The Branch Builds His House Text: Zechariah 6:9-15
Introduction: Living Prophecy
We live in a pragmatic age, which is another way of saying we live in a spiritually dull and flat age. We want principles for living, seven steps to this, and five ways to that. But God, in His infinite wisdom, does not primarily give us abstract principles. He gives us stories, He gives us poetry, and He gives us living, breathing, enacted prophecies. He gives us street theater. He tells his prophets not just to say something, but to do something that embodies the message. He told Isaiah to walk around stripped and barefoot. He told Jeremiah to buy a field in a doomed city. He told Ezekiel to build a model of Jerusalem and lay siege to it. God does this because He wants His truth to get under our skin. He wants it to be tangible, memorable, and unavoidable.
And that is precisely what we have here in Zechariah chapter six. After a series of eight dramatic, nocturnal visions, God brings the prophecy down to earth in the bright light of day. He commands Zechariah to perform a symbolic act, a coronation ceremony that is as audacious as it is baffling to the natural mind. This is not just an addendum to the visions; it is their culmination and their interpretation. God is showing His people, a discouraged and beleaguered remnant trying to rebuild from the rubble, what He is truly building. They thought they were just stacking stones for a second-rate temple. God pulls back the curtain to show them that they are part of a project that will fill the entire world with the glory of God.
What we are about to witness is the collision of two of God's great ordained offices, the priesthood and the kingship. Under the old covenant, these two were kept rigorously separate. A king who dared to offer incense, like Uzziah, was struck with leprosy. The roles were distinct. The priest represented the people to God, and the king represented God to the people. But here, in this enacted parable, God is going to join them. He is going to show that the ultimate solution to our sin and rebellion is not found in two separate offices, but in one glorious Person who perfectly embodies both. This passage is a direct, prophetic pointer to the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is both our great High Priest and our sovereign King.
The Text
And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, "Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah; and you come the same day and come into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon. And take silver and gold, make an ornate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Then you will say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, and He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of Yahweh. Indeed, it is He who will build the temple of Yahweh, and He who will bear the splendor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” ’ Now the crown will become a memorial in the temple of Yahweh to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. And those who are far off will come and build the temple of Yahweh.” Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. And it will happen if you utterly listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.
(Zechariah 6:9-15 LSB)
A Gift, a Crown, and a High Priest (vv. 9-11)
The action begins with a specific, mundane instruction from God.
"Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah; and you come the same day and come into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon. And take silver and gold, make an ornate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest." (Zechariah 6:9-11)
God's grand redemptive purposes are always worked out in the nitty-gritty of real life, with real people, with real names. These men, Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, have just arrived from Babylon. They are part of the diaspora, the scattered people of God, and they have come bearing gifts, silver and gold, for the work of the temple. They are faithful men, and their faithfulness is about to be woven into a prophetic tapestry far grander than they could have imagined. Their gift is not just for construction materials; it is to be made into an ornate crown. A royal crown.
And where is this crown to be placed? Not on the head of Zerubbabel, the governor, the descendant of David, the rightful heir to the throne. No, God's instruction is shocking. He tells Zechariah to place this royal crown squarely on the head of Joshua, the high priest. Imagine the scene. The high priest wore a turban, a symbol of his priestly office. Now, on top of that, or in place of it, a kingly crown is set. This would have been jarring. It would have been a flagrant violation of established protocol. The offices were separate. A priest did not wear a crown. A king did not wear a turban. What God is commanding here is a visual paradox, a theological earthquake.
This is a living sermon. God is demonstrating that the ultimate hope of Israel is not going to be another king like David and another priest like Aaron, working in tandem. The ultimate hope is one who unites both offices in himself. Joshua the high priest is serving as a type, a stand-in, for the one who is to come. And it is no accident that his name is Joshua, which is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus. The name means "Yahweh saves." Here we have Jesus, the high priest, being crowned as king.
The Man Called Branch (vv. 12-13)
Now comes the divine explanation for this bizarre ceremony. Zechariah is to speak God's word to Joshua.
"Then you will say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, and He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of Yahweh. Indeed, it is He who will build the temple of Yahweh, and He who will bear the splendor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” ’" (Zechariah 6:12-13)
The prophecy does not terminate on Joshua. Joshua is a sign, pointing to another. He points to the man whose name is Branch. This is a well-established Messianic title. Isaiah prophesied that a shoot would come from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots would bear fruit (Isaiah 11:1). Jeremiah spoke of a righteous Branch whom God would raise up for David, a king who would reign wisely (Jeremiah 23:5). This Branch is the promised Messiah.
And what will this Branch do? First, "He will branch out from where He is." This speaks of His humble origins, His incarnation. He will spring up from the dry ground of Israel. But from that humble beginning, He will accomplish a monumental task: "He will build the temple of Yahweh." This phrase is repeated for emphasis: "Indeed, it is He who will build the temple of Yahweh."
Now, the people listening would have naturally thought of the physical temple they were currently struggling to rebuild. But God's vision is far greater. Zerubbabel would finish the second temple, but the Branch will build the final, ultimate Temple. This is not a temple of stone and mortar, but a temple of living stones. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. As the apostle Peter tells us, "you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5). Jesus Himself said, "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). The Branch, Jesus Christ, is the great temple builder.
And notice the result. He will "bear the splendor and sit and rule on His throne." This is the language of kingship. But it immediately continues, "Thus, He will be a priest on His throne." Here is the resolution of the paradox. He is not a king who dabbles in priestly duties, or a priest who gets political. He is a Priest-King. The two offices are perfectly united in His person. And the result of this union is glorious: "the counsel of peace will be between the two offices." The separation of the offices was necessary under the old covenant because of sin. But in Christ, there is perfect harmony. As our King, He has the authority to save. As our Priest, He has the sympathy to save. His rule is a priestly rule, and His priesthood is a royal priesthood. This is the good news. The one who rules us is the one who died for us. The one who intercedes for us is the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth.
A Memorial and a Promise (vv. 14-15)
The symbolic act concludes with a look to the future, both near and far.
"Now the crown will become a memorial in the temple of Yahweh to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. And those who are far off will come and build the temple of Yahweh.” Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. And it will happen if you utterly listen to the voice of Yahweh your God." (Zechariah 6:14-15)
The crown is not for Joshua to keep. He was only the mannequin. The crown is to be placed in the temple as a memorial, a constant reminder of this promise. It is a down payment, a pledge that the true Priest-King, the Branch, is coming. And the names of the donors are recorded, a reminder that God sees and honors the faithful gifts of His people, no matter how small they may seem.
Then comes a stunning, world-altering promise: "And those who are far off will come and build the temple of Yahweh." Who are these who are far off? This is not just talking about Jews still scattered in Babylon or Persia. This is a prophecy of the great Gentile mission. This is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. The temple that the Branch is building is not an exclusive Jewish club. It is a global, catholic, international body. Men and women from every tribe, tongue, and nation will be brought near by the blood of Christ and will become fellow builders, living stones in the house of God (Ephesians 2:13-22).
This is the great engine of postmillennial optimism. The Branch has come. He has been crowned with glory and honor. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, a priest on His throne. And from that throne, He is building His temple, the Church. And He has commissioned us to be His builders, to go into all the world and make disciples. The prophecy says that those from far off will come and build. It is not a maybe. It is a divine certainty. The gospel will triumph. The kingdom will advance. The temple will grow until it fills the whole earth.
But the passage ends with a condition, a covenantal requirement. "And it will happen if you utterly listen to the voice of Yahweh your God." This is not a condition of earning. It is a condition of instrumentality. God works through the obedience of His people. How will the nations be brought in? How will the temple be built? It will happen as God's people take Him at His word and obey Him. The Great Commission is not the Great Suggestion. Our task is to be faithful, to preach the gospel, to disciple the nations, to teach them to obey everything Christ has commanded. And as we do, we will see this prophecy fulfilled before our very eyes. We will see those who were once far off brought near, and we will find ourselves building the house of God alongside them, all to the glory of the Branch, our great Priest-King, the Lord Jesus Christ.