Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Zechariah
Book: Zechariah
Chapter: 13
Overview:
The
Fountain for the remission of sins, The conviction of the
false prophets.
(1-6) The
Death of
Christ, and the saving of a
remnant of the people.
(7-9)
1-6 In the time mentioned at the close of the foregoing
Chapter, a
Fountain would be opened to the rulers and people of
the Jews, in which to wash away their sins. Even the atoning
Blood of
Christ, united with his sanctifying
Grace. It has
hitherto been closed to the unbelieving nation of
Israel; but
when the
Spirit of
Grace shall humble and soften their hearts,
he will open it to them also. This
Fountain opened is the
pierced side of
Christ. We are all as an unclean thing. Behold a
Fountain opened for us to wash in, and streams flowing to us
from that
Fountain. The
Blood of
Christ, and
God's pardoning
Mercy in that
Blood, made known in the new
Covenant, are a
Fountain always flowing, that never can be emptied. It is opened
for all believers, who as the spiritual seed of
Christ, are of
the
House of
David, and, as living members of the
Church, are
inhabitants of
Jerusalem.
Christ,
By the power of his
Grace,
takes away the dominion of
Sin, even of beloved sins. Those who
are washed in the
Fountain opened, as they are justified,
So
they are sanctified. Souls are brought off from the world and
the
Flesh, those two great idols, that they may cleave to
God
only. The thorough reformation which will take place
On the
Conversion of
Israel to
Christ, is here foretold. False prophets
shall be convinced of their
Sin and folly, and return to their
proper employments. When convinced that we are gone out of the
way of duty, we must show the
Truth of our
Repentance By
returning to it again. It is
Well to acknowledge those to be
friends, who
By severe discipline are instrumental in bringing
us to a sight of error; for
Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
Pr 27:6. And it is always
Well for us to recollect the wounds
of our
Saviour. Often has he been wounded
By professed friends,
nay, even
By his real disciples, when they act contrary to his
Word.
7-9 Here is a
Prophecy of the sufferings of
Christ.
God the
Father gave order to the
Sword of his
Justice to awake against
his Son, when he freely made his soul an
Offering for
Sin. As
God, he is called "my Fellow."
Christ and the
Father are one. He
is the
Shepherd who was to lay down his
Life for the
Sheep. If a
Sacrifice, he must be slain, for without shedding of the
Life-
Blood there was
No remission. This
Sword must awake against
him, yet he had
No Sin of his own to answer for. It may refer to
the whole of
Christ's sufferings, especially his agonies in the
garden and
On the
Cross, when he endured unspeakable anguish
till Divine
Justice was fully satisfied. Smite the
Shepherd, and
the
Sheep shall be scattered. This
Passage our
Lord Jesus
declares was fulfilled, when all his disciples, in the night
wherein he was betrayed, forsook him and fled. It has, and shall
have its accomplishment, in the
Destruction of the corrupt and
hypocritical part of the professed
Church. Because of the
Sin of
the Jews in rejecting and crucifying
Christ, and in opposing his
Gospel, the
Romans would destroy the greater part. But a remnant
would be saved. And if we are his people, we shall be refined as
Gold; he will be
God, and the
End of all our trials and
sufferings will be praise, and honour, and
Glory, at the
appearing of our
Lord Jesus Christ.