Understanding Zechariah 12:10
A verse often used to prove Jesus is God can be found in chapter 12 of the book of Zechariah.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn
This is clearly God talking and he states that they shall look upon ME whom they have pierced. And mourn for HIM, using a first and third person referent.
IF viewed with trinitarian understanding this verse is probably the best support for the trinity in the Old Testament. But can it be understood in a different way, with a non trinitarian view?
The answer to that is yes, and in fact, it is a rather simple understanding.
The verse is quoted in the New Testament in the Gospel of John.
John 19:37And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
So lets look at the verse in Zechariah. First, it cannot go unmentioned that we have the words “me” and “him” clearly identifying 2 separate referents, this is where the trinity will assert the distinction between persons within God.
We need to put Zechariah 12:10 back into its proper context. Verse 8 states that in that day (that day is a reference to the end times)
Zechariah 12:8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 9And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
This is an end times prophecy which many people think relates to looking forward to Jesus at the cross but this is actually looking beyond that to the last days and then looking back at the cross from the end times.
It also references that at that day (the end times) the house of David shall be AS God (as was the angel of the lord before them)The house of David are not actually God (see my writing on “Moses seeing God” which explains how a representative of God was as if they are God.
They( the house of David) are AS God kê-lō-hîm, כֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים
Jesus was the Messiah of God. He was God’s representative on earth. God was in him. What you do to Jesus you also do unto the father that sent him. Just as seeing Jesus is seeing the father.
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Just as Jesus explained this very concept in detail when he told us that what we do unto others we do unto Jesus.
Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Those that deny Jesus deny the father and those that confess Jesus also have the father
1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
SO when they pierced Jesus this was also piercing God as it was his Messiah his very son that they did this to. They rejected God’s messiah and in doing so they rejected God as rejecting the Messiah of God is to not believe that God sent him and so is rejecting God.
To believe on Jesus is actually to believe in God.
Jesus explained this numerous times in his teachings.
John 12:44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
Matthew 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Mark 9:37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
Luke 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
John 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
John 13:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
A message further reiterated later in the Bible
1 John 4:15 If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
A good biblical example of this is when Mary was told by Simeon, when Jesus was presented at the temple, that SHE would be pierced through her soul. This was not literal but because she was his mother what was done unto him was like it was done unto her.
Luke 2: 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
God had promised to raise a Messiah. Therefore believing in the Messiah that God had promised is to believe in the God that made the promise.
They showed they didn’t actually believe Jesus and so they also didn’t believe God’s word.
Once it is understood that a representative of God acts as God what is done to the representative is done to the one he represents.
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