What does Zechariah chapter 3 mean?

Answer 1

The Book of Zechariah reports visions in which Joshua was persuaded to walk in the ways of the Lord and keep his charge. Zechariah had apocalyptic visions, in which Joshua the high priest had been found guilty of iniquity, but the Lord needed him and was willing to offer him inducements and honour (3:1-8):And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing on his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, the Lord rebuke thee, O Satan: even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, 'Take away the filthy garments from him.' And unto him he said, 'Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee in change of raiment.' And I said, 'Let them set a fair mitre upon his head.' So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. And the angel protested unto Joshua, saying, 'Thus said the Lord of hosts: "If thou will walk in my ways and will keep my charge, then thou shall also judge my house and shall also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among those that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch."'

Imagine the anger of the high priest Joshua, on reading the above material. Zechariah would be lucky to escape with his life after such a defamatory opening passage. Joshua would have regarded his position as high priest to be a matter of right, not something dreamed up by Zechariah as a sop to get him to stop his so-called iniquity. If the high priest really was guilty of an iniquity such as corruption or challenging the authority of Zorobabel, he would have been dealt with quite differently. The passage must have had a hidden meaning, not the literal meaning of a vision about the high priest.

At Zechariah 6:9-13, we can assume that Joshua had accepted the Lord's offer. The prophet had another vision: And the word of the Lord came unto me saying, 'Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jediah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephania; then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them on the head of Joshua, the son of Josedec, the high priest; and speak unto him, saying, "behold the man whose name is the Branch", and he shall grow up out of this place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord; Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory; and he shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.'

If we take this passage literally, then the new Temple had not yet been built, so Joshua was not being eulogised because of some momentous achievements. This creates a conundrum that scholars have tried to resolve. Some scholars dispute that 'the Branch' refers to Joshua, saying that it is probably a symbol of King David and therefore must refer to his descendant, Zorobabel. However, Joshua is being directly addressed, with the words 'behold the man whose name is the Branch'; he could not have been instructed to 'behold' Zorobabel, since there was no requirement for Zorobabel to be present; also Joshua was cast as the priest, not Zorobabel. Moreover, chapter 3 says that Joshua would judge God's house and keep his courts, and this is consistent with enthronement in glory.

Both passages refer to Joshua receiving priestly privileges that he did not already have, but Jerusalem and its proposed Temple were the uncontested domain of the high priest, no matter how righteous or delinquent the incumbent might have been. At least in the vision, the house that Joshua was to judge, the courts that he would keep, and the places to walk must have been in the heavenly sphere. When he "shall be a priest upon his throne" can only mean a new throne, in heaven.

It is probably beyond the scope of this question to canvass the possible scenarios that explain Zechariah chapter 3 in greater detail, but it is likely that Zechariah was dealing with a schism in the Jewish faith.

Answer 2

Zechariah chapter 3 recounts a vision where Joshua the high priest is cleansed and clothed in new garments, symbolizing forgiveness and restoration before God. The vision also includes the removal of his iniquity and the promise of God's servant, the Branch. The overall message is one of spiritual renewal, highlighting the themes of repentance, forgiveness, and divine favor.