The conquest of Jerusalem is complete, the walls are
destroyed and the temple, the king’s house and all the houses of the city are
burned down and anyone of consequence was taken into exile in Babylon. Only the poorest were left in the land to
tend to crops. A regent is set in place,
Gedaliah, who promises the soldiers of Israel that if they remain and serve the
king of Babylon they will live in peace.
Some, however, will not accept those terms and murder the regent. They know there will be retribution so all
now leave the city desolate of the people of God and flee to Egypt of all
places for safety. This time, the Lord
will not bring the people back from that nation.
As John’s disciples go away to report what Jesus has said
and done to him, Jesus turns to the crowds following him and affirms John and
his ministry. He is more than a prophet,
and that statement is explained when Jesus says that John is Elijah. The prophecy of Malachi spoke of Elijah
coming as a forerunner and an agent of proclamation and preparation prior to
the coming of Messiah. In referring to
John in this way Jesus is making a clear statement about Himself as well, the
one John said was Messiah. John got it
right. The kingdom of God must come
violently because the world is a violent place, it is prepared to protect
itself against a hostile takeover by God’s kingdom. Until now, that is, now the cross shows the
way the kingdom will come and will advance.
Kingdom people understand that violence is the way of the world, not the
way of God.
Why is the resurrection of the dead so important to
Paul? It puts all of life in
perspective. Our worldview is intended
to begin with Jesus’ resurrection. When we
start with the certainty that this life and death aren’t all there is then we
have a different attitude towards life and the stuff of this world. We know this life is important because it is
a gift and because Jesus came and lived here.
We should, however, know that this life is important for different
reasons than the people around us who don’t believe in the resurrection from the
dead. We should make our decisions based
not on preserving this life or having more in this life but in living a
cross-shaped life of love and service. We
live a life disillusioned by the cross, no longer under an illusion about the goodness
of the world because it crucified the only good man who ever lived. Our disillusionment with the world means we
can see things clearly and truly as they are.
We can mourn over the way things are and work to restore God’s way and
His kingdom in our lives and bring light to the world.
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