"8" Dreams (Zechariah)

On the EIGHTH day of Christmas, Zechariah gives us 8 dreams to change our way of living. The prophetic book of Zechariah is set after the return from Babylonian exile. It pairs with the book of Haggai (from day four). It asks the remnant that has returned, to not be like their ancestors. The ones who, in forgetting that God is a God of liberation, proceeded to enslave their kin and neighbors, toying with idolatry and power. Too often, we claim repentance but fail to break the cycles of empire and exile that we want to remove ourselves from. 

The dreams of Zechariah are bizarre. They parallel each other and give us a vision of where this new remnant post Exile is at. Dreams 1 and 8 feature four horsemen who declare a time of peace, embodying God’s ultimate vision of redemption and liberation. Dreams 2 and 7 include reflections on Israel’s sin - a sort of confessional dream. Dreams 3 and 6 are rebuilding Jerusalem, not just the physical build of measuring, but a spiritual build as well. Finally, dreams 4 and 5 look at the two key leaders of this returned group: Joshua the High Priest, and Zerubbabel the political leader. Zechariah gives us one final bonus vision in which he portrays the future messianic king riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Symbolically showing this new king will be different. This image subverts expectations of power and domination, offering a radical vision of leadership rooted in humility and service.

Throughout Zechariah, we see a  fear in this remnant that they cannot build the temple as great as it once was. They cling to the past, longing for their former greatness.. Zechariah, through his 8 dreams, is attempting to get the people, and us, to let go of expectations built on the past and on nostalgia,and  create a forward-looking, novel movement.. 

Zechariah's wild dreams invite us to imagine a novel possibility of an open future. This is desperately needed by people in faith communities today. Rather than cling tight to the way things have always been, we need to step forward into the new. For Zechariah this looked like offering a new vision of a messianic king. Not one concerned with exclusion and protection of a tribe, but one who would rule a community that the gates are never shut. Not a king bent on holding political power, but one who is meek and humble. Zechariah challenges us to dream of what the world may become when we lean into the life that is marked by peace, humility, and selfless love.

Let us challenge the status quo of empire and seek to liberate all from the exiles we have made for ourselves and others.