The Oil of Joy for Mourning

II Four Explanatory Messages

B The Response

4 Rejoicing, Text: 8:18-23

Title: The Oil of Joy for Mourning

Introduction

This passage in Zechariah’s prophecy supplies the full correction for the erring question brought by the men of Bethel regarding fasting. It reminds me of God’s promises to Israel in Isaiah 61:1-3 which is the scroll from which Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth in Luke chapter 4. It says, The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. When Jesus read this in the synagogue he was announcing that he came to bring the great year of Jubilee in which all the prisoners were freed and the debts were paid. Every fiftieth year Israel had a jubilee, but now with the coming of the Savior, everything became jubilee. Thus a time of eternal rejoicing was ushered in through the death and resurrection of Jesus. This had to be in the mind of the Holy Spirit when he inspired these words in Zechariah. In fact, all their fasts are to be turned into days of rejoicing. Jesus told His disciples the same thing when they consulted Him as to why fasting was not imposed by Him, as it was by John the Baptist. When the Sun of righteousness shines, tears are dried up Jesus Himself told His disciples essentially the same thing and He said to them, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?” This is the way the reign of the Messiah is described in Isaiah 35:8-10, And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. No more mourning. It is replaced by the oil of joy. This era will be characterized by the joy, the journey and the joining.

I The Joy

We read of the joy in verses 18 and 19, Again the word of the Lord Almighty came to me. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.” Not only the fast inquired about but all the fasts would become “joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts.” In the light of this glorious future God’s people should “love the truth and peace.” Truth and peace are to be loved because they are what is promised by God as we read in Psalm 85 where the Psalmist declares in verses 8-10, I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Ultimately the blessing is not just the physical restoration of Israel in the time of Zechariah, but the new covenant and the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Savior. In His cross is the meeting place of truth, righteousness and justice on the one hand, and peace, love and forgiveness with God on the other. There they kiss. I hasten to add that this does not mean that Christians should never fast. It does mean that they should never fast as Israel did during the Babylonian captivity. Their fasting was morose and hopeless: it was demoralized, despairing, disconsolate and desperate. Though we may mourn over our sin we always have the assurance of absolution in Christ. We rejoice in truth and peace.

II The Journey

The festival joy culminates in worship and for the Jewish people that meant going up to Jerusalem as we read in verses 20 and 21, This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ These are people from cities which implies that they are from places near and far, but they are Jewish people of the dispersion who have become enthused about worshiping the Lord and their future. They encourage one another to go up to the temple to worship. Most Gentiles have no conception of how precious Jerusalem was to these people. It was the place where God had put His name; the place where He dwelt, and the place He protected. It was the only place where God could be properly worshipped with sacrifices in the temple. The Jewish people, having been scattered all over the known world, were known as the diaspora. Their great hope was to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. If you have Jewish friends you know that one of their great holidays is Yom Kippur, which, being translated means day of covering or day of atonement. They end their Yom Kippur services with the prayer: “Next year in Jerusalem?” The Jewish sages who crafted the Yom Kippur liturgy knew that Jerusalem is not only a very real city but also a goal and a dream for every scattered Jew. Now Zechariah prophesies of the day when the people of Israel will stream up to Zion en mass.

III The Joining

A more obvious element of joy and enthusiasm in our Christian living would be a magnetic appeal to others, who would say, “We will go with you.” That is exactly what happens, for as the Jewish people stream up to Jerusalem they are joined by innumerable others who are Gentiles as we read in verses 22 and 23, And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’ ” In very graphic language God pictures the result of the restoration which far exceeds the expectations of the people. This is a remarkable prophecy of the Christian era, but especially of its inception on the day of Pentecost. In the centuries that followed the Jewish people became more isolated and separated from Gentiles, but that ended with Pentecost. Although the Jews were not actuated by the missionary spirit, yet even before Christ’s advent their religion had spread into all parts of the world, as we see from the catalogue of proselytes in Acts 2:9-11, where Jews of the dispersion had gathered for the feast. We read that the people assembled at Pentecost were, Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs, and we read that they heard them declaring the wonders of God in their own tongues! Notice Zechariah says, Ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you. And the miracle of Pentecost was that the “crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?’” In Jewish culture taking hold of the hem of the robe implies a desire to share the privileges, and to be united in fellowship with someone. So the Gentiles came and came and came. Thus was fulfilled God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Smith writes, “The old geographical Jerusalem was but a type of the Jerusalem which is from above. During the inter-testamental period some notable Gentiles did become Jewish proselytes. They would bring their sacrifices to the temple in Jerusalem. The reference here, however, is to the antitypical Jerusalem, the spiritual city in which all who embrace the gospel are citizens. Thus Zechariah is describing the present age in which Gentiles throughout the world by countless millions have turned to Yahweh of Hosts through his Son Jesus.” Salvation, indeed, is of the Jews; it began to be announced at Jerusalem; it was preached by the Jewish apostles; its founder was of the seed of David. But the true Israelites are not merely those who are of the natural posterity of Abraham, but all true Christians united under Christ, the Head. To their number all who would be saved must be joined. This is the joining in view in Zechariah’s prophecy. As someone asks, “Do we know our place in the game of grace?” We are part of a worldwide pilgrimage Jew and Gentile together to seek the Lord and we should be encouraging others to do the same.