A couple of days ago I read the book of Zechariah. It had been awhile. Toward the beginning of the book, he has all kinds of visions of horns, flying scrolls, horsemen, measuring lines, high priest, lampstands, and all kinds of stuff. I don't pretend to know what all that is talking about, and that's not even what I want to talk about anyway.
So here it is. My favorite chapter in Zechariah (possibly due to themes N.T. Wright writes about so frequently) is chapter 8. This chapter anticipates the work God will be doing in Zion. If you read these texts you can see Jesus in them pretty clearly. Check some of these out:
- "I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem."
-"I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and they shall be my people, and I shall be their God."
-"But now, I will no longer deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days...for there shall be a sowing of peace."
-"I have purposed to bring good to Zion"
-"The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace." (Remember when Jesus said, "how can you fast when the bridegroom is here?")
All these are descriptions of what those finals days should look like; when Jesus is king and his people live like it. However, perhaps the most striking image of a people living with God as their king is at the end of chapter 8.
" 20"Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. 23Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
What a picture! People all across the world are begging to go with the people of God because what they have is so good. The way in which they are living is so attractive that people are grabbing onto their clothes and saying, "Take me with you–because we have heard that God is with you!"
Is the picture you get when you first think of the people of God today? Are people begging to be a part of what we are a part of? What if it was? What if instead of having all kinds of attractional outreach models like car shows, carnivals, giveaways, or whatever, that people were begging to come with us!? What if the way of life we lived among each other and those with whom we interacted was so contagious, so genuine, so real, that we didn't have to invite (dare I say beg) people to come to church?
I guess it just seems to me that we have diminished the glory, honor, celebration, and goodness of living under the kingship of God ruling through Christ Jesus. We've diminished it to doing the right thing and being a good person, which are good things to do but not quite the same picture of a crowd of people grabbing your shirt saying, "Take me to God! I've heard that He is with you!"
How do we do this? I don't know. I guess I have more questions than answers. A good place to start may be right here in Zechariah 8. Maybe we should truly celebrate that God has come. Truly rejoice that he doesn't deal with us in the way He once did, but there is a new way, a once for all way, where Jesus died, and was subsequently raised from the dead, bringing about vindication. I guess we would do well to "Speak the truth to one another; render in our gates judgments that are true and make for peace; not devising evil in our hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all those things the Lord hates," declares the Lord.
Maybe this picture is only that–a picture. Maybe it's not supposed to be literal, where the nations physically grab ahold of the people of God and ask to come with them. But what if it was? What if we can bring heaven to earth? What if the lives of God's people screamed, "Jesus is King," and it magnetically drew the world to God? What if?
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