The Bitterness of the Cross
Charles H. Spurgeon
Zechariah 12:10
They... shall be in bitterness for him (Zechariah 12:10).
You know, dear friends, that this text primarily refers to the Jewish nation. They will not always be blinded, as they are at present. The veil will ultimately be taken away from their eyes and their heart; and when it is taken away, it will not be by the enlightenment of mere reason, or through the cogency of argument by itself, but it will be through the outpouring of the Spirit of our God. The verse from which our text is taken makes this quite clear: ''I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications.''
Our Lord Jesus Christ can only be seen in His own light. The grace of God must be given to us before we can see and understand Christ at all; and this shall be the great proof that grace has been given to Israel-that they shall look upon Christ. It is good evidence that grace has been given to any man when he looks upon Christ, obeying the great command: ''Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.'' This is the first sign and token of believers, and it is to be our continual distinguishing mark, for we are always to be ''looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.''
There is much more in a look at Christ than many suppose; it is the index of everything that appertains to the Christian life. There must be life in an eye that can see; and when there is life in the eye, there is life in the whole man who possesses that eye. When an eye can see Christ, it can see other things that he intends it to see. That eye which has been enabled to behold Him, and which has taught the heart to cry, ''My Lord and my God,'' is prepared to see all the wondrous things that are in God's law.
The first mark of grace, then, in the Jew, will be that he shall look to Christ. By that word ''look,'' I do not understand a mere transient glance at Him, but a ...
Charles H. Spurgeon
Zechariah 12:10
They... shall be in bitterness for him (Zechariah 12:10).
You know, dear friends, that this text primarily refers to the Jewish nation. They will not always be blinded, as they are at present. The veil will ultimately be taken away from their eyes and their heart; and when it is taken away, it will not be by the enlightenment of mere reason, or through the cogency of argument by itself, but it will be through the outpouring of the Spirit of our God. The verse from which our text is taken makes this quite clear: ''I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications.''
Our Lord Jesus Christ can only be seen in His own light. The grace of God must be given to us before we can see and understand Christ at all; and this shall be the great proof that grace has been given to Israel-that they shall look upon Christ. It is good evidence that grace has been given to any man when he looks upon Christ, obeying the great command: ''Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.'' This is the first sign and token of believers, and it is to be our continual distinguishing mark, for we are always to be ''looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.''
There is much more in a look at Christ than many suppose; it is the index of everything that appertains to the Christian life. There must be life in an eye that can see; and when there is life in the eye, there is life in the whole man who possesses that eye. When an eye can see Christ, it can see other things that he intends it to see. That eye which has been enabled to behold Him, and which has taught the heart to cry, ''My Lord and my God,'' is prepared to see all the wondrous things that are in God's law.
The first mark of grace, then, in the Jew, will be that he shall look to Christ. By that word ''look,'' I do not understand a mere transient glance at Him, but a ...
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