Zechariah 8:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

To seek and plead for the presence of the Lord, who is Christ—the perfectly revealed image of God the Father, and ‘the image of His hypostasis, according to what is written, and the radiance of glory’ (Hebrews 1:3). The divine David proclaims, ‘Thy face shine upon thy servant’ (Ps. 118:135); for the peace and countenance of God the Father shine upon us who have received His favor and mercy, delivering us from the destructive influence of sin, ‘being justified by faith, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His great mercy’ (Titus 3:5). Indeed, He is compassionate and good, forgiving the sins of those who approach Him. As we seek Him through the fulfillment of the law, we will certainly discover Him and, through Him, be reconciled to God the Father: ‘this is our peace,’ as Scripture declares (Eph. 2:14).

Fasts in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will transform into the most joyful celebrations, as the previously desolate cities of Judah will become splendid due to their thriving populations. Each city will hasten to the others, and they will encourage one another, saying, 'For the past seventy years, the pathways of Zion have been filled with sorrow; there has been no one to attend the feasts, all its gates have been empty, and its priests have sighed in grief. But now, with peace restored, let us travel to Jerusalem, where we will present offerings according to the commandments, and may each of us appear before the Lord three times a year' (Ex. 23:14-17). When one says to another, 'Let us go and pray before the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty,' the other will reply, 'I will go as well.' At that time, many nations and countless tribes will journey to present sacrifices to the Lord in Jerusalem and to pray before Him.

For the Lord draws near to those who do not provoke Him and reveals His presence to those who have faith (Prem. 1:2). He who has seen the Son has also seen the Father (John 14:9), for the Lord and Savior is the representation of the invisible God. This is not to imply that the Son is seen while the Father remains unseen, but rather that when the Son is mentioned, we think of the Father; the Father could not be the Father without the presence of the Son. Thus, the Lord Himself proclaims in the Gospel, 'Father, I have manifested Your name to men' (John 17:6). Everything spoken regarding Jerusalem and Zerubbabel or the period following Zerubbabel truly pertains to Christ and that Jerusalem, referring to the Church.

In this context, the place signifies that from all corners of the earth, nations and tribes will unite to offer sacrifices in the Lord's temple. Even amidst persecution, as previously noted, the Church’s leaders and priests provided courageous comfort to faithful Christians and captives, assuring them that Christian communities would be restored, peace would return, and prayer would once again be offered before the Lord in the churches. We have briefly covered what is evident to direct our attention more deeply to the less understood aspects.