438. A Fountain Opened
Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
God promises to open a fountain to the Church in the day of the Messiah. The house of David is the Messiah and His followers; the inhabitants of Jerusalem are the Church of all believers in Christ. This is a promise for us; it came to pass when Jesus, the Son of God, entered our world and lived and died for us. Jesus is the fountain.The fountain is the shed blood of Christ. The fountain of blood is for sin and for uncleanness.
A fountain can be a well or a spring, as well as any water fountain that sprays out water into the air. Jesus refers to Himself as being the well of living water that springs up unto eternal life. Jesus says about believers in Christ: “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Now this is said about the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him were about to receive. Although the fountain is a fountain of blood, the image of living, flowing, fresh water is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. This water (Spirit and Life) will flow into, through, and out of the belly of the Christian. The blood of Jesus is the water of eternal life. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Conversely, with the shedding of the blood of the innocent Lamb of God there is the forgiveness of Sin. This fountain is opened. It washes away sin and uncleanness.
When we walk through this world and are exposed to the world’s ways we become contaminated with sin and sometimes we just feel unclean. We may have taken a bath in the open fountain, but then we walk through the world; so Jesus says we need our feet washed. Why do we need to hear the Gospel when we have already believed it and received Jesus? Why do we need to partake of the Lord’s Supper when we just did so last week? Why do we still need our feet washed? Or simply, why do we go to church so often? It is because we still live in a filthy world of sin, we still live in the sinful flesh, and we are still sullied by the devil. We need the fountain, and, praise God for His promise, we have the fountain. It is opened.