Zechariah 3:6-10: a reflection

6The LORD’s angel solemnly assured Joshua, saying, 7“The LORD of Armies says: ‘If you will walk in my ways, and if you will follow my instructions, then you also shall judge my house, and shall also keep my courts, and I will give you a place of access among these who stand by. 8Hear now, Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign; for, behold, I will bring out my servant, the Branch. 9For, behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua: on one stone are seven eyes; behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ says the LORD of Armies, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10In that day,’ says the LORD of Armies, ‘you will invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.’”

In the vision of Joshua the high priest, God gives a remarkable promise: that he will remove the iniquity of the land in a single day, through the coming one he calls the Branch. I will bring out my servant, the Branch, God says; and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. The removal of iniquity is not to be a slow, endless process of our own effort, but something God himself will accomplish, and in a single day, through his servant the Branch. This points forward to Christ, the Branch, who by his death on a single day accomplished the removal of our iniquity, taking it away once for all. And the passage ends with a picture of the peace that follows: each inviting his neighbor under the vine and fig tree. This shows God's promise to remove iniquity in one day, through Christ. God promised to remove iniquity in a single day. The removal of iniquity is God's doing, through the Branch. Christ removed our iniquity once for all, on a single day. God takes away iniquity; peace follows.

Notice the promise God makes and how it is fulfilled. He promises to remove the iniquity of the land in a single day, through his servant the Branch. This is striking: the removal of iniquity is not presented as a slow, laborious process we must accomplish by our own effort over a lifetime, but as something God himself will do, and do decisively, in a single day, through the coming one. And this finds its fulfillment in Christ, the Branch. For on a single day, the day of his death on the cross, Christ accomplished the removal of our iniquity, taking it away once for all, doing what we could never do for ourselves. The iniquity that stood against us was removed, decisively, by God's own act in Christ, on that single day. This is the heart of our hope. Our iniquity is not something we must slowly work off ourselves; it has been removed by God, in Christ, on a single day. And the result, pictured in the vine and fig tree, is peace: the peace that comes when iniquity is taken away and we are reconciled to God. God has removed our iniquity in Christ; the result is peace with him. Our iniquity was taken away by God's act, not our effort. Christ removed our iniquity once for all on the cross. The removal of iniquity brings peace with God.

That is worth resting in, for God promised to remove iniquity in a single day, fulfilled in Christ, who took away our iniquity once for all on the cross, bringing us peace. We can imagine that we must slowly work off our own iniquity by our effort; but God promised to remove the iniquity of the land in a single day through the Branch, and Christ did so, taking away our iniquity once for all on the day of the cross. Our iniquity is removed by God. When you feel the weight of your iniquity, remember that God has removed it in Christ, once for all, bringing you peace. Rest in the truth that God promised to remove iniquity in a single day, through his servant the Branch, fulfilled in Christ, who on the single day of his death on the cross took away our iniquity once for all and brought us peace; for the removal of iniquity is not presented as a slow, laborious process we must accomplish by our own effort over a lifetime, but as something God himself would do decisively, in a single day, through the coming one, and this finds its fulfillment in Christ the Branch, who accomplished the removal of our iniquity that we could never accomplish ourselves, taking away once for all the iniquity that stood against us by God's own act, so that our iniquity is not something we must slowly work off but has been removed by God in Christ on a single day, and the result, pictured in the vine and fig tree, is peace with God, so that when we feel the weight of our iniquity we can rest in knowing God has removed it in Christ.

Lord, in the vision of Joshua the high priest, you give a remarkable promise: that you will remove the iniquity of the land in a single day, through the coming one you call the Branch. I will bring out my servant, the Branch, you say; and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. The removal of iniquity is not to be a slow, endless process of our own effort, but something you yourself will accomplish, and in a single day, through your servant the Branch. This points forward to Christ, the Branch, who by his death on a single day accomplished the removal of our iniquity, taking it away once for all. And the passage ends with a picture of the peace that follows. Show me the promise you make and how it is fulfilled. You promise to remove iniquity in a single day, through your servant the Branch. This is striking: the removal of iniquity is not presented as a slow, laborious process I must accomplish by my own effort, but as something you yourself would do decisively, in a single day. And this finds its fulfillment in Christ, the Branch. For on a single day, the day of his death on the cross, Christ accomplished the removal of my iniquity, taking it away once for all, doing what I could never do for myself. This is the heart of my hope. My iniquity is not something I must slowly work off myself; it has been removed by you, in Christ, on a single day. And the result is peace: the peace that comes when iniquity is taken away and I am reconciled to you. Take that to my heart, for you have removed my iniquity in Christ, once for all, bringing me peace. When I feel the weight of my iniquity, keep me from imagining I must slowly work it off myself; help me remember that you have removed it in Christ, Lord, on the single day of the cross, once for all, and rest in the peace with you that follows.