Zechariah 8:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This was prophesied by another messenger from God, who proclaimed, “O Zion, let not thy hand be slack. The Lord thy God is in thee, he that is strong shall save thee: he shall bring joy upon thee, and shall renew thee in his love” (Soph. 3:16-17). Furthermore, He continues to be present with us, having not left us powerless; He sent the Comforter to take His place, and through the Spirit, He abides with those who hold Him dear (John 14:16-18). He affirms this promise, saying, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Consequently, those who were once not a people and who worshipped lifeless idols, having renounced their former unclean practices, have now become His own. We acknowledge Him as God, and in truth and righteousness, for we do not cling to images and shadows as those bound to the letter do. Instead, having embraced the illuminating truth of the gospel in our minds and hearts, we render genuine service, fully devoted to the truth that pleases Him, worshiping in spirit; for "God is a Spirit," as the Son Himself articulates, and "those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

However, we assert that it indeed saw partial fulfillment during that period, specifically after Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, as if depicted in symbols—foretelling the time when the people returned from exile, resided in Jerusalem, and were once again declared the people of God, with God as their God, not in falsehood and wickedness, but in truth and righteousness. Ultimately, the promise found its complete realization in the ministry of our Lord and Savior within the Church, the true Jerusalem. I will deliver My people from the lands of the East and the West, regarding which the Lord states in the Gospel, “Many from the East and the West shall come and recline in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Matt. 8:11). Even earlier, the Psalmist declared, “The God of gods, the Lord has spoken and summoned the earth. From the East of the sun to the West, from Zion is His glory” (Ps. 49:1-2). From Zion came He who is destined to remove the iniquities of Jacob, when from across the East and West, offerings of repentance and pure sacrifices are made in His name—not in the sacrifices of the Old Testament, but in the purity of the Gospel; of this repentance, it is stated elsewhere, “Let my prayer be presented to You as incense” (Ps. 140:2). And about this repentance, we find further clarification: “The laying on of my hands, the evening sacrifice.” Indeed, after He arose from the root of Jesse, the One who rules over nations, in whom rests the hope of the nations (Rom. 15:12), both those of old and the new from the East and the West believed in the Lord, forming one flock. All nations were called to rejoice, as the prophet said: “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people” (Deut. 32:43; Rom. 15:10). As recorded elsewhere, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before Him” (Ps. 21:28). The phrases “in truth and righteousness” signify that the shadows of the old law shall fade away and the truth of the Gospel will emerge—not through Jewish righteousness, but through Christian righteousness, for the Lord Himself embodies truth and righteousness, as it is written: “Truth sprang from the earth, and righteousness looked down from heaven” (Ps. 84:12). Therefore, in the fourteenth Psalm, truth and righteousness are united: “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right speaks truth in his heart” (Ps. 14:2).

This signifies that Jerusalem would be sanctified as the location of God's unique presence, where His people would again be recognized as His beloved, and He would continue to be their God in truth and righteousness, reflecting His unwavering faithfulness to His promises. This prophecy found partial fulfillment when the returning exiled Jews, along with other Israelites from Assyria, began to gather in their homeland. This marked the beginning of their unity, which served as a foreshadowing of their future consolidation in the kingdom of the Messiah. Jerusalem itself represents the Church of Christ, which will serve as a center for worship for New Testament believers, just as the earthly Jerusalem did for those of the Old Testament.