In Zechariah 5, the visions continue to flow. First, we read of a vision of a flying scroll. The scroll is a scroll of judgment. One side pronounces judgment against stealing, and the other side against swearing falsely. Next, comes a vision of a woman in a basket. The basket represented sin, and the woman wickedness. It was being carried to the land of Shinar. The point of both visions: judgment is coming on the sins of people.
In Zechariah 6, we read about a vision of four horses with chariots. They remind us of the four horsemen in the Book of Revelation. Their purpose was to go out and patrol the earth. They represent both God’s watchful eye and His Spirit. Next, we return to Joshua, being crowned as king. We aren’t sure whether he is the Branch, or whether this will be another king name Joshua–Yeshua–or Jesus!
In Zechariah 7, the LORD calls for justice and mercy. He reminds the priests and the people their fasts were not for the right purposes, and when they ate and drank, they did it for themselves, not in honor of the LORD. He called the people to stop oppressing the poor, the orphan and the widow, and to bring justice and mercy to the land.
In Zechariah 8, the LORD promises Jerusalem’s return to prominence and the people’s return to blessing. Old men and women will again sit in the gates, and children will play in the streets. The remnant will no longer be small, but the people will regain their former greatness–as they remember the LORD and follow in His ways.
As we return to John 9, we remember Jesus being questioned by His disciples about a man born blind. They assumed, as people often still assume today, that someone must have sinned for such a tragedy to occur. Jesus’ responded the man was born blind so God’s glory could be demonstrated. Then He healed the man. Of course, the healing took place on the Sabbath, which provoked the religious leaders. Once again, a heated debate ensued, and the religious leaders asked the man what he thought about Jesus. He told them Jesus is a prophet. They refuted his position, saying Jesus was a sinner, because he broke the Sabbath. The man responded with one of the most powerful testimonies ever: I don’t know about that. What I know is I was blind, and now I see! How many of us could say the same thing: I was blind, but now I see? Our blindness might have been purely spiritual, or it might have been emotional or intellectual. Whatever our blindness, Jesus enters in and gives us sight!