26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same
Comment: Yesterday, because it so near the time when we make New Year Resolutions, I wrote about Peter and his boastful but sincere commitment to follow Jesus no matter what happened. A promise which he broke that same night! Today we will consider what Jesus said. Jesus quoted from Zech 13 v 7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who stands next to me,”
declares the LORD of hosts.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” Jesus was claiming with this to be the Messiah, that is the One who stands by the side of the Father! I don’t know that Peter picked that up as Jesus spoke but he, Peter, certainly heard the bit about the scattering sheep and said I will never run from you. A noble call but one that he did not keep. But think about the preceding phrase in the quoted prophecy as Jesus spoke it, “I will strike the shepherd”. It raises at least three questions. 1. Who is the ‘I’? Surely it is God the Father not the Jewish leaders or it would be ‘they’. And Zechariah writes quoting God not Pilate. Does this mean that God accepts the responsibility for striking the ‘shepherd’? 2. Who is the ‘shepherd‘? Almost everyone who knows their Bible will immediately think of Psalm 23 and the fact that Jesus said ‘I am the good shepherd’! There is no doubt that is what Peter, standing next to Jesus, understood it to mean! 3. What does ‘strike‘ involve? Not forgetting that Zechariah’s prophecy had a meaning for his time as well as a Messianic meaning, here it obviously refers to what was to happen in the immediate future to Jesus – judgement, gross abuse and crucifixion! Although we all die, we are born to live! But Jesus was born to die! His life was glorious His teaching sublime, His example perfect and never to be minimized but the simple fact is that He came to die! As the perfect Lamb sacrifice for our sin! But He rose again to be for ever the Good Shepherd of His sheep – the sheep’s High Priest and Advocate standing in the very Presence of the Father!
Psalm 23: 1-3 – The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus for coming to die at the Father’s choice.
As I read it! 