Bringing Forth Christ – Part 12 – Zerubbabel

The last one I would like to look at in this series is Zerubbabel. I should note here, since I have neglected to do so before in this series, that from Solomon on the ones mentioned here were not actual ancestors of Christ, but rather of His step-father Joseph. It seems that Christ’s descent through Mary is given in Luke’s genealogy and Joseph’s in Matthew’s. Christ’s physical descent could not have been from Matthew’s line, because it contains Jehoiachin who was written as childless by God in the sense that none of his descendants would ever rule again as kings (Jer. 22:24-30).
This is part of the prophetic challenge for which Christ was the solution. The Messiah was both David’s Son and David’s Lord simultaneously (Mark 12:35-37). If the genealogy found in Luke relates to Mary rather than Joseph, than Christ is in a very true sense a Son of David, and yet not in the line which God had removed from reigning – Jeconiah’s. However His step-father Joseph was of Jeconiah’s line, thus giving Him a legal title as heir, more legal than any other claimant of the son’s of David would have. Because of the virgin birth He would not have fallen under the proscription of Jeremiah, and yet still would have been heir of the heritage of the family.
Coming back to Zerubbabel, he is seen as a type of Christ in his restorative work in that he restored the Jews to their land after their captivity in Bablyon, and rebuilt the temple of the Lord. Christ when He returns will restore the Kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6-8), but even now He raises up living temple’s to God in the spirits of all true believers which had been destroyed through Adam’s fall.
Because of a similarity of office there is also a similarity of title – the Branch – with some of the prophecy being specific to Zerubbabel and some of it clearly going beyond him to a greater Branch (Zech. 3:8; 6:12-13). The obstacles which Zerubbabel faced were removed by the anointing, specifically the anointing of the seven spirits of the Lord, upon him. Christ also was anointed without measure with the same seven fold anointing (Zech. 3:8; 4:6-10; Rev. 5:6; Isa. 11:1-2). This is the anointing that will restore all things promised before by the prophets (Acts 3:21). It is because of His having this anointing that Jesus is termed the Christ, and as He was anointed above His companions. This anointing flows from the head – Christ, down to every part of His body, and it breaks every yoke (Psa. 133; Isa. 10:27). Praise His holy Name!