Lent - Pt 28

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land shall mourn, each family by itself. (Zechariah 12:10-12 ESV).

Perhaps the most viewed and reposted picture from the memorial services in honor of Former US President George H. W. Bush was his assistance dog, Sully, laying in front of the late leader's flag-draped coffin. Bush's spokesman Jim McGrath posted a picture of the yellow Labrador retriever with the caption "Mission complete. #Remembering41". It is altogether appropriate that now Sully will continue his life of service by assisting wounded service members. These men and women who had given so much for their country would now have one more to serve and honor them in their time of need. There is something of that idea in our reading today. The prophet calls his readers to “mourn.” Don’t forget that while Zechariah spoke these words, they were the words of the Lord. It becomes an incredible declaration of the “death of God.” As incredible as that sounds we must understand the truth of the crucifixion of Jesus. This is the “piercing” Zechariah is speaking of in our reading. And, Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy. Not only was he fully God, he was also fully man. Moreover, as the prophecy predicted, Jesus was the “only child” and “firstborn” Son of the Father (cf. John 3:16). He died and, on the cross, he was pierced: “One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” (cf. John 19:34). The prophecy, however, said more. It said that those who pierced him would mourn because God would pour out on them “a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy.” In other words, the Spirit would open their eyes to see what they had done and how grievous their sin had been. This mourning would be widespread yet intimate – “the land shall mourn, each family by itself.” In part, this prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost. Peter said to his listeners, “You crucified and killed [Jesus] by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). Then, upon hearing the gospel, they were “cut to the heart” and 3,000 were saved that day (Acts 2:37-41). Today, this prophecy is still being fulfilled. As the Spirit fills us with grace, we mourn over Christ’s death because we know that “he was wounded for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). In our sorrow, however, we also rejoice because his death “brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).