Zechariah 14:1-11

Future Warfare and Final Victory (Cp Ezek 38-39; Mk 13; Rev 20-22)

14:1 See, a day is coming for the LORD, when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses looted and the women raped; half the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee by the valley of the LORD's mountain, for the valley between the mountains shall reach to Azal; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

6 On that day there shall not be either cold or frost. 7 And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the LORD), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light.

8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.

9 And the LORD will become king over all the earth; on that day the LORD will be one and his name one.

10 The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine presses. 11 And it shall be inhabited, for never again shall it be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security. (Zechariah 14:1-11, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with revision and supplement from November 26, 2004, two years ago (Friday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 23, Year Two):

Zechariah describes the coming day as a time “when the blunder taken from you will be divided in your midst” (Zech. 14:1). “This is not the motif of the despoiling of the oppressor nations by Israel,” says W. Sibley Towner (with ref. to 2:9; Ex. 12:36; Ezek. 38-39; Nah. 2:9; Hag. 2:;7-8), “but rather one of the details of the terror to be experienced by those Judeans who will have to endure the “day of the LORD’s” victory” (HarperCollins Study Bible, on Zech. 14:1). “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle,” says Zechariah, “and the city shall be taken and the houses looted and the women raped; half the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (14:2). “Jerusalem is attacked by all the nations (v. 2) before the LORD intervenes,” says Gregory Mobley (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Zech. 14:2). “Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle” (v. 3). According to Towner, “The motif of the great battle against the nations gathered before Jerusalem is a favorite one in late prophetic eschatology (Isa. 63:1-6; Ezek. 38:14-23) and is taken up again in apocalyptic texts (see Joel 3:11-14; Rev. 14:14-20)” (on 12:8-9, cross-referenced from 14:3). The LORD will “stand on the Mount of Olives,” which “shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other half southward” (v. 4). “The cosmic dimension of this last vision of Zechariah implies changes to the very structure of the earth itself,” says Towner. “Perhaps by their hugeness and weight, the divine feet are sufficient to alter the landscape of Jerusalem” (on v. 4). According to the prophet, the Judeans will “flee by the valley of the LORD’s mountain . . . as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah” (v. 5a). “Then,” he adds, “the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him” (v. 5b).

At this point, Zechariah seems to anticipate something much like John’s picture in Revelation of a new Jerusalem which “has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:23; cf. 22:5). “On that day,” says Zechariah, “there shall not be either cold or frost. And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the LORD), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light” (Zech. 14:6-7). Towner says, “The displacement of the sun by the glory of God is a motif used by the nearly contemporary ‘Isaiah Apocalypse’ (Isa. 24-27; see also Isa. 24:23; 60:19-20; Rev. 22:5)” (on Zech. 14:6-7). Zechariah envisions a river of “living waters” flowing “out from Jerusalem to the east and the west, which “shall continue in summer as in winter” (v. 8; cf. Ezek. 47:1-12; Rev. 22:1-2). The LORD, who defends Jerusalem “will become king over all the earth; on that day the LORD will be one and his name one” (v. 9). Ehud Ben Zvi says, “The verse [v. 9] evokes the language of Deut. 6:4, the beginning of what became the Shema pray in later Judaism, and, given its context, it most likely means that in that day all humanity will acknowledge and worship the LORD alone and invoke the LORD’s name alone” (The Jewish Study Bible, p. 1266, on Zech. 14:9). To anticipate a point from tomorrow’s reading, the LORD will be “worshiped in Jerusalem where the nations will come in pilgrimage (v. 16)” ( R. Lansing Hicks and Walter Brueggemann, NOAB, 2^nd. ed., on Zech. 14:1-21). This has been considered an end-time prophecy, and it shares some themes with the book of Revelation, as noted above. The land of Israel will be transformed, “the whole land . . . turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem” (v. 10a). Jerusalem itself, on the other hand, “shall remain aloft on its site” (v. 10b). “And it shall be inhabited, for never again shall it be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security” (v. 11). According to Towner, “The lifting of the curse pronounced in Zech. 11:6 leads to the blessing of progeny promised to a covenant-obedient people in Deut. 28:11” (on v. 11).

Romans 15:7-13

The Gospel for Jews and Gentiles Alike

7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

"Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles,

and sing praises to your name";

10 and again he says,

"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people";

11 and again,

"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,

and let all the peoples praise him";

12 and again Isaiah says,

"The root of Jesse shall come,

the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;

in him the Gentiles shall hope."

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:7-13, NRSV)

The following comments are selectively combined with revision and supplement here from November 26, 2004, two years ago (Friday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 23, Year Two), August 7, 2005 (the Sunday closest to August 10, Year One), from November 20, 2005 (the Sunday closest to November 23, Year One), and from July 27, 2006 (Thursday of the week of the Sunday closest to July 20, Year Two):

Paul has been addressing issues which separate the Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in the church at Rome. He has urged the “strong” to respect the “weak” (Rom. 14:1-15:6), and concludes by urging each group to “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Rom. 15:7). His emphasis is upon encouragement for Gentile believers, showing that “the promises given to the patriarchs” (v. 8) are for them also. He supports that with quotations from Psalm 18:49; Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalm 117:1; and Isaiah 11:10). The discussion of the “strong” versus the “weak” in 1 Corinthians, chapters 8 and 10, was focused on whether to eat “food offered to an idol”; but here the issue is apparently kosher food: “Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat” (Rom 14:20). Sometimes the issues change, but it is important to see the underlying principle. “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble” (v. 21). So the principle of not judging others in such matters transcends the issues Paul may have had in mind.

 At the beginning of the book he presents a thesis—his abiding conviction—that the gospel "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [i.e. Gentile]" (Rom. 1:16). Chapter 14 calls for toleration of "the weak," who "eat only vegetables" (14:2), not because the Jewish Christians were vegetarian on general principles, but because, as a minority in a Gentile world, they could not be sure that the meat was kosher. The principle of tolerance and mutual respect which he advocates in Romans 14 is similar to his instructions in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10, but the issue of meat offered to idols there differs from the issue in Romans. There is no need in Romans for such an admonition as is found in 1 Corinthians 10:21, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons." But there is reference to observance of Jewish holy days (Rom. 14:5). "Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to

God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God" (v. 6).

So the instruction "to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus" (Rom. 15:5) comes near the end of Paul's application of his teaching to the way Christians should live out their faith together in Rome. He wants them to "with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 6). Those who are to "welcome one another" (v. 7) include "the circumcised" (v. 8) and "the Gentiles" (v. 9). Scriptural support is given for inclusion of the Gentiles in "the promises given to the patriarchs" (v. 8): Ps. 18:49, cited in Rom. 15:9; Deut. 32:43, cited in Rom. 15:10; Ps. 117:1, cited in Rom. 15:11; and Isa. 11:10, cited in Rom. 15:12. "The Gk word for Gentiles [ethnê] in vv. 9-12 also means ‘nations' (Neil Elliott, NOAB, 3rd ed., on Rom. 15:9-12). Paul concludes this exhortation to unity with a prayer for their "joy and peace in believing," and for their increase "in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (v. 13).

Luke 19:28-40

Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Mt 21.1-11; Mk 11.1-11; Jn 12.12-19)

28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it.' " 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34 They said, "The Lord needs it." 35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying,

"Blessed is the king

who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven,

and glory in the highest heaven!"

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." 40 He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out." (Luke 19:28-40, NRSV)

The following comments are combined here from November 26, 2004, two years ago (Friday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 23, Year Two), and from June 9, 2005 (Thursday of the week of the Sunday closest to June 8, Year One):

Luke presents the events of Palm Sunday, the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Lk. 19:28-40). We usually associate Palm Sunday with Easter in the spring, but the praise of the crowd,

            Blessed is the king

               who comes in the name of the Lord!

            Peace in heaven,

               and glory in the highest heaven! (Luke 19:38, NRSV)

reminds of another coming (Advent), and the season that begins this Sunday. It also reminds us of the angels’ song on the night of the Savior’s birth:

            Glory to God in the highest heaven,

                And on earth peace among those whom he favors! (Luke 2:14, NRSV)

In this season that honors the Prince of Peace, let us pray for the peace of one another, and peace for our world.

Luke’s version of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Lk. 19:28-40) is closely parallel to Mark’s (Mk. 11:1-10; cf. Mt. 21:1-9). Matthew takes the prophecy of Zechariah rather literally and includes two animals, “a donkey tied, and a colt with her” (Mt. 21:2; cf. Mk 11:2; Lk. 19:30). Matthew alone quotes as follows:

Tell the daughter of Zion [from Isa. 62:11],

Look, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey [from Zech. 9:9]). (Matthew 21:5, NRSV)

Gregory Mobley, commenting on Zechariah 9:9 (NOAB, 3^rd ed.), says:

Donkey, colt, in the style of Hebrew parallelism, a single animal (as in Gen. 49:11; Jn. 12:14-15) is meant here. In the New Testament, Mt. 21:507 misunderstands and assumes two animals are meant. The choice of mount, donkey instead of war-horse ([Zech. 9:]10), indicates peaceful intentions.

In the Gospel accounts Luke has the people say, “Blessed is the king,/who comes in the name of the Lord” (Lk. 19:38) where Mark has them say “Hosanna!/Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mk. 11:9), which Matthew follows, but adds an honorific title, “Hosanna to the Son of David!/Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mt. 21:9). Mark refers to David, but in a separate line, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!” (Mk. 11:10a). For the words “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mk. 11:20b; Mt. 21:9 at the end), Luke has “Peace in heaven,/and glory in the highest heaven” (Lk. 19:38b). Though Luke is the only one who uses the word “king” in the people’s acclamation (Lk. 19:38; cf Mt. 21:9; Mk. 10:11), the word “king” appears in Matthew’s quotation from Zechariah 9:9, and Mark includes reference to “the coming kingdom of our ancestor David.” For Jesus, this royal acclamation was a mixed blessing. His choice to ride a donkey indicates a purpose other than that of a conquering king. He never calls himself a “king.” In John’s account of Jesus before Pilate, Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Jn. 18:33). Before his direct answer, Jesus seeks to clarify Pilate’s attitude and intentions. “Did you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” (v. 34). But Jesus explains, “My kingdom is not from this world, If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (v. 36).

On Palm Sunday, we too have mixed feelings. We rejoice in the recognition Jesus received at that time, but we know all too well what awaits him later in the week. It is good to know that the darkness of Friday is followed by the brilliant light of Easter Sunday.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com