Today I read these verses in Zechariah 3:8-9, "'Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.'"
In this passage God is speaking about the coming Messiah, and he is referred to as three things: the servant, the branch, and the stone. My commentary helped me out a lot on this one, and I learned that the servant image shows that Christ came to do the will of the Father. Christ is referred to as a branch because he comes from the Davidic line, and as a stone he will eventually pass judgement. The image of the stone also symbolizes that Christ would be a stumbling block for those who don't believe him.
As I thought about these verses I began to see how many Jews might have viewed the coming Messiah. As we look back on history from today's standpoint it's clear that during Jesus' time on earth most Jews didn't believe he was really the Messiah. Christ clearly demonstrated all three of these roles mentioned in Zechariah, yet the Jews of the day missed it. I think maybe they were focusing on only one of the roles, that of Kingship. By expecting Christ to come into political power only, the people chosen by God weren't able to see their Messiah for who he really is.
What is worrisome is how often we do the same thing today. What kind of pre-concieved notions do we have about Jesus that keep us from really knowing him as he is? In what ways do we try to box him into our ideas of what he should be? It's very tempting to make Jesus into our own image and worship him only as we want him to be, a kind of made-to-order Jesus, if you will. We see only bits and pieces, yet we miss out on knowing him fully.
One example that comes to mind is viewing Christ only as a judge. I know a lot of people who view God as an angry old man on a cloud throne with a gavel. The same image is often transferred to Christ, and people want nothing to do with him. No one likes to be judged, whether we deserve it or not. But here's the thing: Jesus didn't come to earth to condemn us. He came here to offer forgiveness, to offer a way out. He didn't come here to make bad people good, he came to make dead people alive!
We tend to think that Jesus only wants to be with people who are religious and righteous, but when you read scripture, it's the sinners that Jesus is always hanging out with. He spent time with them not because he wanted to rub it in their face that they were less-than perfect, but so he could do a transformational work in their lives. He does the same thing today. Romans 8:1 says, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Christ doesn't want a relationship with us so he can pile on the guilt for the sin in our lives. He wants to bring us closer to him and make us more like him by the grace he offers us.
I want to let go of all my pre-concieved notions about Jesus. Every time I open scripture I want it to be with an open mind, and I want to allow God to reveal to me something new about himself. I really think that when we approach Christ with that kind of attitude, he will meet us there, and we will know him as well as we can until we see him face to face!
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