Character Highlight: Zechariah
What if the Bible’s most famous names held untold stories waiting to be discovered?
To better understand the Bible, we must get to know the people who lived it.
Introduction
Let's talk about Zechariah, whose name means, "The Lord remembers."
Zechariah was known as both a prophet and a priest, which is noteworthy because most biblical figures are remembered as one or the other. Zechariah also foretold of a coming Messiah who would perfectly fulfill both offices.
The Messiah is both ruler and priest.
As a priest, Zechariah would have taught God's Law, and as a prophet, he spoke with and for God. He was uniquely positioned to call people back to both the presence of God and the obedience of God, helping them understand humanity's need for mediation and leadership.
In Christ, those needs would be fulfilled perfectly. The coming Messiah would not simply be a King who ruled God's people; He would also serve as the Priest who reconciled them to God.
These two roles would shape the message he carried while on this extraordinary assignment.
Zechariah received visions from God, some so detailed that readers can almost see them alongside him. After reading Zechariah, one gains greater insight into the imagery used by other prophets and even into the symbolism found in Revelation.
He ministered to the Jewish people who returned from the 70-year Babylonian exile, which was prophesied by Jeremiah. He and another prophet, Haggai, were sent by God to encourage the people surrounding the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was a city scarred by war, surrounded by opposition, and struggling to find hope after decades of exile. One could say they were a land and a people who felt forgotten. The Jewish people were apathetic, depleted, and discouraged. The temple had not yet been fully restored, and the work of rebuilding had stalled.
When I think about this scripture in Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you”, I also think about Zechariah. For God so loved His people that He sent them a message of hope in the midst of their despair. Knowing ahead of time that they would feel forgotten, God marked Zechariah with remembrance. God remembered His people. The people's circumstances looked bleak, but God had not forgotten His covenant, and Zechariah was going to let them know:
The Lord remembers.
But what does God remember?
Well, it's His covenant!
Zechariah’s Early Life
Compared to some of the Bible's more prominent figures, very little is known about Zechariah's life. In the first verse of the book, he’s introduced as the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo. Zechariah belonged to a priestly family associated with those who returned from Babylonian exile with the remnant of Judah.
Zechariah likely grew up learning about the rich history of Jerusalem and Judah, while witnessing the sorrow of a city still recovering from past judgment. Perhaps he, too, grew up hearing stories of grief, repentance, and the weariness of a people struggling to rebuild.
I imagine he knew of God’s promise of restoration, but rather than getting to experience the kingdom at its height, he came of age during a halted season of rebuilding.
God knew the message His people would need long before Zechariah ever proclaimed it. Long before the visions, long before the prophecies, God marked this prophet with a name that would become the heartbeat of his ministry: "The Lord remembers."
Although little is known about Zechariah's personal life, many scholars believe he was still a young man when God called him into ministry. This interpretation is common but also debated.
In one of his visions, an angel references "this young man" (Zch 2:4), leading many interpreters to suggest that Zechariah was relatively young when he began his ministry.
Zechariah's ministry was more than a call to restore a structure; ultimately, it was a call to repentance and the restoration of a people to their God. Through visions, prophecies, and calls to return to the Lord, he reminded Judah that despite their circumstances, the Lord remembers them.
Through Zechariah's story, we are reminded that God does not always wait for a lifetime of experience before calling someone into His service. He simply looks for a willing heart.
Zechariah’s Calling Revealed
Zechariah was called to encourage the people of Jerusalem. Theologian George L. Robinson called the first few verses of Zechariah 1, "the keynote of the entire book, and one of the strongest and most intensely spiritual calls to repentance to be found anywhere in the Old Testament." Robinson also described the book of Zechariah as "the most Messianic, the most truly apocalyptic and eschatological of all the writings of the Old Testament."
That's powerful because fulfilling this assignment required Zechariah to listen carefully to every word from God. His ministry extended far beyond encouraging workers and rebuilding walls.
The book and words of Zechariah aren’t merely about rebuilding Jerusalem but looking forward toward God's ultimate kingdom.
Through Zechariah, while encouraging a discouraged generation, God also used him to point forward to the coming Messiah. Through visions and prophecies, Zechariah revealed remarkable details about the Messiah and His future ministry.
While many of the people were focused on rebuilding a temple of wood and stone, Zechariah was being shown the True King, our Messiah.
Centuries before Christ's arrival, Zechariah foretold that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey. He spoke of the thirty pieces of silver, which is the exact amount associated with Judas and Christ's betrayal. Zechariah even referred to the coming Messiah as "the Pierced One" and foretold how the Shepherd would be struck and His sheep scattered.
Now, does any of that sound familiar?
Zechariah's visions revealed not merely that the Messiah would come, but how He would come. He would arrive in humility rather than conquest, suffer rejection rather than receive immediate praise, and be pierced rather than enthroned.
Long before Calvary, God was revealing that redemption would come through sacrifice.
Jerusalem occupied the people's attention, but God's vision extended far beyond the city walls. Through Zechariah, God revealed a kingdom that would stretch beyond one generation, one nation, and one temple.
The prophet's eyes were being lifted toward God's redemptive plan for the entire world.
This becomes even more remarkable when we consider that Zechariah is widely believed to have been a young man. These remarkable prophecies reveal a young man who was allowed to see far beyond his own generation. And, unlike Moses, who was eighty years old when God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt, Zechariah appears to have been entrusted with his prophetic ministry much earlier in his life.
God is not looking first for experience; He is looking for obedience.
Zechariah’s Rise & Conflicts
Zechariah stepped into ministry during a season when God's people were weary, discouraged, and struggling to move forward. Many were weary from waiting on God to fulfill His promises. Jerusalem was broken and in great need. It was into this season of uncertainty that God raised Zechariah. After exile, many families distracted themselves by rebuilding their own homes, while God’s house remained unfinished and unprioritized.
Looming opposition from bordering nations fatigued the people; God's apparent silence also contributed to their weariness. The Jewish people were freed from exile only to seemingly be released to a different kind of sentencing: patience.
One of Zechariah's greatest challenges was helping the people choose between what they could see and what God had promised. Their circumstances argued one thing; faith required another.
The people saw ruins, while God showed Zechariah restoration. The people saw weakness, while God revealed a coming kingdom. The people saw an unfinished temple, while God was already pointing to the coming Messiah.
Repeatedly, Zechariah called upon the people to look beyond their circumstances and trust the Lord's plan. Much like Peter stepping out onto the water, God's people often struggled when they focused more on the storm than the Savior. The moment Peter fixed his eyes on the wind and waves, he began to sink. In the same way, Zechariah continually called the people to fix their attention on God's promises rather than their problems.
It’s never God calling us to a thing and leaving us alone with it. God never calls His people to a task without supplying the power needed to complete it. Perhaps this is why one of the most famous verses in Zechariah is this:
God declares, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit”.
Both Jerusalem and its people struggled. The rebuilding of Jerusalem would not succeed through human strength alone. The same was true of the people's spiritual restoration, as well. What they could not accomplish by effort, God would accomplish through His Spirit. Through visions, symbols, and prophetic messages, God showed Zechariah that Israel's present struggles were only one chapter in a much larger story.
Throughout his ministry, Zechariah remained faithful. In a generation so tempted to lose hope, he became a voice reminding God's people that the Lord still had plans for them; His promises were still true.
The Lord remembers.
When Scripture says God remembers, it’s not merely that He needed to recall it; He honored it.
It means that when God enters a covenant, He remains faithful to it. He honors His word.
The Lord remembered Abraham.
The Lord remembered Israel.
And the Lord always remembers His promises.
Zechariah's message was not merely that God remembered a people, but that God remained faithful to the covenant He established with them. He gave them a word, and He intended to fulfil it. And He did.
Behind every vision, every prophecy, and every call to repentance stood a greater promise: God's desire to be with His people. The Lord was not simply restoring Jerusalem. He was restoring His presence among those He loved.
Zechariah Worships With Gratitude
Though Zechariah was called to confront sin and call God's people to repentance, his message was ultimately one of hope. God gave him visions of restoration, reminding Israel that judgment was not the end of their story. Again and again, God allowed Zechariah to see beyond the present circumstances and into the fulfillment of His promises.
Unlike many of the other prophets who spent much of their ministries announcing judgment, Zechariah had the privilege of witnessing and announcing God's faithfulness firsthand. He ministered to a generation that had returned from exile, yet whose hope was fading.
Zechariah helped teach the people how to trust God during the difficult early days of Jerusalem's restoration.
As both a priest and a prophet, God’s word was Zechariah's calling. God entrusted this important ministry to him. A ministry and a looking after of God’s people. Zechariah received a deep understanding and a clear vision of the coming Kingdom of God. God’s Kingdom is more than sticks and stones, but of souls who love Him. The story was always about more than the temple structure; it was about people and God's plan to redeem them to Himself.
The rebuilt temple mattered to the people, because it ultimately mattered to God. The temple pointed beyond itself. Every stone ultimately pointed toward God's desire to dwell among His people. The greater restoration was never merely architectural. God was restoring fellowship between Himself and His people.
Throughout his ministry, Zechariah continually directed the people's attention back to God's promises rather than their circumstances. Where others saw unfinished walls, Zechariah was being shown a future glory. The Lord had not forgotten His people. The Lord remembers, and He was at work.
Zechariah’s Call To Repentance
“Return to me.” That's not just a message for Jerusalem. It's one of the clearest invitations to repentance in the entire Old Testament. It is a heartfelt call for God's people to return to Him in faith and obedience. Repentance appears in the very first lines of the book of Zechariah and, in many ways, becomes one of its central themes. The people thought their biggest problem was their broken city, but God said their biggest problem was their broken relationship with Him.
Before God spoke about future blessing, He called His people to repentance. Before rebuilding the city, they needed to renew their fellowship with Him. The temple mattered, but the people's hearts mattered more. Repentance is not merely looking backward at our failures; it is turning toward God in faith, changing our ways to honor God’s ways.
What could feel more at home than reconciliation with our Heavenly Father?
For the people of Judah, the exile had changed more than their location; it had exposed the condition of their hearts and minds. The people needed more than a new temple. They needed transformation. Repentance is not our attempt to convince God to remember us. It is our response to discovering that we have fallen short and that, despite our failures, He has never stopped loving us.
Perhaps the deepest message of Zechariah is not simply that the Lord remembers.
It is why He remembers.
God remembers because He is faithful to His covenant.
He remembers because His promises cannot and will not fail.
Long before Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey, long before the Shepherd was struck, and long before the Pierced One stretched out His hands, God had already determined to redeem those He loved.
Zechariah's story should remind us that the faithfulness of God, our Father, is always greater than the failures of His people.
He promised never to leave or forsake His people.
Yet how often are we the ones who wander?
How often are we the ones who forget Him?
The Lord remembers.
And because He remembers, there is still hope for those who have wandered to return to Him.
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