A CLEANSING FOUNTAIN.
ZECHARIAH 13:1
In
the name + of Jesus.
The first record of public worship in the
Old Testament has to do with Cain and Abel.
“Abel tended sheep, but Cain worked the ground. As time passed, one day Cain brought an
offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil. Abel also brought some of the firstborn of
his flock and their fat portions.
The LORD looked favorably on Abel and his offering” (Genesis
4:2-4). Those who are familiar with Old Testament worship probably
don’t bat an eye at these verses. Of
course they brought sacrifices to the Lord!
But what gets overlooked is this: There are no instructions recorded about
how the Lord is to be worshiped. But the
Lord must have said something. Why else
would Abel take pains to build an altar and slaughter a lamb from his
flock? And not just a lamb, but
the firstborn?
From the very first worship, the principle
recorded in the letter to the Hebrews is on display: “Without the shedding
of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). That principle continued with all the
patriarchs. After the Flood, “Noah
built an altar to the LORD and took from every clean
animal and every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The LORD smelled
the pleasant aroma” (Genesis 8:20-21). There had been no specific instruction about
which animals were clean or unclean. Yet,
Noah knew. So, again, the Lord must have
said something. Blood sacrifices
continued with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
It was not until Moses climbed to the top of Mt. Sinai that the Lord
spelled out in detail how his people were to worship him. And what did the Lord desire? Blood sacrifices of clean animals because “without
the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).
Blood sacrifices continued as the
tabernacle moved throughout the wilderness for forty years. Eventually, Solomon constructed a temple in
Jerusalem. The Lord’s altar finally had
a fixed location. There, the blood
sacrifices continued. The Lord had also
instructed the Israelites that they were not free to set up altars just
anywhere. The Lord had put his name on the
altar at the temple. It was only from
that one place that the Lord accepted sacrifices which atoned for sin and
celebrated the restored fellowship with the Lord.
Day after day, the sacrifices were
offered. Day after day, blood was shed
and splashed against the sides of the altar.
Year after year, the high priest bathed in a ceremonial washing before
he entered the Holy of Holies. He carried
blood into the Holy of Holies to atone for his own sin and for the sin of the
people. He even made atonement for the
altar on which the sacrifices were made.
All this had to be repeated, which showed that no blood sacrifice had
made a complete and satisfying atonement for the people.
Obviously, our worship has changed since
Old Testament days. There is no blood
shed, no animals slaughtered, and no bodies consumed in fire on the altar. The prophet Zechariah foretold that the days
would come when this change would take place.
He declared, “On that day a fountain will be opened for the
house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for
uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1).
The final chapters of Zechariah speak
repeatedly about the days when the Messiah would come. A day would come when the sacrifices would no
longer need to be repeated. They would
no longer be necessary because they would find their fulfillment, and that
fulfillment would be all-sufficient for all people of all time. The Lord would open a fountain which completely
cleanses all who are bathed and covered by it.
It should not surprise you to learn that
“that day” would be the day on which our Lord Jesus Christ was slain at the
cross. He is the fulfillment of every
blood sacrifice which had been offered up to that day. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. While “propitiation” is a valid word, it is
almost useless unless we understand what it means.
When a worshiper brought a bull or a sheep
to the temple for a sin offering, he would place his hand on the head of that
animal to designate it: “This one dies for me.”
The wrath of God would be transferred from the worship to the
sacrificial victim. Then it would be
slaughtered and its blood shed. Its body
would be consumed in fire on the altar.
The worshiper would be pardoned and sent home justified, based on God’s
promise. That is what Jesus Christ is
for you. He presented himself as the sacrificial
victim. God’s wrath was transferred from
you to him. This one dies for you. He is the perfect Lamb, spotless and clean. His blood was shed and his body was consumed
in God’s holy wrath. You are sent home
justified, based on God’s promises.
That sacrifice was made for you twenty
centuries ago. That was the payment for
your sins. But now, how does God deliver
that payment to you? And what is the
fountain that Zechariah was talking about which was “opened … for sin and
for uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1)?
St. John stood at the foot of the cross
and witnessed Jesus’ death. John wrote, “One
of the soldiers pierced (Jesus’) side with a spear. Immediately blood and water came out” (John
19:24). This not only confirmed the
death of Jesus, it also illustrated the way that Jesus provides cleansing for your
sins. St. John wrote in his first
epistle, “This is the one who came by water and blood: Jesus Christ. He did not come by the water alone but by the
water and by the blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit
is the truth. In fact, there are three
that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three are one” (1
John 5:6-8).
“On that day a fountain will be
opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and
for uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1).
The fountain that was opened was Jesus’ side. Water and blood came forth to provide life to
his Church. First, it is by holy baptism
that our Lord cleanses you from all sin.
The payment for your sins was made by Jesus through his death on the
cross. The benefits of that payment are
given to you in Holy Baptism.
The Lord himself tells you what is given
in Holy Baptism. When appeared to Saul
who was on his way to Damascus, he snatched Saul from death to life. But the Lord did not leave Saul to trust his
experience, as miraculous as it was. The
risen Savior told him, “Now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins,
calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). The
cleansing fountain which was opened and poured out water from Jesus’ side is
applied in Holy Baptism. It is there
that the Lord washes away sin and all uncleanness.
That fountain also poured out blood from
Jesus’ side. The shedding of Jesus’
blood was necessary, for “without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). But our
Lord does not leave us to merely ponder the shedding of Jesus’ blood, as if
forgiveness is determined by how deep or how focused our meditation is. Rather, our Lord crafted a way to deliver
that blood to us.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was
betrayed, “took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the
disciples. He said, ‘Take, eat, this is
my body.’ Then he took the cup, gave
thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it all of you, for this is my
blood of the new testament, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28).
That which he gave into death for you is given here to you. The blood which was poured forth from Jesus’
side as the payment for your sins is given to you in the cup for the
forgiveness of your sins. The body upon
which your sins were laid and which then was consumed in the fire of God’s
wrath is given to you under the bread. Jesus
is the propitiation for your sins; for God’s wrath was poured out upon
Jesus. But now, God’s favor is poured
out upon you—in fact, into you.
This new testament is far superior to the
old testament. For, the sacrifices do
not need to be repeated day after day, year after year. Rather, Jesus, the eternal Son of God, made
one sacrifice—once for all—to atone for your sins. The benefits of this sacrifice are
eternal. As often as we eat this bread
and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. We do not repeat the Lord’s death, but we
proclaim it. And we eat and drink to
receive the benefits of it.
There is always a tendency to think that
we still have to add something to what Jesus did for us. In the Old Testament, the sacrifices were not
cheap. To slaughter a bull or a ram
involved expense and commitment from the worshiper. We might also think that there is some
sacrifice or some work on our part that should be done to prove that we are
worthy of such grace.
If sinners could perform the works that
appease God’s wrath, then he would have left it in our hands, and those who
enter heaven could boast that they earned it.
But no one can earn it. Even our
best works are stained, corrupted, and warped.
Therefore, Jesus established a new testament: He removes your guilt and
purifies you from all unrighteousness.
This relieves you of the pressure of endless works, of convincing
yourself that you have done enough to please God, and of suffering dread and
doubt on your deathbed. You do not have
to question if you will be welcomed into heavenly dwellings. Jesus removes all debts, drudgery, doubt, and
dread. Zechariah foretold why: “On
that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1).
The patriarchs had built altars on which
they made their atoning sacrifices. They
followed God’s directions to attain forgiveness. The blood of an innocent victim was
shed. The body was roasted in the fire
on the altar. And God’s wrath was
diverted from the worshiper to the sacrifice.
That was a shadow of the things to come.
The reality is found in Christ.
And it is found here, according to our Lord’s own instruction.
For here, we have an altar. On this altar is both body and blood. It comes from the innocent victim who was
slain for you. God’s wrath was diverted
from you to him. He, in turn, feeds you
with the food that provides forgiveness, cleansing, strength, and
salvation. God’s grace still flows from
Jesus’ side. The fountain that was
opened never runs dry.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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