December 14, 2003
Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Luke 3:7-18; Philippians 4-7
The prophet Zephaniah chimes in poetically with the Messianic prophecies of others. He does more, however, than deal with the facts which he predicts will unfold. He portrays in dramatic fashion the emotional jubilation that Hebrew people will one day experience. What a contrast to the misery they were experiencing when Zephaniah spoke to them! It was through prophets such as Zephaniah that the Messianic hope was kept alive. It was through the prophetic message Jewish life was made worthwhile. It was through the prophetic message that some of the most sincerely pious and dedicated of the Jews inwardly wondered if they might have some part the helping God fulfill the prophecy of hope. It was through the prophetic message that the hope was alive, both in the lives of persons, and as a national hope. "...I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord."
The prophet Isaiah not only shares in a message of future hope but he admonishes the people to be thankful and "sing praises to the Lord for he has done gloriously, let this be known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitants of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel." How important it is that persons and peoples have hope and that even before they experience the fulfillment of their hope, they have an attitude of gratitude for the good things they expect, but are not yet experiencing! To this very day in the Judeo/Christian tradition hope is expressed and God is praised through the voicing of Isaiah's words " Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid' for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."
The Gospel of Luke gives John the Baptist no small part in the preservation of the Messianic message of hope--but with a price tag attached. He called the people to repentance in such a persuasive manner that they asked "What then shall we do?" For this question John provided answers. Repentance is more than a matter of attitude, though it includes emotions and attitude. Repentance is a matter of doing! It is not enough to say "I'm sorry". Behavior must change in a manner that is harmonious with the attitude. John gave answers. Become generous he said and if you have two coats give one to him who has none. (altruism) To the tax collectors he admonished that they collect no more than a legitimate assessment.(honesty) To the soldiers he admonished that they rob no one and be satisfied with their wages.(responsible use of power) John admonished in a manner that would turn the societal negatives of his day into positives.
When some wondered if John might in fact be the Messiah, he assured them without hesitation that he was not. John responded that they hadn't seen anything yet! "I baptize you with water but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am unworthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." The message of John was one of good news. For centuries the people had heard enough bad news. John was preparing them by introducing the idea that they needed to change their attitudes and their behavior. He would leave it to Jesus to complete the task. The results would be wonderful. This was indeed good news to a people who subjected to the heavy boots of the Roman Empire.
An now to Paul and "after the fact". It is no surprise that, given the great disappointment the disciples had experienced in the death of Jesus, there was a need to reaffirm the hope of those who had placed their faith in Jesus as Messiah. Paul affirmed a belief that they should maintain their hope for two reasons. First, the Messianic hope was one of spirit and the spirit of God was within and among them. Second, just as Jesus had come as Messiah once, he had overcome death and would return to fulfill all the other prophetic expectations of him. "Rejoice" Paul said. "The Lord is at hand...Have no anxiety about anything...and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
The message of the early church became one of explaining how Jesus was the fulfillment of the Messianic hope; that the death of Jesus, horrible and unexpected as it was, was a blessing in disguise for it represented the fulfillment of God's need for life to be given as atonement for all the sins of all the people; and that regardless of how "bad" things came to be on earth, people could be assured that Jesus would come again and complete the task that had been expected of the Messiah in his first visit to earth.
The message of "hope" continued. The message of "expectation" did not diminish. The message of moral behavior was never withdrawn. All of this remained important and necessary as followers of Jesus continued to seek an explanation for the past and retain a positive attitude for the future. There can be no doubt that the contemporary need for the positive aspects of this message continue to be extremely important. The question is whether or not hope, expectancy, and behavior ought to be based on the same specifics as in the past.
Can it be that hope is as basic to meaningful life as breathing is to the body? Can it be that expecting improvement is critical to the fulfillment of the expectation? Can it be that the Messianic hope was part of a process which resulted in some, i.e. Jesus, John the Baptist, and their mothers, assuming personal responsibility for fulfilling Messianic expectations? Could it be that the killing of Jesus was not part of God's "plan" but was contrary to everything God wishes/expects from the human children created by God, and that it is the "nudging" of God through a long process of refusing to intervene that has resulted in "good" coming from "evil"?'