Zechariah 11

“For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.” (Zechariah 11:16, NKJV)

In this prophecy, Zechariah looked far into the future. He saw the failure of the shepherds (leaders) and the rebellion of the sheep. God told Zechariah to feed the flock, but he would be feeding them for the slaughter. So, Zechariah fed them, especially the poor ones. He had two staffs: Beauty (grace) and Bonds (unity). But in time he broke the staff of Beauty because he was breaking the covenant he made with the people. He asked them to give him his wages, and they gave him 30 pieces of silver, the price you would pay to your neighbor if your ox gored and killed his slave. Zechariah took this scanty amount and threw it into the house of the LORD for the potter. All of this foreshadowed the work of Christ who would feed the flock of Israel before their slaughter by the Romans in 70 AD. The chief priests also paid 30 pieces of silver to Judas so they could capture and crucify Jesus.

Now Jesus had told the Jews:

“I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.” (John 5:43, NKJV)

Both Jesus and Zechariah prophesied the coming of the Antichrist. The Jews rejected the Good Shepherd whom the Father sent to feed, protect and care for them. But they will receive the worthless shepherd who will come in his own name. He will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal the broken, nor feed the ones who stand. But he will eat their flesh and tear them to pieces.

As we compare the Good Shepherd with the worthless shepherd, we see that the former came in the name of the LORD to do His will, but the latter will come in his own name to do his own will. Jesus came to feed the sheep, to seek and to save the lost, and to heal the broken. On the other hand, the Antichrist will promise peace but deliver destruction. For three-and-a-half years, he will make war and prevail against the saints (Daniel 7:21). But at the end of the Great Tribulation, the LORD will strike him with a fatal blow:

“Woe to the worthless shepherd, who leaves the flock! A sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye. His arm shall completely wither, and his right eye shall be totally blinded.” (Zechariah 11:17, NKJV)

As Zechariah describes the sins of the worthless shepherd, he shows us what God desires in His shepherds and what Jesus brings to us as our Good Shepherd. He cares for us—even if we go astray. He leaves the ninety-nine to pursue the one lost sheep. He feeds us, protects us, heals us, and saves us to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25). He has gone to prepare a place for us, and He is coming again to receive us. Let us make sure that we receive Him as Lord, keep His words, and never deny His name.