The Scripture behind the Scripture
Smite the Shepherd
Zechariah 13:7 commands the sword to smite the shepherd so the sheep are scattered. Jesus quotes it at Gethsemane in Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14:27 to foretell his disciples abandoning him.
“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.”Zechariah 13:7
“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.”Matthew 26:31
“And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.”Mark 14:27
In its own place
In its own place. Zechariah 13 belongs to the later oracles of the book, looking toward a day of cleansing and refining for God's people. In verse 7 God summons a sword against his shepherd, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts, smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and God says he will turn his hand upon the little ones. In its original setting this is a difficult and much discussed oracle. The shepherd who is called God's fellow, or the one close to him, is struck down by divine command, and the result is that the flock scatters. It seems to depict a striking of a shepherd figure that leads to the scattering and then the refining of the people, for the following verses speak of a remnant passing through fire and being purified as God's own. The identity of this smitten shepherd within Zechariah's setting is not spelled out plainly, but the passage joins the striking of a shepherd close to God with the scattering of the flock and a subsequent purifying of a remnant. It is part of Zechariah's vision of judgment and cleansing that precedes the establishment of God's reign, a costly process in which even a shepherd near to God is struck.
Where the New Testament takes it up
This is a direct quotation, spoken by Jesus himself on the night of his arrest. On the way to Gethsemane, in Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14:27, Jesus tells his disciples that they will all be offended, or fall away, because of him this night, for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. He quotes Zechariah 13:7, applying the smitten shepherd to himself and the scattered sheep to his disciples, who will indeed forsake him and flee when he is arrested. Jesus slightly adapts the form, giving I will smite as God's own action, underscoring that his coming death is within the Father's purpose, not merely the work of his enemies. The quotation follows the sense of the prophecy. What is notable is again that Jesus interprets his own passion through the Old Testament in advance, identifying himself as the shepherd struck by God's own hand. Yet he does not stop with scattering, for he immediately promises that after he is raised he will go before them into Galilee, pointing beyond the scattering to a regathering. The apostolic church received this reading from Jesus, seeing the shepherd struck and the flock scattered fulfilled in the arrest at Gethsemane and the disciples' desertion.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Jesus is the shepherd smitten by God's own sword. He applies Zechariah's oracle to his coming death, teaching that the cross was not a tragic accident but the Father's deliberate purpose, I will smite the shepherd. When he was struck down, his sheep scattered, the disciples fleeing in fear, just as he foretold. Yet the smiting of this shepherd was for the sake of the flock, and Zechariah's oracle moved through scattering to the refining and preserving of a remnant. So Jesus points past the scattering to his resurrection and the regathering of his disciples, promising to go before them into Galilee. The good shepherd was struck so that the scattered sheep might be gathered again, cleansed and made God's own people. The One near to God, his fellow, bore the sword so that the flock might live.
Questions people ask
Who applies this verse to Jesus?
Jesus does, at Gethsemane, in Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14:27. He quotes Zechariah 13:7 to foretell that his disciples will scatter when he is struck, identifying himself as the smitten shepherd and interpreting his death as within the Father's purpose.
Does the prophecy end in scattering?
No. Zechariah moves from the smitten shepherd and scattered flock to the refining and preserving of a remnant. Jesus reflects this by promising, right after quoting it, that after his resurrection he will go before his disciples into Galilee, pointing to their regathering.