Zechariah Chapter 11 – A Hard Chapter to Swallow
If you’ve been reading through the book of Zechariah with me, you’ll notice something right away about chapter 11. The tone shifts. It’s not the same kind of hopeful vision we’ve seen before. This chapter is heavy. Painful even. It’s like a storm cloud rolling in after a bright morning. And honestly, it’s one of those chapters that when you read it the first time, you might just scratch your head and say, What in the world is going on here? But the more you look into it, the more you realize — this is not just about Zechariah’s day. It’s about something much bigger, deeper, and sadder.
And yet, in God’s strange and mysterious way, even here there’s a message we can’t ignore.
The First Verses — Judgment Is Coming
The chapter opens with a cry for the doors of Lebanon to open so the fire can devour the cedars. It’s poetic language, but it’s not about pretty trees. This is about destruction. The cedars of Lebanon were known for their strength and beauty, used in building palaces and temples. So when Zechariah says they’re going to be devoured, it’s like saying the pride and the glory are going to be burned up.
Then we hear about wailing cypress and oaks of Bashan because the forest has been laid low. The shepherds are crying out because their glory is ruined. Lions are roaring because the lush Jordan valley is gone.
In other words — God’s judgment is sweeping through. And this isn’t just poetic drama. It’s a prophetic picture of devastation coming on the land. Historically, many scholars tie this to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Others see it as a more general prophetic warning that happens in cycles when God’s people reject Him.
The Shepherd’s Role — And the Rejection
After this opening scene of judgment, the Lord tells Zechariah to act out a role. This isn’t unusual for prophets. They often didn’t just say the message; they lived it out.
God tells Zechariah to take up the equipment of a shepherd — but not just any shepherd. He’s to act as the shepherd of a flock destined for slaughter. These are sheep doomed to be killed, and the buyers don’t feel guilty. The sellers bless the Lord for the profit they make. The shepherds don’t pity them.
This is grim.
It’s a picture of corrupt leadership, greed, and heartlessness. And right here, if you’re thinking about Jesus calling Himself the Good Shepherd, you start to see the contrast. In Zechariah’s acted-out prophecy, the shepherd is caring, but the people, the sheep, are in the hands of those who don’t care if they live or die.
Two Staffs — Favor and Union
Zechariah takes two staffs and names them Favor and Union. These staffs are symbols. “Favor” represents God’s blessing and protection over His people. “Union” represents the bond between Judah and Israel — the unity of God’s people.
Zechariah tends the flock, but then things start to unravel. He gets rid of three shepherds in one month, but the flock detests him, and he grows weary of them. That’s a tough moment. Even the good shepherd reaches a point where the rejection is so strong that the relationship is broken.
So he says, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, the perishing perish, and let the rest eat each other’s flesh.” This is a devastating statement. It’s the point of no return — the shepherd walking away because the sheep refuse him.
Breaking the Staffs
Zechariah then breaks the staff called Favor. This means God is removing His blessing, His covenant protection from the people. And here’s where it gets prophetic about Jesus in an even clearer way: after breaking the staff, Zechariah asks for his wages from the flock’s owners.
They give him thirty pieces of silver.
If you know your New Testament, that should hit you like a bolt of lightning. This is exactly the amount Judas Iscariot was paid to betray Jesus. And the way it’s treated here is just as shocking — thirty pieces of silver was the compensation for a slave accidentally killed (Exodus 21:32). It was a paltry, insulting sum for the work of the shepherd.
God tells Zechariah to throw it to the potter in the house of the Lord — a strange phrase, but it’s exactly what happens in Matthew 27 when Judas throws the silver into the temple and the priests use it to buy the potter’s field.
Do you see what’s happening here? Zechariah’s acted-out prophecy is pointing hundreds of years ahead to the rejection of Jesus — the Good Shepherd — by His own people.
Then Zechariah breaks the second staff, Union. This means the unity between Judah and Israel is gone. The flock is scattered.
The Worthless Shepherd
The chapter closes with one more symbolic act. God tells Zechariah to take up the role of a foolish shepherd — one who doesn’t care for the lost, seek the young, heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but instead devours the best and tears off the hooves.
This is a picture of bad leadership — of the kind of rulers who exploit the people rather than serve them. God pronounces woe on such a shepherd, saying his arm and right eye will be completely withered.
It’s a chilling ending to an already heavy chapter.
Why This Matters Today
Reading Zechariah 11 feels like watching a tragedy play out in slow motion. You see the signs of corruption, greed, and spiritual blindness. You hear the cries. You watch the shepherd care for the sheep — but they reject him. And then you see the consequences: the removal of God’s favor, the scattering of His people, the rise of false leaders.
And if we’re honest, it’s not just ancient history. This is a warning to us today.
It’s a warning to churches that forget the heart of the Good Shepherd and become about power, profit, or pride instead of love, truth, and service.
It’s a warning to individuals who take God’s guidance for granted, who resist His voice and choose their own way.
It’s a reminder that rejecting the true Shepherd always leads to ruin — maybe not instantly, but inevitably.
Seeing Jesus in Zechariah 11
The connection to Jesus is impossible to miss. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him (John 1:11). He was valued at thirty pieces of silver. He was betrayed by one who walked with Him. The leaders of His day — the “shepherds” of Israel — were more interested in preserving their power than in following the Messiah.
And when the people rejected Him, judgment came. Within a generation, Jerusalem fell. The temple was destroyed. The sheep were scattered.
But here’s the thing — even in the middle of all this darkness, Jesus didn’t stop being the Good Shepherd. He laid down His life for the sheep. And for all who would listen to His voice, He still offers the safety, guidance, and love that no false shepherd could ever give.
A Personal Reflection
Sometimes when I read Zechariah 11, I don’t just think about history or prophecy — I think about my own heart. Am I listening to the Shepherd’s voice? Or am I stubbornly wandering, thinking I know better?
Because rejection of the Shepherd doesn’t always come in loud, obvious rebellion. Sometimes it comes in small, daily decisions to ignore His word, to go with the crowd, to trust myself instead.
This chapter makes me want to hold tighter to Him, not out of fear of judgment, but because I see the cost of walking away. I see the emptiness and the danger of false shepherds. And I see the incredible love of the One who valued us enough to be betrayed, sold, and crucified — so we could be brought back into the flock.
Closing Thought
Zechariah 11 is a chapter that stings. It’s not light and cheery. It’s like a warning sign posted on a cliff edge — it’s there to keep you from falling.
We’re reminded that God takes leadership seriously. That He sees how His people are treated. That He will hold shepherds accountable. And most importantly, we’re reminded that the true Shepherd came, and He was rejected — but that rejection became the very means by which we could be saved.
If we have ears to hear His voice today, may we follow Him closely. The world is full of false shepherds, but there’s only one Good Shepherd who will never abandon His sheep.
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