. That’s why Zerubbabel was just a governor. The nation had been overthrown. Persia now controlled the area. So this also pointed them to see this sign as referring to a future king and priest.

So in summary, the promise of this sign is the promise of a future king who will lead them in perfect justice and righteousness, and who will lead them as a great high priest – spiritually guiding and interceding for his people. And as it says, “the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” Meaning there shall be harmony between both offices – the eternal king and the perfect priest together. He will be their Messiah, their Savior.

One Biblical scholar I was reading, Meredith Kline, refers to this passage as the key passage in the entire book of Zechariah. He calls it the hinge on which the entire book pivots. All the visions lead up to this revelation. And all the prophecies after it emanate from it.

And the sign is Jesus. That’s who this vision is pointing to. - the eternal king and the perfect priest. In fact, Jesus in his kingly and priestly roles fulfills each of the visions. In his kingly role, he fulfills the visions of the horses and chariots, and the vision of the four horns being defeated, and vision of the wall of fire as he protects his people as the perfect king. In his priestly role, he fulfills the vision of the cleansing of Joshua and vision of the cleansing sin and wickedness from the land. He fulfills the vision of the lampstand as he is the source of the golden oil, as he gives his Spirit to his people.

This is who they needed and who we need. This is who they longed for after hundreds of years of failure. A leader who would not break promises nor lead the people astray, but a king who would protect and lead in justice and righteousness and reign forever; and a perfect priest, a great high priest who can and will intercede for them, through whom we can come into the very presence of God. Who is the perfect sacrifice for our sins. There’s no one greater. And the response for us is there in verse 13. He “shall bear royal honor.”

Jesus is a priestly king who deserves our honor, in whom we can trust. He’s worthy of our worship and praise. We can look to him for strength as our great king. We can look to him for peace as our eternal priest. He will not fail to lead us in perfect righteousness because he’s perfect in righteousness.

For the kids here – you will have teachers that disappoint you. Or in the future, you may have bosses that fail you. Maybe also pastors or parents that disappoint you. But if you have Jesus, you have a savior who will never leave you or forsake you. And when those hard things happen, you can always go to him.

Ok, before we move on to point #2, I want to come back to the promise that this Branch – the Messiah would build the temple. It's a strange promise because, as I mentioned, the temple was already half-finished at this point. So, it’s not referring to the physical rebuild of the temple. Rather, it’s referring to a different temple.

In the Gospel of John chapter 2, after Jesus drove out the money changers from the temple, the Jews questioned him… they asked him for a sign. And he said to them “if you destroy this temple, in three days I will raise it up.” They thought, of course, he was crazy. “It took us 46 years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in 3 days.” But what we learn is that Jesus was referring to his body. He was referring to himself. He is the temple, he would be killed, but then he would be raised. And related to that, what are God’s people in the New Testament called? They are called “God’s temple” in multiple places. 1 Corinthians 3 and 6 and Ephesians 2. And besides being called temples of the living God, we’re also called the body of Christ.

So, this promise in Zechariah 6 is that this eternal king and perfect priest will build his people, his church, with himself at the center and the foundation of it all. It’s not a promise of a physical temple but a spiritual temple as we are each grafted into Christ, in to his body, the church as we are built up in him.

Zechariah was saying… “Behold, Jesus the kingly Temple Builder who is the perfect high priest of his temple – the people of God.”

And that’s a good transition to point #2.

2. Serving as the Temple Builder’s Temple Builders

Serving as the Temple Builder’s Temple Builders (possessive and then plural – try to say that 10 times fast). If you look at verse 15, you’ll see that God’s people are called to participate in the temple building effort. It says, “those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord.” So the message is not that this promised Messiah, Jesus, will build the temple and he’ll do all the work… No, it includes other temple builders in the process. God is enlisting helpers in his temple building endeavor.

If you look at the passage as a whole, there are several names in these verses. And the first three names in verse 10 (Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah) are repeated in verse 14. You may have noticed some slight differences in their names, likely their nicknames.

So in a sense, these two sets of names bracket the sign in the middle of the passage. It reinforces the participation of the exiles in the temple building endeavor. And remember also that the gold and silver for the crown were brought by them. In other words, even in the sign, God was using his people. So part of the message is that the promised temple builder, Jesus, will fulfill his promise of building his temple (his church) by using us as his temple builders. We will, and we have been brought from far off, to participate in the work of building his church.

I was thinking of Frank Lloyd Wright. You’ve probably heard that name. He’s probably the most famous architect of the last 150 years. And what do we call all those well-known structures that he designed? …we call them Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. Like Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous falling water home. Or that funny looking gas station.

But when you think about it, he’s not the one that poured the concrete, or set the frame, or built the roof, or completed all the finish work. No, but he is the one who designed the buildings. He oversaw the projects and made sure that everything was in place just as he planned.

The temple that is Jesus’ body, the church, was designed by him, he is the king over his temple, the church, as her high priest Jesus is interceding for her, and he is using his people to build it, to extend it, and to protect it.

But our efforts in the building are not for our glory. No, if we were working on the Frank Lloyd Wright house, he is the one who we would point to. Same thing, we are to give glory to God and to Christ in the temple building work. It’s his temple, his church.

Jesus is the one leading the effort, going before us as the eternal king and perfect priest. And in that perfect peace of kingship and priestly role, he alone is worthy as THE great leader for his people. And everything about us should give him honor, and follow him, as we engage in his work. And as it says in the end of verse 15, through it, we’ll know him and obey him as the Temple Builder, our eternal king and perfect priest.

Conclusion

To sum it all up…

Everything about the situation in Jerusalem was discouraging. A half-built temple, walls of the city in ruins, a priesthood unable to fulfill their responsibilities, a foreign kingdom in control, and people scattered all over…

But in this conclusion to the visions, God promised he would restore them and his temple. And God promised that he would do that by giving them a leader like none other… who would be an eternal king and a holy and righteous priest – in a perfect harmony of both roles. And he would lead them in faithfulness and righteousness and justice and they would follow him and serve him and participate in his works.

But this priest king would not be what they expected and the temple he would build with their help would not be made of stone and wood and gold.

No, this king, Jesus, would not be given a crown weaved with gold and silver, but rather a crown weaved with thorns, and a mocking sign that read “king of the jews.” And the temple, that is his body, would be hung on the cross. And he would lead his people by dying for them as the perfect priestly sacrifice. But after three days, he would rebuild the temple as he was resurrected.

And now he sits in heaven, having ascended to the throne room of God. And he’s perfectly fulfilling his role as king, sovereignly overseeing and building his temple, the church. And perfectly fulfilling his role as priest, interceding for the sin of his people.

There is none other. For those in Jerusalem, he would come and fulfill all these promises. And for us, he has come. He’s worthy of all our honor and praise and obedience as he builds his church through us, his people.