This is one subject of debate especially when it comes to
identifying those who would wee the return of the Lord Jesus to the earth. There
are many who believe that it is a clear and general reference to the Jews
especially to those living in our time and age that would eventually know that
Jesus is the Messiah that they didn’t recognize in their first coming when it occurred
two thousand years ago.
It would only stand as a misapplication of justice if God would
punish a generation of people 2,000 years after an unfortunate event. This doesn’t
speak of the graciousness of God and neither does it exalt the finished work of
Jesus with regards to the judgment of sin.
Why would God go and a witch-hunt on a people that would
last over 2,000 years. I don’t think He is a serial killer and neither is he Anti-Semitic.
I had someone told me that those who pierced the Lord was
the Romans. He arrived at that because of the fact that it was the Romans that
carried out the execution. He looked to be right but at the same wrong when you
consider the fact that the Romans did not wake up one morning and declare Jesus
a criminal that must be killed.
Lets look at this phrase and judge who was being described
here without trying to force an interpretation to support our existing belief
system.
Zechariah gives us an insight into the life of the Messiah
which includes his journey to the cross. In chapter 13:6 he says
"And one will say
to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will say, 'Those
with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'
Verse 7 also tells us
"Awake, sword,
against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!" declares the
LORD Almighty. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered,…”
This is clearly speaking to us about Jesus, the betrayal he
experienced, the sad and painful journey to the cross where he was crucified.
Jesus even identified his place in prophecy and also quotes Zachariah to his
disciples before he was betrayed and handed over to the Jewish leaders. The wounds
in him arms was a picture of his crucifixion on the cross.
Earlier on in chapter 12 the prophet also tells us about a
morning for one who was pierced in all the cities of the land of Israel.
10 “And I will
pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of
grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they
will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and
grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.11 In that day there shall
be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the
plain of Megiddo.[b] 12 And the land shall mourn, every
family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives
by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by
themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their
wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by
themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself,
and their wives by themselves”.
After God had poured the Spirit of grace on his people, the
result should have been celebration and life. But we see otherwise. There is a
mourning which is not far connection from the fact that there was a rejection
of the Spirit of grace as testified by the Hebrews writer
28 Anyone who has
rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or
three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose,
will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted
the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and
insulted the Spirit of grace?
The Spirit of grace would have given refuge to those who were
to transit from living by the law into the liberty of the Son. Their refusal was
extended to the persecution of the sent ones by the Lord in announcing the
goodnews for them to come to banquet prepared by the Father.
So was it the Romans that pierced him? The answer is No.
It will only be proper to say that the Jews instigated and
demanded it so. The Romans acted in their role as executors of those convicted
by the Jews. It was the Jews that sought for his death on numerous occasions. At
his trial they even brought false witness against him and try to incriminate
him. The sad thing was that after reviewing their case, Pontius Pilate still
could not find him guilty. When Pilate tried to free him, they had him in a
difficult position to save his office by executing Jesus.
Jesus Himself made it clear to Pilate: “…he who delivered Me
up to you has the greater sin” (John 19:11). This was referring to his brothers
the Jews.
Peter in his first message to the Jews in Acts 2
22 “Men of
Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you
yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined
purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken[c] by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to
death;
36 “Therefore let
all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you
crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
14 But you denied
the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and
killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are
witnesses. (Chap. 3)
In Acts 5:30 he declared:
“The God of our
fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.”
Stephen in his own message told the Jews that
“Which one of the
prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had
previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers
y have now become. ”
Paul in his letter to the church at Thessalonica said
14 For you,
brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ
Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as
they did from the Judeans, 15 who killed both the Lord
Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please
God and are contrary to all men, 16 forbidding us to speak to the
Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their
sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. (1 Thessalonians 2)
He confirmed that his people the Jews were the ones who
killed Jesus, now they were also doing the same to the disciples. He tells them
that all this would see them fill up the measure of their sins which he links
to a coming wrath. This absolutely confirms what Jesus said in Matthew 23 about
a coming judgment on the Old Jewish world and system.
“31 “Therefore
you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered
the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents,
brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore,
indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you
will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your
synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come
all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to
the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple
and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come
upon this generation.” (Matthew 23)
Those who pierced him were to suffer a judgment. Those who
pierced him was that generation in Jesus time. Judgment was to fall on that
generation that would lead them to a state of mourning. This is not our time or
in our future as some profess. To do so would be to ignore the relevant
audience to whom it was written to. If it didn’t mean anything to them, why
should it mean something to us.
This is theme of the book of Revelation; The coming of the
son of man in judgment over a system, over those who rejected and denied their
covenant partner. They refused to enter the covering of the “hen over her
chicks” they condemned themselves through their unbelief and could not step
into the kingdom unveiled in the new covenant. They saw themselves drowned in
the Red sea of blood and erased in the fires of Sodom and Gomorrah.
We are those for whom he was pierced. His justification is
now ours. There is no fearful judgment or wrath stored up for us anymore. That age
has passed and we are living in the glorious splendor of His kingdom spreading
forth in power. Halleluyah.
