Zechariah 12:10-14 says,...

Today's verses are Zechariah 12:10-14.  On Sunday we will have the radio broadcast and on Monday we will have another in between chapter devotional on prayer.  Our verses today read,

10 - “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn."

Jesus was poured out.  Jesus was of the lineage of David.  Jesus brought grace and supplication.  Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem.  Jesus was pierced by others and especially in His side.  Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of God.  Jesus was looked upon on the cross.  Jesus was mourned over by some and His mother Mary was at the scene and Jesus was her firstborn.  Here we have another prophecy of the coming Messiah that gives us more precise details of what is going to happen some 700 to 1000 years before it happened.  All of these prophecies of His first coming and all the prophecies that Jesus gave while here that have been fulfilled give us a basis to put great faith in all that is prophesied to come in His second coming.  God has given us much evidence to stand upon.  

11 - "In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo."

There is a great mourning over the death of the Messiah, Jesus and it is compared to the mourning over the battles that happened in a great field at Megiddo.  This is also the place mentioned in the future in the book of Revelation about a final battle.  This mourning over the death of the Messiah, the One sent by God, will be great like that of massive battles where many are found dead.  This one life will have a tremendous impact on all.  A footnote that the great King Josiah, one of the good guys, fell in battle at this site also and there was great mourning over the loss of this good king.  The mourning of the slain Messiah will be like that mourning.  I think we are all saddened when we read the passages about our Lord and the events of the week we call the Passion Week.  We cringe at the whippings, beatings, putting out of the hair and beard, spitting, mocking, and scourging of our Jesus.  When I went to see "The Passion Of The Christ" for the first time, it brought me to tears to think this is just a depiction of what was probably more horrendous for Him than what could be displayed.

12-14 - "The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves."

The mourning is going to be comprehensive and across the board.  It will be a national mourning and even the earth will groan at His going and then for anticipated coming again.  We are given the completeness of the mourning from David's family that is the kingly line to Nathan's family that is the prophetic line to Levi's family that is the priestly line to the Shimeites' family that could be a representation of all the other tribes of Israel.  All of these mourn not only over the loss of the Sent One but also over their sin.  His death was because of their sin, our sin, and tears and sadness should accompany our trip to the foot of the cross.

But aren't you thankful that the story doesn't end here.  We are taken to the point of the Messiah's death but something is coming to be spoken of.  We first need to recognize our sin to be able to see and experience the benefits of our beautiful risen Savior.  The mourning will be turned into dancing.  The death will be turned into a rising.  The next chapter starts with a fountain for cleansing but that is for next Wednesday.  Let's just end with those words of the song,

There is a fountain filled with blood 
drawn from Immanuel's veins.  
And sinners plunge beneath that flood 
lose all their guilty stains.  
The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day.  
And there may I, though vile as he
wash all my sins away.  
E'er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply.  
Redeeming love has been my theme 
and shall be till I die.

Let us pray.

"Lord, a part of Your story is the suffering of You for us.  There is mourning.  There is a piercing.  There is a great loss.  Lord, thank You that the story doesn't end there.  Thank You that a fountain came to wash away our sin so that we could go from mourning to singing.  May we sing this day of Your redemption.  Amen."

Pastor Adam