Rev. Stephen E. Stults
St. Paul’s Anglican Church
The Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 2020
Our
Gospel selection for the day is quite chilling.
It is completely prophetically accurate, and it has ramifications for
the present day as well.
Let us
examine its prophetical aspects. Christ foretells
the destruction of Jerusalem as he predicts accurately, the events to come: “For
the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about
thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay
thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not
leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy
visitation.” Jesus is describing the devastation
the Romans would inflict on the city in 70 a.d., after the Jews revolted again
under Roman rule. It is completely
accurate, for we know from history that the Romans built fortifications around
Jerusalem and besieged it for about four months. The future Roman Emperor Titus
led the campaign personally.
Flavius Josephus, the Roman-Jewish historian,
acted as mediator when talks were attempted between the warring parties. Problems
arose when the Zealots wounded one of the diplomats with an arrow, adding to an
already chaotic situation inside the city.
In addition, the Zealots suffered from a lack of cohesive
leadership. At one point, they even destroyed
their own food stocks to solicit divine aid and to motivate their own
followers.
Josephus recorded the dire events: “[Titus] Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the
entire city and Temple, but should leave as many of the towers standing as they
were of the greatest eminence; that is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne;
and so much of the wall enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was
spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison [in the
Upper City], as were the towers [the three forts] also spared, in order to
demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified,
which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest of the wall
[surrounding Jerusalem], it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by
those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make
those that came thither believe it [Jerusalem] had ever been inhabited.”[1]
In short, the
destruction was complete. Jerusalem was destroyed
again. The revolt was put down. The final idolatry of the Jews was finished,
it seemed, as the bitter fruit of their rebellion came forth. Thus, Jesus’ words were prophetic and exact.
The Jews’ rejection of Him meant they would attempt to handle affairs on their
own, as the Zealots sought earthly power and independence on their own terms. We must ponder, is there a consequence of
rejecting Jesus?
This is a vital
question for all ages. If we are not
aware of the “time of our visitation”, do we run the risk of losing our
fellowship with Christ. It would seem
so. It is a progressive process.
If one rejects
Christ (God), one becomes ruled by self-will. Self-will is absent guidance of
the Holy Spirit, and thus the moderating effects on our riotous natures. There
is no “bridle” on us, so to speak. Thus
it was with the 1st century Zealots.
So, it is with the radicals of Antifa and BLM today. Watching a live
broadcast of “demonstrating” (rioting) in Beirut earlier this week, it seemed
as if a lot of Lebanese kids were just interested in tearing something down.
Human nature and human
will without the regulation of God always falls in the ditch on one side or the
other. The Zealots sought autonomy and
freedom at any cost. They were immoderate and disorganized. They fought fiercely, yet without any real
results except their own destruction. In
the end, their efforts and sacrifice were futile. Antifa and BLM share similar characteristics
yet are different in some respects.
Whereas the Zealots lacked cohesive leadership, there is some
organization behind today’s radical groups.
For example, while claiming to be “spontaneous, peaceful” protesters,
evidence has been found that shows just the opposite. Piles of bricks and inflammatory devices have
been found at many “protest” sites. The
group in Portland, Oregon has been rioting for over 65 days. As a result, we are seeing a housing boom as
many families flee to the suburbs nationwide, further eviscerating the inner
cities.
We must ask, who is
funding these groups? How can these
people survive without jobs or income? What are their goals? Unlike the
Zealots, who wanted freedom from Roman rule, what do Antifa and BLM want? It is not clear, except to foster anarchy.
What might have been
a better course of action for the 1st century Zealots? It is, as Christians know, to submit to
earthly authority until God changes the situation or creates a godly revolt. For example, the American Revolution was
certainly not peaceful. It involved arms
and great sacrifice of life and property.
Yet, its underpinnings were godly.
The Declaration of
Independence clearly states the source of all liberty is God, and that under
Him, all men are created equal. It also states that all men are “endowed by
their Creator” with certain “unalienable rights”, such as life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness. It was always
clear that God was at the center of things and from His Power comes all earthly
power. One must wonder if the Zealots
held similar beliefs, or if they felt they could seize power in the name of
Zionism alone.
The same can be said
for Antifa and BLM. There is no
allegiance to God in their charters.
They are controlled by forces much darker, even Satanic. As Christ once
told us, “Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.”[2] We realize that their aims are not godly.
Beloved, there is a
lesson here for us as well. We are
fortunate to have a constant reminder of the “time of our visitation.” That is,
we can know Christ and fellowship with him weekly, daily, and moment-to-moment
through the Holy Spirit.
It the blessing of
Pentecost that God has poured Himself out on all mankind. Let us always be cognizant of our blessings and
give thanks for them. Let us not ignore the time of our visitation.
It is the precious
gift of God, and a foretaste of our blessedness to come.
AMEN
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