Why I Think Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest Both Point to the Lord Jesus Christ

I was doing some reading with the Book of Ezra. Ezra is a priest, descendant of Aaron, and was termed as a great reformer. Sure, Reformation Month may be over for 2020 but daily reformation is still badly needed. Ezra himself is hailed as a reformer of his people. Ezra was a Levite and a scribe of the Law of Moses (Ezra 7:6). He was one to bring in badly needed reforms with the Law of God. The setting of Ezra was during the post-exile era but Judah was still destroyed. There was no temple and Ezra was pioneering in building the temple. In the Book of Ezra - two people also stand out namely Joshua (also spelled as Jeshua) the high priest and Zerubbabel, a descendant of David and great-great-grandson of Josiah. We can read the tandem of both Zerubbabel and Joshua.

Zerubbabel was the political and spiritual head of the tribe of Judah. Read through Matthew 1 again and you will see that Zerubbabel (spelled as Zorobabel in the KJV) is part of Jesus' genealogy up to Joseph, Jesus' legal father. He is described as the prime builder of the second temple (which would later be overshadowed by Herod the Great's temple) and led the first group of captives back to Jerusalem. He closely worked with the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 5:12) as well as with the priests. By looking at how he greatly differed from Jehoiachin - it's possible that the curse of Jehoiachin was undone by his godly efforts though the Kingdom of David was yet to be re-established until the Millennial Kingdom. 

The interesting thing was also that the high priest of that time was named Joshua. Joshua is the Aramaic version of Jesus. Jesus is Greek for Joshua. The high priest was the son of the priest Jozadak. We would see that there's Joshua the high priest as a type of Christ. One type of Christ (Zerubbabel) was a king. This one is the high priest from the tribe of Levi. It would be amazing to see how Joshua the high priest would be in Haggai and Zechariah. In Zechariah 3, we see Joshua the high priest became a type of Christ or someone who pointed to Christ. We see the Angel of the LORD (a theophany of Jesus) and Satan. The LORD (God the Father) rebukes Satan. What's amazing is that Joshua the high priest is also told that the Branch (referring to Jesus) will eventually be sent as the Servant of the Highest. Jesus Christ is God the Son and the Servant of the Highest. In Zechariah 6, we see Joshua the High Priest getting crowned. Joshua the High Priest's coronation was a typology to point to Jesus Christ as a priest and a king at the same time. The Old Testament was soon coming to an end. 

So, what's the significance of having Zerubbabel and Joshua working side by side? Zerubbabel was proof that the Messianic line's legal lineage was going to continue. We all thought the Davidic Dynasty was coming to an end when Jehoiachin was cursed for his misbehavior. Yet, Zerubbabel's righteous deeds allowed the dynasty to continue up to Joseph - even if the Davidic Kingdom would have to wait before it will be reestablished. Having a high priest named Joshua is significant also because it's the same name as Jesus. Hebrews 4:14 and 9:11 call Jesus the Great High Priest. Neither Zerubbabel nor Joshua the High Priest would fulfill all three offices. They were both illustrations as types of Christ to point to the coming Messiah. They were types of the Messiah but neither of them would be able to do that. Only the eternal Son of God would be a prophet, a priest, and a king at the same time! 

The amazing this is that the eternal Son of God serves as both priest and king. The priesthood was supposed to only come from Levi. However, the priesthood of Jesus was after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7). While some sound teachers (such as John F. MacArthur and Vernon McGee) say Melchizedek was a type of Christ - I still am willing to believe that Melchizedek was a theophany. It's still debated whether or not Hebrews 7:3 means Melchizedek's genealogy was left unrecorded for a reason or if it meant he was actually the eternal Son of God. Melchizedek appeared as both king of Salem and a priest of God. Jesus became both the king of kings and the great high priest of all believers. Zerubbabel could become a king but not a priest because he was from Judah. Joshua the high priest was qualified to be a priest but not a king. The Order of Melchizedek allowed Jesus to have both titles of priest and king.