Zechariah 8:22Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be transformed into joyful festivals, as the once desolate cities of Judah will shine with glory from their many inhabitants. City will rush to city, encouraging one another, saying, “For the past seventy years, the paths to Zion have been filled with sorrow, for no one attended the feasts, all its gates stood empty, and its priests sighed in sadness; but now, with the arrival of peace, let us journey to Jerusalem where we will offer sacrifices according to the commandment, and let each of us appear before the Lord three times a year” (Ex. 23:14-17). When one city tells another, “Let us go and pray before the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty,” the other city will respond, “I will go too.” At that time, many nations and countless strong tribes will go to bring their sacrifices to the Lord in Jerusalem and to pray before Him. The Lord draws near to those who do not challenge Him and reveals Himself to those who believe (Prem. 1:2). He who sees the Son also sees the Father (John 14:9), and the Lord and Savior is the image of the invisible God, not as if the Son is visible while the Father is hidden, but rather that when we name the Son, our thoughts of the Father come to mind; He cannot be the Father without the Son. Therefore, the Lord Himself proclaims in the Gospel, “Father, I have manifested Your name to men” (John 17:6). What has been said regarding Jerusalem and Zerubbabel, or the period following Zerubbabel, is more accurately and definitively applied to Christ and that Jerusalem, which signifies the Church. In this context, the place signifies that people from all corners of the earth will gather to present sacrifices in the Lord's temple. Furthermore, during persecution, as previously mentioned, the teachers and priests of the Church courageously reassured the faithful and captive Christians that the communities of believers would be renewed, peace would return, and prayers would once again fill the churches before the Lord. We have briefly addressed what is clear to shift focus to what is less evident.