Jesus, hidden in the fierce King and in the gentle Priest
“Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD; Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” (Zechariah 6:12-13 NKJV)
Word came that God will in His appointed time raise up a man that will be called the Branch. He will come to build the spiritual temple of the Lord. He will be honored, be placed on a throne and rule as a king and also serve as a priest. The significant part about Him as He will like no other before Him be able to perform these two roles (king and priest) in perfect harmony. He will be able to operate these two roles with no difficulty.
Let’s have look what was to come with specific reference to what God’s Word tells us:
God was going to raise up a great high priest, like Joshua. We realise here again that Joshua was a mere shadow of the great High Priest that was to come (Zechariah 6:12). The One that will come will be called the Branch and He will spring forth out of dry land and produce beauty. He will spread throughout the world. He will produce growth unto Himself.
The same way Joshua was to play an active and vital role in building the physical temple, so shall the Branch (Jesus) be the master-builder of our spiritual temples. He shall grow up and bring great blessings unto mankind. He shall build the temple of the Lord (Zechariah 6:13), which is a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5), a holy temple (Ephesians 2:21). The same way God revealed truths about Himself to His people as they served Him in the temple, so Jesus will bring revelations of Himself as He dwells in those who believe in Him. Christ is our foundation on which our faith is build but even more, He is also the founder of us as His temples, the dwelling of His Spirit.
The Branch shall bear the glory of God. Jesus carried the burden of the cross so that God’s glory will be revealed. They shall hang upon him all the glory of his Father’s house (Isaiah 22:24). The glory of the royal priesthood shall solely be bore by Jesus. The glory that He shall bring will be greater than any former glory.
The Branch shall have a throne and be a king and a priest. He will have dominion and be exalted. Christ, as our priest continues to make intercession for us as He sits on His Father’s right hand (Hebrews 8:1). Jesus has a heavenly throne but as believers, Jesus has also obtained the throne of our hearts and as we bring every thought into obedience, He obtains the throne of our minds. Jesus has the fierceness, majesty and power of a king, AND the humility, tenderness and simplicity of a priest.
“Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses…That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. ”” (Hebrews 5:1-2, 5 NLT)
Jesus does all things in harmony. His roles as king and priest shall operate in complete harmony and peace with each other. He brings peace between God and man through the mediation of Christ. God has peaceful thoughts towards us because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. By acting in His dual offices as a king and a priest, Jesus reconciled us to God and brought us into the fulfillment of God’s plan for man.
Allow Jesus to be your king and ruler over your life and even more so allow Him to be your priest who reconciles you with God and keeps you steadfast in your standing before God as every time you commit sin He can remind you of His grace and God of the punishment He already suffered for you.
Maretha Retief
Illustration by Jeanne de Villiers