The Shepherd is Struck

Mark 14:26,50 “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.’ . . . And they all left him and fled”.

I'm always enjoying reading about the connection between the Old Testament and New Testament writing about Jesus. I came across this great parallel passages of the meaning of the Shepherd being stuck and the flock scattering. It stated that to help us understand the true consequence, importance, significance and weight of the old covenant prophecies, we have periodically looked at how the New Testament writers point out how these prophecies are fulfilled in the work of Christ at his first advent, through the current new covenant age, and in his return. Zechariah’s prophecy of the shepherd being struck is referred to in each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), so it is well worth our time to look briefly at how the prophet’s words came true in the ministry of Jesus.

Zechariah 13:7-9 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion,” says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand against the little ones. And it shall come to pass in all the land,” says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and

die, but one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, will

refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

The prophecy of the shepherd being struck and his sheep being scattered in Zechariah 13:7–9 occurs in a context that ties this striking to the final salvation of God’s people. It is part of a complex series of events that include the people mourning in repentance over the One whom they had pierced and the opening of a fountain that cleanses the house of David and His royal subjects from their sin. Thus, the striking of the shepherd is somehow associated with a Davidic king being disciplined for the sins of His household and the establishment of His eternal kingdom in which the subjects whom He represents enjoy peace and glory, events that are alluded to when the Lord made His everlasting covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7:1–17.

The striking of the shepherd must therefore be associated with the final salvation of God’s people, and the Synoptic Gospels reflect this reality. Jesus spoke of Himself as laying down His life as a “ransom for many” in Mark 10:45, and His arrest led finally to His death outside of the camp at the hands of the Jewish and Gentile authorities. In this arrest, the Shepherd was struck and His sheep scattered. The disciples who had been faithful, by and large, to their Lord showed themselves to be cowards and ran for their lives. Even Peter, who had proclaimed his willingness to die for Jesus, did not stay at His master’s side.

Although the disciples, aside from Judas, played no active role in the death of Christ, their cowardice and denial no doubt served to pierce the Good Shepherd. As part of the spiritual, emotional, and physical agony that our Savior endured between the Last Supper and His death on Good Friday, those closest to Him denied Him. Yet in His grace, Christ did not finally reject those who pierced Him. Those, like Peter, who mourned in repentance over what they had done to Jesus were restored to fellowship with Him. Today Jesus continues to receive back all who have denied Him when they turn from their sin.

In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus solemnly warns us that He will deny before the Father those who deny Him before the world. This should strike fear into our hearts and lead us to pray for the strength to confess Him in all circumstances. Yet His words should not cause us to despair, for His statement is not an absolute one. Christ will only deny those who continue to deny Him, but He will always receive back into fellowship those who have denied Him if they repent of their betrayal.

Praise Jesus, our redeeming Savior and loving Lord!