The Story of The Branch Is The Most Desired Story

Zechariah 6:12 – Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is THE BRANCH, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD.

Zechariah 6:13 – It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’

Zechariah was a prophet after the end of Israelite exile in Babylon (post exilic). Zechariah encouraged Zerubabel to rebuild the temple. Zerubabel was the governor acting as a king. Zerubabel built the temple. Zerubabel’s temple was so small and it didn’t inspire much confidence (Zechariah 4:9-10).

Joshua was the High Priest at the time of Zechariah. Joshua wasn’t the best of High Priests to inspire confidence. Joshua had issues that didn’t merit him to be a priest except by God’s grace ( Zechariah 3:1-7).

Israel was run by three offices. The king, the priest, and the prophet. Zechariah was the prophet among others like Haggai and Malachi. Joshua was a High Priest who didn’t have so much faith in himself and people didn’t see much in him. Zerubabel was in the place of the king. Zerubabel didn’t inspire much confidence too.

In this time of despair, God through prophet Zechariah introduces the Branch. What Joshua the High Priest has failed to do, the Branch will do it. The Branch will correct mistakes of Joshua and inspire confidence in people and restore Israel to its glory.

Zechariah 3:8 – “‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, THE BRANCH.

The Brach is introduced as God’s servant. The Branch will make Joshua and his associates to rejoice. The Branch will fix the weaknesses of Joshua and Israelites.

The Branch will also replace Zerubabel the uninspiring king (as a governor he was acting in place of a king). Zerubabel failed in rebuilding a good magnificent temple, but the Branch will rebuild an ideal permanent acceptable temple.

The Branch will hold two offices in one and there will be no conflict. The Branch will be the King and High Priest at the same time. The two offices will have no conflict. The Branch will excel both as King and as High Priest.

Zechariah 6:12 – Then say to Joshua, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold (look, keep in sight, watch), a Man (Messiah) whose name is BRANCH, for He shall branch out from His place (Israel, the Davidic line); and He shall build the [ultimate] temple of the LORD. (Amplified Bible)

The Branch is Jesus Christ. This was a prophecy of the coming of Jesus. Jesus Christ is the Branch. The Branch is the desire of all ages. The Branch will make our dreams come true. The Branch will bring prosperity, peace and joy. In times of despair, the most desired story is the story of the Branch!

Isaiah 4:2 – In that day THE BRANCH of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.

Isaiah 11:1 – A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a BRANCH will bear fruit.

Jeremiah 23:5 – “The days are coming,”declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous BRANCH, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.

Jeremiah 33:15 – “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous BRANCH sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.

Jesus is the Branch. When the whole tree of Israel produces bad fruit, a new Branch will sprout that will produce the best fruits. When Judah and Jesse’s family have failed the nation by producing bad kings, terrible leaders, regrettable people, a Branch from Jesse and Judah will sprout that will produce the best leader.

When the tree of the nation of Israel, the tribe of Judah, the family of Jesse has failed, hope will come from the new Branch. When Jesus comes, the shame of Israel, Judah and Jesse will come to an end. It will end because Jesus is a new Branch a new story bringing better things.

To stop by saying that Jesus is the Branch May cause a theological crisis. Branches come from an existing tree. The tree comes from the roots. If Jesus is just the Branch then He is the product of a human tree. If Jesus is just the Branch, that means He is inferior to the tree. How can Jesus who is God be a branch of human nation of Israel, tribe of Judah and family of Jesse?

Revelation 22:16 – “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am THE ROOT and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

Jesus declares that He is both the root and the Branch. He was before the tree of Israel. He existed in eternity before Israel. But when Israel the tree failed completely as a tree, Jesus who was the root, now came as a Branch to save the tree. Jesus is the root and the Branch!

Therefore as Joshua’s failures embarrass him and the people, he is encouraged by the story of the coming Branch. When Zerubabel despairs in leadership, he is encouraged by the story of the coming Branch. The story of the Branch is the most desired story!

In the sad story of our lives we need the story of the Branch. When the woman was caught in the act of adultery, the Brach branched her story from death to life. When the woman was suffering from an issue of blood for twelve years, the Branch branched her story by one touch of healing. When the widow of Nain lost her only son and had no other relative, the Branch branched her story by resurrecting her son. Don’t you desire the Branch in your life?

My story needs to branch off from the direction it is taking. Unless my story branches off to a new and better direction, I have a bleak future. The branch in my story can only be brought about by the Branch. May the Branch come into my life immediately, in Jesus’s name, Amen!

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