Week 47 “They Will Mourn For Him” – “The One They Have Pierced”

By Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell (Guest Blogger)

Week 47

Scripture Readings: Zechariah 8-14

Key Scripture Verse: Zechariah 12:10 (NIV, Life Application Bible)

“‘And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.’”

Several places in the New Testament the scriptures point to Jesus Christ. Zechariah is one of the postexilic prophets who gave multiple and detailed references pointing to the Messiah, pointing to Jesus 500 years before Jesus fulfilled these prophecies. The verse I have chosen to cite refers to the Second Advent.

This verse refers to a future time when Jesus will return and without any doubt all people will know that Jesus is the Messiah and they will mourn because of their sin and their rejection of the one true God.

The reference to mourning bitterly “as one mourns for an only child,” and “as one grieves for a firstborn son,” is to illustrate the level of pain and anguish, as according to the The Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (p. 1168), this would be “the deepest form of sorrow for an Israelite.” Israel will know and acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ and all people will know it to be fact when he returns.

This same message is in the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 24:30): “‘Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.’”

“‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;’ and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’” (Revelation 1:7)

A “spirit of grace and supplication” will be poured out “on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” This is a pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Jews who then will recognize Jesus—this same pouring out of the Holy Spirit as it was done for the Disciples at Pentecost. God will pour out his grace to Israel and cleanse them.

We are now in the season of Advent, preparing to receive Jesus, the Christ child, to celebrate the first coming of the Messiah—the first Advent. May we also prepare ourselves for this Second Advent when he reveals himself to Israel and to the rest of the nations. May we prepare our hearts and our souls to receive him.