QT 25/12/2025 Thu. Zechariah 13 The Promised Shepherd and the Cleansing Fountain 应许的牧者与洁净的泉源
QT 25/12/2025 Thu. Zechariah 13 The Promised Shepherd and the Cleansing Fountain
READ http://www.esv.org/zechariah13
At first glance, Zechariah 13 may not seem like a Christmas passage. There are no angels, no manger, no shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem. Yet beneath its prophetic language lies the heart of the Christmas story: God sending a Saviour to cleanse His people and gather them to Himself.
(1) A Fountain Opened (Zechariah 13:1)
Zechariah speaks of a day when “a fountain shall be opened…to cleanse from sin and impurity.” This promise looks forward to more than ritual cleansing—it points to a permanent solution for the problem of sin. Christmas celebrates the opening of that fountain.
Jesus did not come merely to inspire or teach; He came to save. His birth marks the beginning of God’s plan to wash His people clean, a plan fulfilled at the cross but initiated in the humility of the manger. The baby born in Bethlehem is the source of the cleansing fountain—grace flowing freely to all who believe. Christmas reminds us that forgiveness is not earned; it is given, because God Himself stepped into our broken world.
(2) The Shepherd Who Is Struck (Zechariah 13:7)
Later in the chapter, God declares, “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” Jesus Himself applies this prophecy to His arrest and crucifixion. This is where Christmas becomes deeply personal.
The child in the manger came knowing He would be the Shepherd who would be struck for His sheep. From His first breath, Jesus was moving toward the cross. Christmas is not separate from Good Friday—it is the beginning of the same saving mission.
The Shepherd is struck so that the sheep might be gathered. He is wounded so that we might be healed. This is the cost of love.
(3) Christmas Hope
Zechariah 13 shows us that: (a) Sin is real, but God provides cleansing, (b) The Shepherd suffers, but the flock is redeemed, (c) God’s plan is intentional, from prophecy to fulfillment.
At Christmas, we rejoice not only because Christ was born, but because He was born for us—to cleanse us, to lead us, and to call us His own. As we celebrate Christmas, may we come again to the fountain God has opened, and may we follow the Shepherd who gave His life to bring us home.
“They will call on My name, and I will answer them.” That is the promise of Christmas.
QT 25/12/2025 星期四. 撒迦利亚书13 应许的牧者与洁净的泉源
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/zec/13/
乍看之下，撒迦利亚书第13章似乎与圣诞节无关。这里没有天使，没有马槽，也没有伯利恒田野里的牧羊人。然而在这预言性的语言之下，却蕴藏着圣诞故事的核心：上帝差遣救主洁净祂的子民，并将他们聚集到祂自己那里。
(1) 泉源开启（撒迦利亚书13:1）
撒迦利亚预言“到那日，必有一个泉源，为大卫家和耶路撒冷的居民开放，洗除他们的罪恶和不洁”。这应许不仅指向仪式洁净，更预示了罪恶问题的永久解决之道。圣诞节正是为这活泉的开启而欢庆。
耶稣降世并非仅为启迪教导，祂是为拯救而来。祂的诞生标志着神洁净子民计划的开端——这计划在十字架上得以成就，却始于马槽的卑微。伯利恒诞生的婴孩正是洁净活水的源头，恩典正向所有信靠者自由涌流。圣诞提醒我们：赦免并非靠功德换取，乃是白白赐予，因神亲自踏入我们破碎的世界。
(2) 被击打的牧人（撒迦利亚书13:7）
本章后段，神宣告：“击打牧人，羊就分散。”耶稣亲自将这预言应验在祂被捕与受难之事上。此时圣诞节的意义变得无比个人化。
马槽中的婴孩降世时便知，祂将成为为羊群受创的牧人。自初生第一声啼哭起，耶稣便朝着十字架前行。圣诞节与受难日本为一体——同属救赎使命的开端。
牧人受创，为要使羊群聚集；祂受创，为要使我们得医治。这就是爱的代价。
(3) 圣诞的盼望
撒迦利亚书第13章向我们揭示：(a) 罪真实存在，但神预备洁净之道；(b) 牧人受苦，羊群得赎；(c) 神的计划自有定规，从预言到应验皆如此。
圣诞之喜，不仅因基督降生，更因祂为我们而来——洁净我们，引领我们，召我们为己有。值此佳节，愿我们再度来到神所开启的活水泉源，跟随那位舍命引领我们归家的牧者。
“他们要呼求我的名，我必应允他们。”——这便是圣诞的应许。
