SERIES
Sojourn: Toward an Enduring City
2017-03-19T08:00:00-05:00
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
As we worshiped together on Sunday, we considered Peter’s call to remain faithful to Christ even if it means suffering for our faith. The call to embrace suffering is a countercultural word in a time when comfort and security are top priorities. But in Peter’s own life, we witness a remarkable transformation of his own theology of suffering. We can draw great encouragement from the work of God in Peter’s life, that he could go from a man who rejected Jesus’ plan to suffer to a man who honored Jesus in suffering. What changed? How did Peter go from a man who took up his sword to a man who took up his cross?
Above all, Peter came to understand the significance of Christ’s sufferings in his own life. The death of Christ went from a repulsive idea that conflicted with Peter’s messianic expectations to a life-giving, sin-conquering, world-changing event that transformed Peter’s identity. Peter had a front row seat for the suffering of His Savior, and while he watched the heart-wrenching events unfold, Peter failed repeatedly in denying his Lord. After His resurrection, Jesus pursued Peter. And the man who once counted on his strength and bravado now found his hope in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we read Acts, we can see that Peter and the apostles, full of the Holy Spirit, have been radically transformed. They know that Christ has triumphed through suffering, and they rejoice to share in His sufferings and share in His victory. A humble boldness is born.
Beyond grasping the power of Christ’s sufferings in his own life, Peter surely saw how the Lord used His suffering church to spread the gospel. The sword was a failed strategy, an attempt to fight the Lord’s battles with the world's weapons. The glory of a suffering Savior would be best reflected in a suffering church. As the church suffered, her sufferings would not have the power to save anyone, but the Lord would use His suffering people to point to the worth of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. When the world saw men and women who were willing to suffer (and even die) for sinners, people would ask, “What kind of love is this?” And the church could answer, “We love because He first loved us.”
Where does our theology of suffering need to change? If we’re not taking up the sword, are we running away from the fight? Have we grasped the significance of Christ’s sufferings in our own life? Can we find in His humiliation the power to remain humble when we feel tempted to fight back? And can we find in His exaltation the power to be courageous when we feel tempted to run away? Brothers and sisters, remaining faithful to Christ in the midst of difficulty is an opportunity to show the world the power of God’s love that triumphs through suffering. What if it has been granted to us, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29)?