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We are living in a world filled with turmoil. Listen to this litany of headlines from this past week’s news: In international news the spotlight was on American college exchange student Amanda Knox. She and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty and sentenced to 26 years in prison for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy. What a sad and twisted story to be played out in the international news and tabloids.
In national news it is difficult to determine what was the bigger story this week: President Obama’s announcement that the U.S. will deploy 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan or golf sensation Tiger Woods admitting to “letting his family down” and “regretting those transgressions with all of his heart”—whatever that means. War abounds while families are falling apart all around us!
In local news you can have your pick between Burlington Telecom’s financial woes, a llama being shot to death in Grand Isle, our state auditors DUI case, or continually low milk prices putting more and more farms out of business. Regardless of which one you pick, it will leave you feeling anxious and depressed. There is turmoil all over the world and right here in our own back yard.
The Reality of Turmoil in the Biblical World
There is no doubt about it: our modern world is filled with turmoil. We read about it in the headlines, watch it on the news, and live it every day! Most of us believe that the world is continually getting worse. We long for a simpler and more peaceful time. We think back to our childhood and remember the world as a better place. I often wonder if it really was better or if it just seemed so because we were looking through a child’s eyes.
Even when we read the Bible, it seems like it was a better and more peaceful time. There certainly weren’t nuclear bombs and terrorist threats. It seems like marriages were more stable, families were stronger, values were more noble, and there was less turmoil.
Again, I’m not sure why we think that biblical times were any more peaceful than modern times, but when we cast fantasy aside and read the Bible with realistic eyes, I believe there was just as much turmoil then as there is today. This is very clear in today’s lectionary readings!
Malachi 3:1-4
Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament and chronologically was the last prophet to preach in Israel until the 400 years of silence was over and John the Baptist came onto the scene at the dawn of the New Testament Era. He preached during the period of time after the Jews were released from 70 years of Babylonian exile. They had returned to Jerusalem, rebuilt the Temple (although it was inferior to Solomon’s Temple that had been destroyed), and tried to reestablish their worship and way of life.
Even though they were relieved to be back in their own land, their lives were filled with turmoil. Haggai and Zechariah had preached that God would bless them with peace and prosperity after they rebuilt the Temple, but they hadn’t experienced anything like it yet. Contrarily, they were in the midst of an economic crisis because a prolonged draught and persistent pestilence made their crops fail. Likewise, they city still lay in ruins, and they had no wall to protect them from their enemies. Every time that they looked at their rinky-dink Temple, they sunk into depression as they remembered the glory of Solomon’s Temple. And although they enjoyed the benefits of Persia’s more tolerant religious and political policies, the people acutely felt their subjugation to a foreign power, and they suffered persistent opposition and harassment from their neighbors.
In addition to this political and economic crisis, they were experiencing spiritual turmoil. The people were relatively free from their ancestors’ blatant idolatry, but their faith had become a dead orthodoxy. Their ethical standards were diluted and they made all sorts of moral compromises. And worst of all, their worship was pathetic. They still attended worship at the Temple, but their hearts were not in it. They simply showed up and went through the motions and most of the time they didn’t even do that right. Their city and whole nation was in turmoil; they were a complete mess!
You see, biblical times weren’t any better than today. There was just as much crisis, conflict, and turmoil in Malachi’s day as there is in our own. Whether it was Persian domination and crop failure then, or terrorist threats and a Wall Street collapse today, we all long for peace. Like us, the people back then yearned for peace!
Luke 1:68-75; 3:1-2
From Malachi’s prophecy, flash forward 400 years. The Persians had been defeated by the Greeks and the Greeks had been defeated by the Romans, the new world superpower. For the most part, the Jews still possessed their land and were able to worship their God, but they were really living under Roman domination. They had to pay outrageously high taxes and were treated unfairly.
In Luke 3:1-2, we are introduced to a host of corrupt leaders. Tiberius Caesar, the Roman Emperor, was known for his vicious and infamous life. Pontius Pilate was a spineless two-faced player. Herod, Philip, and Lysanias all shared power as tetrarchs of different regions of Palestine. They were all licentious, greedy, back-stabbing Jewish leaders who sold their souls to Rome. Annas and Caiaphas were both yellow-bellied and crooked priests who manipulated religion for their own personal gain.
As we compare our modern American situation to the ancient Jewish situation, there really isn’t much difference. As a matter of fact, in some ways they were even worse then. If you think property and income taxes aren’t fair now, you would really be frustrated if you lived in first century Palestine. Likewise, can anyone show me a time in history when there weren’t any corrupt political or religious leaders? It has always been the same issues, it is just the names that are different. Back then it was the tyranny of Tiberius Caesar, today it is the ruthless reigns of Kim Jong-il and other dictators. Back then it was the political corruption of Pilate, Herod, Philip, and Lysanias; today it is Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich selling vacant Senate seats and South Carolina’s Mark Sanford and New York’s Eliot Spitzer using public service time for romantic rendezvous with their mistresses. Jim Baker and Ted Haggard are modern day Annas’ and Caiaphas’, using religion to exploit people.
If we think the biblical world is any better or worse than the modern world, I believe we are sadly mistaken. Ever since Adam and Eve’s Fall in the Garden, the world has always been filled with sin, corruption, conflict, and turmoil. And it will always be this way until Jesus comes back at the Second Advent.
Peace in the Midst of Turmoil
Well, if the biblical world was overwhelmed with turmoil and the modern world is mystified by mayhem, where is this so-called peace that the Bible promises? If this kind of peace really existed, surely we would all be driving to San Francisco to sing love songs and pass around our peace pipes while we stomp around in the mud and “imagine” a better tomorrow. If Jesus really is the Prince of Peace, then why do we still live in a world that is torn apart by violence and war? If Jesus really came to establish a kingdom of peace, why are there still terrorist attacks, serial killings, and children exploited all over the world? Did Jesus’ mission of peace fail?
No, Jesus’ mission of peace did not fail, but it is widely misunderstood. For instance, Jesus has no interest in this shallow cheap hippie-dippie peace that has been popular in America since the 1960’s. For Jesus, neither love nor peace is free. It costs! Actually, it cost Jesus his own life. He knew that sin was the ultimate cause of all conflict, suffering, and death. So, he willingly stepped out of heaven and became human flesh to teach us about true peace and pay the price for true peace. His first advent inaugurated his kingdom of peace—his birth, life, death, and resurrection began Jesus’ mission to restore peace to the world, but he is by no means finished yet.
Jesus also knew that, as a result of our sin, our primary conflict in life is against God. Peace with God comes through salvation and the forgiveness of sins. That is why John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. Luke 1:77 says that John came to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of our sins and verse 79 says that Jesus will shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.
Jesus gives us peace with God and then begins a process of restoring peace to our inner soul and to our relationships with other people. As the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:6, he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. This process begins when we come to faith in Jesus Christ and he continues to mold us into a people of peace throughout our lives. We won’t be finished until we see Jesus face to face, but the Prince of Peace is working right now.
How does Jesus bring peace to our relationship with God and others? Repentance! This was the message that John the Baptist preached to prepare the people for the 1st coming of the Lord and it is the same message that prepares us for the 2nd Advent of our Lord. Repentance means to turn away from our sin and trust in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation.
Over the years I have watched Jesus transform numerous lives. I have witnessed him turn some extremely angry and violent people into peacemakers. I have seen him restore peace to marriages that were filled with hostility and bitterness. I have observed him heal relationships between people who have hated each other. As Luke 1:79 says, Jesus shines on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death and guides our feet into the path of peace!
As we all sit here today, I know that some of us live with resentment and bitterness toward people who have hurt us in the past. Others may be struggling with anger or are involved in some type of conflict right now. Give it to Jesus! If some sin is inhibiting your relationship with God, repent! If some sin is standing between you and another person, repent! Let him restore and renew you! Let him guide your feet into the path of peace! Advent brings peace in the midst of turmoil!