We come now to a glorious picture of justification through faith in the coming Messiah, the Christ. While these visions were given to encourage the saints of that day, if the word were limited to that day, all encouragement would ultimately fail.
First, a summary of the vision. Joshua the high priest stands before God, and is accused by Satan for the people’s sins. The Lord rebukes Satan in the name of the Lord, and does so on the basis of election. God chose Jerusalem, not Jerusalem God. The Lord brought them from exile, out of the fire. And yet Joshua was truly dressed in filthy clothes. God grants to him a new set of festal robes. Zechariah suggests that a mitre be placed on his head, and it is. Joshua is then solemnly charged by the Angel of the Lord to be covenantally faithful. If he is, then he will be given charge of God’s house. Then Joshua is told that he and the men with him are men of omen, a sign of something else. The BRANCH is coming, the stone is coming. The iniquity of the people will be removed in a day, and prosperity will reign.
The meaning of this vision is not really hard to ascertain. Joshua the high priest stands before God in his representative capacity, representing a sinful people. He also stands in this vision as a type of the coming High Priest (Heb. 7:19-28), also named Joshua (Yeshua, Jesus). The character of Satan is always that of a self-righteous accuser (Job 1-2; Rev. 12:10); Satan loves accusation because he is the spirit of accusation. We also see the grace of imputed righteousness. Joshua is dressed in filthy clothes, but as a sovereign gift, God grants clean and festal robes, crowned with glory and honor. Then there is the resultant obedience — having been cleansed and made whole, Joshua is commanded to live in a fashion worthy of it.
The promise of the Branch is an overt Messianic promise, mentioned elsewhere by Zechariah in 6:12-13. The image is found throughout the Old Testament. Consider Jeremiah: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:5-6; cf. 33:15; Eze. 17:22-24; Is. 53:2). Also remember Isaiah. “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Is. 11:1). The Branch has humble origins, and grows up in obscurity. Yet the end result is a world filled with fruit.
The Stone is also a common Messianic image. “. . . having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20; cf. Matt. 21:42; 1 Cor. 3:11). “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame'”(1 Pet. 2:4-6).
The seven eyes are the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ. Not only does He proceed from the Father, but also from the Son. “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth (Rev. 5:6; cf. 1:4; 4:5). Christ is the Stone, the eyes are the Holy Spirit.
The people of God never do things “for God.” God works and acts through and in His people. First, remember that righteousness is given, it is bestowed, it is imputed. The standing temptation of all religious people is to think they can somehow stand in their own goodness. But remember what Zechariah and Jeremiah both describe as the meaning of the Branch, the name of the Branch. His name is the Lord our Righteousness.
A glorious temple is under construction. The Lord has been building one thing throughout all history, and that is His Holy Temple. This house has Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone, the apostles and prophets as the foundation stones, and each one of you a living stone placed in that temple. You are incorporated into the same building as your Lord Jesus Christ.