Day 67 of 90 Devotion

Dearest e-votees-

Day sixty-seven of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. We have finished Habakkuk, Zephaniah and Haggai (37 down, 29 to go). If you want to see the readings for our trip through the Bible you can follow this link:

www.christthegoodshep.org/biblein90days.html

Peace,
Karl

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Day 67 Readings: Habakkuk 1:1-Zechariah 10:12

Here is a passage in today's reading that gets some play in the New Testament:

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and the River to the ends of the earth Zechariah 9:9-10, NIV

The people are expecting a military leader, like King Saul or better yet King David, to come and obliterate the occupying enemy (the Romans in New Testament times). They are looking for a strong-arm to oust the ones who have had them in a choke hold.

They are hoping for a conquering victor to ride into town with a procession of defeated enemies--perhaps with hooks in their noses, broken and bleeding for all to see. Jesus comes into town in a parade of sorts but he has no prisoners, just a ragtag bunch of misfit followers. He is not riding a chariot nor a steed but a donkey. (or a pair of donkeys for those who need to make the Hebrew doublet literal). He is not brandishing a sword but turning the other cheek.

When Roman military leaders had their parades there would be a slave whose job was to whisper in his ear "memento mori"("remember that you will die") Jesus was clearly thinking about that dark Friday that was looming even if the makeshift parade was oblivious. Through his death Jesus would make peace between us and God. Through his submitting to the Romans Jesus would forever change how powers are truly unsettled.

In post-resurrection appearances Jesus so often said "Peace, peace". He came to proclaim peace. His peace is not just for his terrified ragtag bunch of followers but for all nations and for all times--from Dan to Beersheba and beyond, from Easter morning until clocks have nothing left to count. Jesus is the River of life and from his mouth until the ends of the earth "peace" is proclaimed. Thanks be to God.


God, thank you for changing the ways of confronting the powers. Help us live in your peace and help proclaim it all to your glory. Amen.