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Zechariah 11 · Grade 5

The Shepherd They Rejected

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Read and Think

Zechariah 11 opens with a lament over fallen cedars and wailing shepherds, then turns to a symbolic action. God tells the prophet, feed the flock of slaughter. The flock's buyers mistreat it and go unpunished, its sellers say they are rich, and its own shepherds do not pity it. So Zechariah takes up the role of shepherd and feeds the flock, especially the oppressed of the flock.

He takes two staffs, one named Favor and the other Union. As the story unfolds, the flock rejects him, and he breaks Favor, showing that the covenant with the peoples was broken. The poor of the flock that listened knew that it was Yahweh's word. Zechariah then asks for his wages. They weigh out thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave in the law of Moses. God responds with irony: throw it to the potter, the handsome price that I was valued at by them! The insult to the shepherd is treated as an insult to God himself.

Zechariah throws the silver into the house of Yahweh, to the potter, and breaks his second staff, Union, ending the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. God then tells him to play a foolish shepherd who will not care for the lost or heal the broken. The chapter ends: woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! In the New Testament, Matthew 26:15 says Judas was paid thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus, and Matthew 27:9-10 says the silver bought the potter's field. Christians believe Jesus is the Good Shepherd who was rejected and valued cheaply.

Show What You Know

  1. Which part of the flock does Zechariah care for especially?

  2. What does breaking Favor show?

  3. Why is God's comment about the silver ironic?

  4. What New Testament events connect to the thirty pieces of silver?

Crossword

4231

Across

  1. So they weighed for my ____ thirty pieces of silver.
  2. I took my staff ____ and cut it apart.

Down

  1. So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of ____.
  2. I took for myself two ____.
  3. I took my ____ Favor and cut it apart.

Think About It

  1. The good shepherd cared especially for the oppressed of the flock. Who are the weak or overlooked people you can care for?

  2. The people valued their shepherd at a slave's price. How do you show that you value Jesus highly?

Memory Verse

“So I fed the flock to be slaughtered, especially the oppressed of the flock. I took for myself two staffs. The one I called “Favor” and the other I called “Union”, and I fed the flock.”

Zechariah 11:7 (WEB)

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Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being my Good Shepherd. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • What does it show about God's love that he cares for people who reject him?
  • What does it mean to you that Jesus was willing to be treated badly for you?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.