The Second Sunday after Epiphany, 2004

Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842. During the twenty-three years of their marriage there was no hint of adultery. Lincoln stayed faithful to his wife even though she frequently behaved like an infant. Mary was mercurial in temperament. The Lincolns' immediate neighbor once told about Mrs. Lincoln chasing her husband down a street with a knife. Apparently, Mary Todd could be almost insanely jealous if her husband even looked attentively at an attractive woman. Fortunately, he could always outrun her.

Our Old Testament passage opens with God making a declaration, "I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her." The Hebrew word for "fervor" pictures a man whose face becomes red. A red-hot jealousy marks God's love for the Church. Why is that so? Zion is the Bride of Christ, and when she flirts with idolatry, God gets jealous. The picture of God turning red with anger is called "anthropomorphism." God is a spirit and doesn't have a body. So literally His face doesn't get red. Anthropomorphism gives to God physical, human features in order to make a point. The fact that God is jealous for His people shouldn't surprise us. The Second Commandment proclaims: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." God's jealously is in favor of Jerusalem. He wants her for His own. In spite of her past unfaithfulness, He still loves the daughter of Zion, and He is angry at the nations that abused her.

Is it good for a husband to be jealous and protective? Yes. A husband who doesn't care if his wife is adulterous is a failure. He is neglecting his marital duty. The apostle Paul uses this image of a good husband to exhort the Corinthian Christians to faithfulness. "For I am jealous for you with godly jealously. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2). Here we see jealousy in a positive light. Granted, jealousy can be sinful. Mary Todd Lincoln, President Lincoln's wife, was so insecurely jealous, that she came to despise almost every woman who spoke with her husband. That's going too far. Nonetheless, legitimate jealously is free of sin. And under numerous circumstances, it is a sin not to be jealous. [I am indebted to Doug Wilson for this insight in Reforming Marriage. Also consulted: The Mountains of California by John Muir; and books by Marvin Olasky, Ralph Smith, Baron, Calvin, Matthew Henry, Wright, D. Chilton, K. Mathison, Leupold, Nicoll, Feinberg, and Van Ruler.]

Verse three promises, "I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem." God will return to Zion. Where and what is Zion? How should we understand this? God's glory-cloud presence is the key. Since the wilderness days, the shekinah glory-cloud of the Lord hovered over the Ark of the Covenant and blazed between the wings of the cherubim. This theophany, this manifestation of deity, indicated that God was present with His people. This is the same cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that guided the Israelites out of Egypt. The glory cloud came into the tabernacle built by Moses in the wilderness and continued in the Temple built by Solomon. However, sin drove the theophany out of the Temple at the same time Babylon carried the children of Israel into exile. The prophet Ezekiel witnessed the departure (Ezek. 10). The shekinah glory-cloud lifted up out of the Temple and vanished. The period of Ichabod had begun. Ichabod means "no glory." Jerusalem enjoyed no more the glory of God's presence.

Of course, God is omnipresent and His glory is ubiquitous, but the shekinah, glory-cloud indicated His special presence in worship and His favor upon the people. That had left. Zechariah is now stating that God will return. "I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem." It took several hundred years, but the theophany, the appearance of God finally arrived. This time, it came back not as a glory-cloud manifestation, but as the God-man Jesus Christ. This time the theophany would not merely remain in one centralized building in Jerusalem, but the presence of God in Christ would abide wherever two or three were gathered together to worship the Lord. Zion would now be multi-centralized in ten thousand churches and cathedrals around the globe. Thus, the Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of Zechariah's promise that God's presence would return to Zion. Jesus is Immanuel, "God with us." Jesus is present in the Church through His Holy Spirit; by faith He becomes present to us in the Eucharist.

"Jerusalem shall be called the city of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts. The Holy Mountain" (v. 3). Why will the Church be called the city of truth? It is the city in which truth is to be found. How about the mountain of holiness? The Garden of Eden was on a mountain. And since man's expulsion, he continually attempts to return there. Zion is the special "Holy Mountain" of Jerusalem. Mountains are a prominent theme in Scripture. They symbolize God's presence with His people and His victorious reign over the earth, when all kingdoms are gathered together to serve Him in the New Covenant. That being the case let every parish be a Holy Mountain, the City of Truth. This is where we ascend to partake of Christ's presence and experience the beauty of holiness.

In the nineteenth-century John Muir explored the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. He wrote eloquently about what he saw. To get the best view of the entire range he recommended that one climb to the summit of a mountain on the central coast of California on a clear spring day. From the peak you gaze east over the San Joaquin Valley. On the horizon you observe the Sierra Nevadas. He writes, "Along the eastern margin rises the mighty Sierra, miles in height, reposing like a smooth, cumulous cloud in the sunny sky, and so gloriously colored, and so luminous, it seems to be not clothed with light, but wholly composed of it, like the wall of some celestial city. Along the top, and extending a good way down, you see a pale, pearl-gray belt of snow; and below it a belt of blue and dark purple, marking the extension of the forests; and along the base of the range a broad belt of rose-purple and yellow, where lie the miner's gold-fields and the foot-hill gardens. All these colored belts blending smoothly make a wall of light ineffably fine, and as beautiful as a rainbow, yet firm as adamant." Muir continues, "after ten years spent in the heart of the Sierra Nevadas, rejoicing and wondering, bathing in its glorious floods of light, seeing the sunburst of morning among the icy peaks, the noonday radiance on the trees and rocks and snow, the flush of the alpenglow, and a thousand dashing waterfalls with their marvelous abundance of irised spray, it still seems to me above all others the Range of Light, the most divinely beautiful of all the mountain-chains I have ever seen." [Close quote.]

Such absorption in God's creation comes naturally for the believer. The Bible links the glory of the mountains with the glory of the Church. The Church is a holy mountain. John Muir might not have made that connection. Nevertheless, our love for creation leads us to the Creator, and our love for the Creator leads us to the Church, and our love for the Church leads us back to the beauty of creation and our Creator. It is an ongoing cycle of praise and wonder.

Verses four and five show another snapshot of Christ's kingdom: "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand because of great age."

At the time Zechariah wrote those words, Jerusalem lay largely devastated. Cruel armies had driven out the laughter and games of children as well as the relaxation of the elderly in the plazas. The holy city had become a poor environment for the weakest members of society. Scripture calls on the general public to provide security for the young and old. This is a timely message for our day. Currently, abortion threatens the young, while euthanasia threatens the elderly. A depraved, pornographic culture always puts children at risk. On the other end of the scale more and more people are unwilling to take care of their aged, bed-ridden parents. This too is wrong. People tend to measure a city's greatness by its business, industry, its buildings, its wealth, its art and culture. Zechariah suggests that we measure the significance of our cities by their effect upon the old and young.

Furthermore, long life and children were thought of in the Old Testament as blessings from God (Psalm 127-8; Proverbs 3:2). Isaiah spoke of a future day when a child shall die one hundred years old, and the worst sinners would be cut off at that same age (Isaiah 65:20). Zechariah was simply reiterating that promise. According to him, the streets of the city shall one day be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Presently, neighborhoods and streets are not safe enough. Children have lost a lot of freedom. When I grew up, my brother and I would wander for miles on our bicycles. During the summers we turned into nomads, exploring, roaming, romping. Our parents didn't worry about us getting knifed or kidnapped. This was typical for boys nine, ten and eleven years old. Those halcyon days are gone. There is too much peril in Southern California. It is a curse when parents can't let their children freely wander and play. The Church works to create the family-friendly environment that Zechariah pictures here. Once God's Spirit brings about widespread revival this feature will become permanent: men and women of great age, canes in hand, relaxing in peace, while children play in the streets.

Let's jump to verses 7-8, 20-23. [Read them.]

These are messages of hope. Zechariah paints several happy images: people streaming to Jerusalem from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun. Another picture shows ten men tugging at the sleeve of a Christian. It reminds me of all those poor souls who tried to escape the Soviet Union for freedom in the West. "Where do we go? Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." This is a picture of the conversion of the nations. There is no coercion. They seek the true Triune God voluntarily and eagerly.

Now comes the question - when is the fulfillment of Zechariah's visions? The Old Testament contains dozens of dazzling descriptions depicting the future domination of the kingdom of God. Timing is everything. When can we expect these things to take place? We have already suggested that these things will happen at Christ's First Advent. Zechariah reinforces that conclusion. How is this so? The context tells us. Zechariah 9:9 says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Behold your king is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey… He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be from sea to sea." The King comes riding on a donkey. Let's think about it. When did that take place? Palm Sunday! Christ came into Jerusalem seated on a donkey. He died on the Cross for the sins of His people, rose from the grave, and upon His ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit He unleashed great power to expand His kingdom. Consequently, the Old Testament prophesies find their fulfillment at the First Advent of Jesus Christ, not the Second.

That is why this passage from Zechariah is assigned for Epiphany. It promises a golden age in this present era when all the nations will respond to the Gospel. Epiphany stirs us to evangelize every tribe and tongue. True, Christ will eventually baptize and disciple every ethnic group yet we are His hands and feet to bring it about. On this Second Sunday after Epiphany the Church calls you to evangelism. The possibilities are limitless. We have lined up the Credo course for February, and I will lead a short-term mission trip to Argentina in July. These are just two opportunities for you to get involved in the Church's evangelistic task.

Let's tie up one last loose end. Why is it necessary to apply the Old Testament promises to the Church of this age? The New Testament tells us to. Romans 2:28 says, "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit…" Galatians announces, "Those who believe are children of Abraham… If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed" (Galatians 3:7, 29). How about Jerusalem? "The Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother" (Galatians 4:26). Hebrews twelve tells Church worshippers, "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem…" (Hebrews 12:22). All these verses and many more tell us that the Old Testament promises transfer from Israel to the Church. This interpretive method is a sound one; it received the support of the Early Church, and the Reformation.

Hence, a joyful hope and optimism animate the mission of the Church. The Gospel will triumph in due course; Zechariah depicts a great revival for our era. We therefore worship in joy, and labor in hope. Come now to the banquet table of King Jesus. Come in faith to partake of His presence and power.