Zechariah 11 Commentary
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The identity of shepherds in this chapter can be very confusing. Yes, they are rulers but which rulers is the scripture referring to?
At some point, the prophet Zechariah is the shepherd, while at some other point, the LORD God seems to be the shepherd. Of course, the bad shepherds would be the bad rulers who care less about the flock.
Israel’s leaders would fit the description of bad rulers. They are deposed and the LORD takes over. The new shepherd, the LORD, disciplines the flock but it doesn’t work. This could be a reference to the exile which hasn’t yielded the desired righteousness in the flock.
We have a problematic flock! The quality of shepherding hasn’t mattered!
Nevertheless, the good shepherd must be paid. He has worked! And guess the reward, crucifixion. So we have the 30 pieces of silver and the mention of the potter at the house of the LORD! Judas Iscariot and his payment for betraying Jesus is pasted from this incident. Or more appropriately, the prophet Zechariah has scripted the events of the New Testament in high definition.
It is a faint connection but we can still see it: the Shepherd willingly accepts the payment for His labor. It is a joke payment but He nevertheless accepts it. It speaks of the generosity of the LORD!
And if things are bad, be it in the church or out there, let us not blame the leaders exclusively. The flock is equally terrible – unteachable, untrainable, and altogether uncontrollable. We can have a solution if we ask the right questions. We lie to ourselves by thinking we are great individuals with the right kind of leadership, or background, or the right combination of factors.
Chapter 11 is a complex collection of thoughts. But don’t confine them to the past. We still have bad shepherds. The flock still detests the shepherd and the sheep can be problematic. It is not always the messenger or the message that is bad. Check the audience. We must check ourselves against the standards of the good leadership that the good shepherd has provided. Then we can know what to do.
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