When I was driving down a rural Michigan road, I was pulled over by a county sheriff. I had not noticed that I had entered a small town and the speed limit had dropped to 35mph. There was nothing I could say to defend myself. I was clearly guilty.

In Zechariah 3, Joshua—the high priest—is on trial before the angel of the Lord (v. 1). In this vision, Joshua represents the people of Israel, accused by Satan. He is clearly guilty. Joshua was dressed in “filthy clothes,” representing the sin of the people (v. 3). There was nothing Joshua could do to save himself. Yet, Satan was rebuked by the Lord. Despite Israel’s sin, God had chosen and delivered them (v. 2).

The angel of the Lord removed Joshua’s filthy clothing and replaced it with festive garments (v. 3). The Lord charged Joshua to “walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements” (v. 7). Despite Israel’s sin, they were given another opportunity to be faithful to the Lord. In verses 8–10, we read about a future Servant called the Branch (v. 8). This servant is also called a stone (v. 9). “Servant, “Branch,” and “stone” are references to a future messianic figure (Isa. 42:1–4; Jer. 33:15; Isa. 28:16). When that figure comes, the Lord declared, “I will remove the sin of this land in a single day” (v. 9).

This passage powerfully illustrates that we cannot save ourselves. Our sin has separated us from God, and we stand before Him guilty. It is only through the work of the Messiah Jesus that our sin can be forgiven and our relationship with God restored. God has done for us what we could never do for ourselves (Rom. 5:8). We can trust in the finished work of Jesus (John 3:16).

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