Zechariah 6

Scripture Reading:  Read Zechariah Chapter 6.

Roots of Faith:

Zechariah 6:11-12 – “Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak.  Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.  (NIV)

Indoor plumbing is one of those things that you don’t think much about until it isn’t working correctly.  Years ago, we purchased an older home, and part of that process included an inspection of the sewer pipes.  Come to find out, some of those pipes needed to be replaced. The whole process was interesting to me, but one of the most interesting things is that the plumber found large roots under the basement foundation, far from any tree. 

The roots of a tree seem small and insignificant at first, but as the tree grows above the ground, so does the health of the root system below the ground as well.  The interesting thing about this passage is that the High Priest is crowned instead of Zerubbabel, who was in the royal line.  Joshua, the High Priest, is crowned and even called “the Branch.”  The High Priest being crowned here is symbolic of Christ, who would come and become our High Priest after His ascension to heaven. 

The language of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning Christ is very similar to Isaiah 11:10 – “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.”  (NIV)

Have the roots of Christ sunk into your heart and life?  When we turn to Christ in faith, He will save us.  He doesn’t stop there, however; as we grow in faith, the roots of Christ will sink deep into our lives, producing life within us.