Zechariah 3:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Instead, he contemplates these occurrences prior to their realization, desiring to enlighten and fortify Israel, warning them against repeating past sins that led to their captivity, fully aware of how challenging their deliverance had been and that their salvation was a matter of concern even for the heavenly hosts.

Thus, he describes seeing an angel positioned there, and before him, Jesus, the son of Josedech, referred to as “the great Jireah.” The angel serves as a type and image of Christ, while the high priest embodies the representative of all the people, as understood in sacred Scriptures. Hence, God never declared to Moses, “Behold, I have taken the Levites in place of all the children of Israel; these are given to me as a gift” (Num. 3:9, 12). This understanding illustrates that the high priest symbolizes the entirety of the nation. After Israel had distanced itself from God by serving idols and neglecting the law of Moses, and after experiencing just retribution from God, He had compassion on them, calling them back into His presence. This is symbolized by the priest standing before the Angel of the Lord; for in His anger, He averts His gaze from those who disregard Him, yet in His mercy, He turns to observe them.

Thus, the divine Psalmist prayed, “Do not hide your face from me; do not turn away your anger from your servant” (Psalms 26:9), and again, “Look upon me and be merciful to me” (Psalms 24:16). Being inherently good and compassionate, God pardoned Israel’s transgressions. However, Satan, who enticed Israel into sin, stood against Him, contradicting and accusing Him, striving to block mercy towards Israel due to their sins, remaining steadfast in wickedness, and having no goodwill in himself—“Standing at his right hand,” in some way undermining the favorable elements, for he opposes not only our foolish actions but also the righteous and honorable ones. In a similar vein, blessed David depicted an ungodly figure to Christ, stating, “And the devil shall stand at his right hand” (Psalms 108:6).

Thus, the adversary resisted but was reprimanded by the angel’s pronouncement, hearing the words, “The Lord rebuke you, O adversary, and may the Lord rebuke you, the elect of Jerusalem.” Observe how he immediately revealed himself as an antagonist to God, wickedly contradicting divine judgments. While God extends mercy to Israel, forgives their sins, and designates Jerusalem as chosen, he continually accuses and dares to condemn those who have received forgiveness. Therefore, he is reproached for the insatiability of his malice, with the question: “Is this not a brand snatched from the fire?” (Rom. 8:33). In essence, it is as if to say, “Israel has indeed sinned and falls subject to your accusations; however, she has endured considerable punishment and distress, barely rescued from the fire, akin to a half-burnt remnant; only now, after much struggle, has she emerged from the relentless flames of calamity: thus, cease your accusations against those who have been absolved; for who can bring charges against God’s elect?” (Rom. 8:33).

A similar sentiment is echoed in Zechariah, where it is recorded that the Lord rebukes Satan, saying, ‘The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you’ (Zechariah 3:2). Thus, we too pray that the Lord would admonish those who refuse to accept correction from their peers in humility.

Before delving into the spiritual interpretation of this passage, it is essential to succinctly convey how the Jews understood it. They identify Jesus, the great priest—known in Greek as ἀρχιερεύς and in Latin as pontifex—with Jesus, the son of Josedech, who alongside Zerubbabel governed the people. At his right hand stood the adversary (as the term satan denotes) to challenge him. He was rightly positioned on the right because the charge against Jesus was not unfounded; he had, along with others, married foreign women, an issue thoroughly detailed in the book of Ezra and the prophet Malachi, who came after Zechariah (1 Ezra 10:18, Malachi 2:11). The Lord addressed Satan, his accuser and adversary, stating, ‘May the Lord rebuke you, Satan,’ emphasizing that just as it is said, ‘The Lord rained down fire upon Sodom from the Lord’ (Genesis 19:24), He commanded, ‘Let the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you.’ If among all the cities of Judah, Jerusalem is now selected and the Lord does not hold it accountable for its past sins, why do you attempt to cast aside Jesus, who emerged from Babylonian captivity, as though he were a mere charred remnant? The phrase, Jesus wore filthy garments, can be interpreted in three ways: as a reference to an unlawful marriage, the sins of the people, or the defilement of their captivity. The angel standing before Jesus instructed other angels to remove his filthy garments, as previously noted. Once they carried out this task, the same angel then declared to Jesus, ‘Behold, I have removed your unrighteousness—your filthy garments—and have clothed you with garments of change,’ meaning he was given a righteous wife. The Seventy translated the term ποδήρη as a long garment reaching the feet. Following this, the command to place a clean kidar on his head illustrates the dignity of the priesthood, indicating that once his filthy garments are taken away, he shall assume a pure priestly status.

The Jews interpret this passage in such a way, but we believe the great priest refers to Him to Whom it is declared, ‘You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek’ (Psalms 109:4). Since the prophet cannot behold Him directly, the Lord shows Him standing before the angel of the Lord, perceived by them as the angel of the Great Council. This is not suggestive of two separate entities in the Son, but rather the same One, appearing as both an unclean man and an angel—our Intercessor, representing humanity before God. The absence of the phrase ‘the son of Josedec’ here, present in other texts that reference him explicitly, signifies that this is not Jesus, son of Josedech. The prophet envisioned Jesus standing firmly, as Satan stood at his right hand to oppose him. Indeed, He was tempted in every aspect except sin (Hebrews 4:15), with the tempter in the Gospel persistently striving to divert Him from the path of righteousness. Regarding the proclamation, ‘May the Lord rebuke you, Satan,’ we note that since the Father and the Son are both addressed as Lord—the hundred and ninth Psalm reveals, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand”’—here one Lord converses with the other. This occurrence does not imply the speaking Lord lacks the authority to rebuke, but rather, due to the unity of divine nature, a prohibition follows from Him—whom the other has already rebuked. For whoever sees the Son also sees the Father (John 14:9), and He is the One who has chosen Jerusalem, meaning the Church that witnesses the Lord’s peace.

The casting aside of one emerging from the flames ought to be interpreted as Him who, though present in Babylon, was not consumed by Babylon's fires nor undermined by the struggles of this world. Thus, Moses encountered a significant vision in the wilderness: a bush ablaze yet unconsumed (Ex. 3:2). This Jesus bore the stained garments, as He never sinned yet bore our sins, taking upon Himself our illnesses and suffering for our sake; we thought He was afflicted, stricken, and burdened. But indeed, He was wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:4-5). As the Apostle conveys, Christ liberated us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). The psalmist expresses in the twenty-first Psalm, ‘Far from my salvation are the words of my sin’ (Ps. 21:2), and further declares in the sixty-eighth Psalm, ‘O God, You know my folly, and my sins are not hidden from You’ (Psalms 68:6). These are universally labeled as stained garments that will be removed once He expunges our sins. Thus, because He wore these filthy garments, upon our resurrection in Him through baptism, we shall hear spoken to us, ‘Your garments shall always be clean’ (Ecclesiastes 9:8), with the entire assembly of believers responding to Isaiah’s call, ‘Wash yourselves, be clean’ (Isaiah 1:16). She is also foretold in the Song of Songs: ‘Who is this that emerges in purity?’ (Song of Songs 3:6). The podir (ποδήρη) denotes His incarnation which is earthly, symbolized by the term for foot (πούς). The clean kidar on His head signifies the brilliance of Divine Majesty. Thus He is simultaneously depicted both as a man adorned with a long garment (ποδήρη) and as God wearing a kidar.

Thus, after liberating Jesus, the son of Josedech, from the clutches of the devil, the Lord, in His divine authority, proclaimed: 'Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?' The Jews, having recently returned from exile, still exhibited the signs of their captivity, poverty, and lack, leading Him to rightfully refer to them as 'a brand.' This 'brand' represents a half-charred tree pulled from the flames. The Prophet then continues to reveal that the High Priest was adorned in filthy and disgraceful attire. However, the angel tasked with safeguarding the people instructed the other angels present to remove these garments from him, indicating that the vestments signify something deeper, and added: