Zechariah

(12.10) “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (11) On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. (12) The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; (13) the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; (14) and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.
(13.1) “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”

Zechariah 12:10 - 13.1 (ESV)

This was written more than 500 years before Jesus was born, yet is so accurate it could have been written by one of the apostles after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Zechariah had some other astonishing visions and messages, including:

• 1-6 - a series of rather obscure visions, including a woman in a basket and a flying scroll
• 8.3 - ‘I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of them’
• 9.9 - the coming of the king on a donkey
• 11.4-17 - a bizarre prophetic act, as Zechariah becomes a shepherd and is paid thirty pieces of silver

It would be a great challenge, but one day I’d like to preach through the book of Zechariah. Some of its gems are more obvious than others, but if you spend the time working on it there is huge reward.