“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. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives.
On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” (Zechariah 12:10-13:1 NIV)
I have a painting on the wall in my office. It shows Martin Luther preaching at his church. But what stands out isn’t Martin Luther or the people. What stands out is what’s in the middle: Jesus. Where is Jesus? On the cross. As Luther preached, what was he always pointing to? Jesus on the cross. When people heard Luther preach, they didn’t think about Martin Luther. They didn’t even see Martin Luther. They saw Jesus dying for them on the cross. A good preacher doesn’t preach himself. He points people to Jesus.
That wasn’t Martin Luther’s own idea. Listen to what Paul wrote in the Bible: “When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2-3). People in Corinth made fun of Paul’s preaching: “You’re not eloquent. Your words aren’t wise or persuasive.” Know what Paul said? “You’re right. I’m just here to tell you about Jesus Christ and him crucified.” That is to be a pastor’s message: Christ crucified.
But even the best pastor can’t point to Christ on his own. Do you know who really shows people Jesus? The Holy Spirit. As we finish up our sermons on Zechariah, we hear one more prophecy from God: “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…” If people are going to look to God, whom do they need? The Spirit. Without the Spirit, we’re blind. We can’t see God’s truth. So God promised his people: “I will pour out my spirit, then you will look on me…”
The Holy Spirit shows us something very specific. “They will look on me, the one they have pierced.” When did that happen? On the cross. Do you remember the story? You can read it in John 19. On Good Friday, the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals beside Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. So what did they do? “One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water” (John 19:34). John tells us that was done to fulfill this prophecy: “They will look on the one they have pierced” (John 19:37). What a prophecy! It’s the Holy Spirit who points us to Jesus on the cross.
As he does, I want you to notice something: This Old Testament passage teaches us about the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Who is talking in verse 10? “I will pour out…” God is talking! Yet, whom does God say was going to be pierced? “They will look on me, the one they have pierced.” Who would be pierced? “Me.” God himself! So is Jesus God? Yes! This is amazing! The whole Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—was active on Good Friday. God the Father sent his only Son to die for us. Jesus gave his life on the cross and let himself be pierced for us. The Holy Spirit points us to the cross so that we look on the One we have pierced.
So what should we do? Mourn. “They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him…” We’re supposed to look at Jesus on the cross and mourn. Why? Well, why was Jesus on the cross? Because of my sin. Because of your sin. Sorrow is at the heart of repentance. When you see Jesus on the cross, you realize something: My sin must be bad. Serious. My sin led to God’s death. The cross shows us our sin. Sorrow for sin is at the heart of true repentance.
Do you live like that? Do you live as though every sin were a nail through Jesus’ hands? Do you mourn what your sins have done to Jesus? We’re not talking about a quick, “Oh, sorry.” “They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a first-born son.” Do you know someone who’s lost a child? Twice as a pastor, I’ve been called to someone’s house because their little child died unexpectedly. It was awful. To watch a mother mourn for her dead child. That was a sorrow I hope I never have to see again. That is what the sorrow of true repentance is like. “They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child.”
As if that weren’t powerful enough, Zechariah adds another picture: “On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.” What’s that talking about? In Zechariah’s day, everybody knew: Josiah. It’s talking about Josiah. Heard of him? Josiah was the eight-year old boy who became king of Jerusalem. He was good. Josiah led the people back to the LORD. He was finally the king everybody longed for! But when he was just 39 years old, he was killed in a battle. At age 39. God’s people mourned. The prophet Jeremiah wrote sad songs for them to sing. That is what the sorrow of true repentance is like.
When people looked on the One they had pierced, “the land will mourn, each clan by itself…: the clan of the house of David and their wives,… the clan of the house of Levi and their wives… all the rest of the clans and their wives.” Who needed to mourn? Everyone. Who needed to repent? Every clan. Every person. Last week, we heard two of Jesus’ jobs. Remember them? King and Priest. Who was David? The great king. Who was Levi? The ancestor of all the priests. Even the best people of Israel needed to mourn. David. Levi. Everyone. Even the best people needed to repent. Why? They had all sinned. Levi lived 2000 years before Jesus, but he was there on Good Friday. David lived 1000 years before Jesus, but he was there on Good Friday.
So were you. So was I. When you watch Judas betray Jesus, I was there with him. When you see the disciples abandon Jesus, I was there with them. When you hear Peter deny Jesus, I was there with him. When all the Jews shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” I was shouting with them. When the Roman soldiers pounded in the nails, I was pounding right beside them. “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). Look at the One you have pierced! Do you see what the Holy Spirit does? He shows us the sin of our God-killing hearts. Don’t ever take your sins lightly. Look on the One you have pierced. Mourn and repent.
And then hear what happened on that day—on Good Friday. “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” The Holy Spirit leads us to mourn over our sin and repent for what we’ve done, so that we can see what God has done for us. When Jesus was pierced on the cross, a fountain was opened. What fountain? “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). At the cross, Jesus opened a fountain for us. He shed his blood to cleanse us from sin and impurity.
When we sin against God, two things happen. First, we deserve God’s punishment. That’s the ominous, guilty feeling you feel. But that’s not all. Sin also fills us with shame. Our sins make us impure. So which one does Jesus cleanse us from? Guilt or shame? Both! His blood paid our punishment. You’re no longer guilty. Your sins are forgiven. And his blood washed you clean. You don’t have to feel ashamed. Your sins are forgiven. Look on the One you have pierced!
Looking at Jesus on the cross shows us the amazing grace of God. God is able to take the worst thing that human beings have ever done and use it to save the world. Have you thought like that? God took the worst thing that people have ever done—crucifying the innocent Son of God—God took that worst thing and used it to save the world. What a peek into the grace of God! The Romans invented the cross as the worst possible way to execute. God turned the cross into the beautiful symbol of the love of God for us. God took our worst, and he made it into the best.
Here’s the key: Faith. Faith in what Jesus has done for you. Repentance is more than feeling bad. Sorrow over sin is only half the story. We need to repent of what we’ve done to God. But do you know what the other half is? Faith. We need to trust in what God has done for us. When you recognize your sin, it’s not enough to cry. It’s not enough to tell yourself that you’ll never do it again. It’s not enough to try to be a better person. There’s only one solution to our sin. It’s the fountain that opened on Good Friday. It’s looking to Jesus in faith. Faith in what God has done.
The cross proves that Jesus knows you, and he still loves you. Do you believe that? Jesus knows what you’ve done to him. Jesus knows what you’ve said about him. Jesus knows what you’re really like, and he still loves you! Jesus knows what you’ve done to others. Jesus knows what you’ve said about others. Jesus knows what your heart has wished against others. And he still loves you! God has seen you at your worst, and do you know what he did? He died for you. This is the heart of grace. Jesus knows you, and he still loves you. Look on the One you have pierced!
This is what Paul preached: Christ crucified. This is what Martin Luther preached: Christ crucified. There is nothing more important in life than the message of Jesus Christ and him crucified. All of us need to know that we matter. All of us need to know that somebody cares. We look around, and everything screams at us that nobody does. It seems like everybody lets us down. It seems like everybody is too busy for us. It seems like nobody would ever notice if you weren’t here. It seems like you don’t matter. And the Holy Spirit says, “No! Look at the One you have pierced. Look at Jesus’ love for you.” The cross screams out, “You matter. You are loved. You are the most important person in the world to the most important Person in the world.”
Sound impossible? This is why we need the Holy Spirit. We’d never repent without the Spirit. We’d never believe without the Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to show us Jesus over and over again. We need to see God’s grace in Jesus—his undeserved love for us and the world—over and over again. What’s ironic is that the more we see God’s grace, the more we realize our sin. “How could we disobey a God like Jesus? How could we reject a God like Jesus? How could we crucify a God like Jesus?” So the Holy Spirit leads us to mourn and repent and pray for God’s forgiveness. And then we look up, and we see the grace of God at the cross. Every sin forgiven. Every bit of shame removed. How can we not live for him? How can we not turn away from sin?
All that is wrapped up in the cross of Jesus. I hope you cling to the cross of Jesus. It’s not a nice piece of jewelry. It’s not a pretty decoration for a wall. It’s not a fashion symbol to look cool to other people. The cross “is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Every Sunday when you come to church. Every day when you read your Bible and say your prayers. There’s Jesus. There is his cross. Confronting your sin and cleansing you from your sin. Never forget what you have done to Jesus. Never forget what Jesus has done for you. Look on the One you have pierced.
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