1. The book of Zechariah opens with the Lord’s offer of pardon to those who repent: “ ‘Return to Me,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 1:3).
2. In Zechariah 3, Zechariah sees a vision of Joshua the high priest standing in filthy garments before the Angel of the Lord, with Satan standing to accuse him. The Lord rebukes Satan and replaces Joshua’s filthy garments with rich robes.
3. In Zechariah 7:4–7, the Lord asks the Jews to consider whether they are fasting for Him or themselves.
4. The Lord’s anger was kindled against the shepherds because they had caused the sheep to go astray (Zech. 10:2–3).
5. Zechariah’s book foretells many details of Christ’s life, most notably His entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, His betrayal for thirty pieces of silver, and the piercing of His side (see Christ in Zechariah).

In Zechariah, God is glorifying Himself through visions of the future as reasons to quit neglecting the house of God so that He might demonstrate His superior goodness in the salvation sinners, the damnation of the wicked, and for the preservation of His people for His eternal glory, and their eternal joy.

The author identifies himself as Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet (Zech. 1:1). He was a young man, for Zechariah 2:4 notes that the angel said “run to this young man.”

Zechariah prophesied from 520 to 518 B.C. during Darius the Great’s reign. He was a contemporary of Haggai and Zerubbabel. It is possible that the oracles contained in chapters 9–14 were delivered at a later point in Zechariah’s life since they do not provide any clear time markers.

“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.”  ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord.’ ”

Zechariah 1:3–4

“Therefore thus says the Lord:
‘I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy;
My house shall be built in it,’ says the Lord of hosts,
‘And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.’ ”

Zechariah 1:16

“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. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 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; 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; all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.”

Zechariah 12:10–14

1. God is always calling His people to repent of their sins and return to Him.
2. The Lord will destroy the enemies of the church.
3. God desires obedience more than fasting.
4. God will build His church.

1. A King Riding on a Donkey (Zech. 9:9–11; Matt. 21:1–7; John 12:14–15)

   In Zechariah 9:9, Christ’s coming to Jerusalem on the back of a donkey is foretold. Matthew and John directly cite this passage in both of their Gospels and the parallels between Zechariah’s prophecy and Christ’s fulfillment are not hard to see. The prophet accurately portrays Christ’s moral character as “just” and His mission as “having salvation”—both of them critical themes in the Gospel accounts. 

   The central element of the prophecy is Christ’s lowly means of arrival: “riding on a donkey.” Zechariah also alludes to the bringing in of the Gentiles, “He shall speak peace to the nations” and the all-encompassing nature of Christ’s Kingdom, “His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.”

2. “Thirty Pieces of Silver” (Zech. 11:12–13; Matt. 26:14–16; 27:3–10)

   Zechariah 11:12–13 serves as a foreshadowing of Christ’s betrayal for thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah is paid thirty pieces of silver as his wages, but is then commanded by the Lord to “Throw it to the potter—that princely price they set on me.” Zechariah writes, “So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.” No explanation is given as to who the potter was, or what significance there would be in throwing the silver to him. However, Matthew quotes this Scripture as being fulfilled in Judas’ betrayal of Christ, and there are indeed many correlations. We see Judas receiving thirty pieces of silver in exchange for betraying Christ (Matt. 26:15), the same amount that Zechariah received. We later see a remorseful Judas throw down the thirty pieces of silver in the temple (Matt. 27:5), the same action that Zechariah took. We see Judas’ discarded funds being used by the chief priests to buy the potter’s field, corresponding to Zechariah’s wages being thrown “to the potter.”

3. “They Will Look on Me Whom They Pierced” (Zech. 12:10; John 19:34–37; 20:27; Rev. 1:7)

   Another Messianic prophecy is located in Zechariah 12:10, which predicts the piercing of Christ’s side. In Zechariah’s prophecy, the Lord promises to “pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication” which in turn would cause them to “look on Me whom they pierced.” In his Gospel, the Apostle John saw the fulfillment of this prophecy in the Roman solider who, finding Jesus already dead, pierced His side with a spear. It is important to note that the person speaking in Zechariah’s prophecy is the Lord Himself, and that He is speaking of His own piercing: “they will look on Me whom they pierced.” This is yet another attestation of Christ’s divinity, for how could His piercing fulfill this prophecy if He were something less than God?

4. Other Types of Christ
   1. A Living Cornerstone (Zech. 3:9; 1 Pet. 2:4–8)
   2. God’s Servant the Branch (Zech. 3:8)
   3. The Stricken Shepherd (Zech. 13:7; Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27; John 10:11)
   4. Living Waters (Zech. 14:8; John 4:10–15; 7:37–39; Rev. 7:17)

1. Eight Symbolic Visions (Zech. 1–6)
   1. Introduction (Zech. 1:1–6)
   2. The Eight Visions (Zech. 1:7–6:8)
      1. The Vision of the Red-Horse Rider Among the Myrtles(Zech. 1:7–17)
      2. The Vision of the Four Horns and the Four Craftsman(Zech. 1:18–21)
      3. The Vision of the Surveyor with the Measuring Line(Zech. 2)
      4. The Vision of the Cleansing and Crowning of Joshua(Zech. 3)
      5. The Vision of the Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees (Zech. 4)
      6. The Vision of the Flying Scroll (Zech. 5:1–4)
      7. The Vision of the Woman in the Basket (Zech. 5:5–11)
      8. The Vision of the Four Chariots (Zech. 6:1–8)
   3. Conclusion (Zech. 6:9–15)
2. Four Explanatory Messages (Zech. 7–8)
   1. A Question about Fasting (Zech. 7:1–3)
   2. The Four Messages (Zech. 7:4–8:23)
      1. A Message of Rebuke (Zech. 7:4–7)
      2. A Message of Repentance (Zech. 7:8–14)
      3.  A Message of Restoration (Zech. 8:1–17)
      4.  A Message of Rejoicing (Zech. 8:18–23)
3. Two Revelatory Oracles (Zech. 9–14)
   1. The Anointed King Rejected (Zech. 9–11)
   2. The Rejected King Enthroned (Zech. 12–14)