Replacing Peace with Chaos

Scripture:

Luke 1:5   In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

Observation:

Luke gives us markers from history so that we can know where to place this story. Zechariah is introduced, as well as his wife Elizabeth. We might see these two as the ideal couple. They are both from priestly families and bring to the relationship a heritage of righteous people who have been faithful in service to God. They are “upright,” meaning they “observe the laws of God with a pure heart” (Neale, NBBC). At the same time, they are simply ordinary people of a small village in Israel. 

Their struggles with infertility will have punctuated their lives. They stand in parallel with Abraham and Sarah, awaiting the promise of God. Neale tells us, “Both figures proceed from a barren womb as sign of the blessing of fertility, which attends God’s presence in the turning points of history” (NBBC). 

Dr. David Neale will be with us on this journey through Luke. He is a New Testament scholar and is also Pastor of the Victoria Church of the Nazarene in British Columbia. He is the author of the New Beacon Bible Commentary (NBBC) on Luke, and I’ll read this daily, along with other commentaries. While examining the life of Zechariah and Elizabeth he reminds us, “These biblical stories resonate with modern believers. An encounter with the holy sometimes replaces peace with chaos and the familiar with the unknown. It is a bold undertaking to create good in a fallen world, a life with its own travail to be patiently born by the faithful” (NBBC) The visit by the angel is an incredible experience with the promise of great joy. God will break into their world, and yet it brings great uncertainty. “When God’s angelic messenger appears, all sense of normalcy and order disappear” (NBBC). 

Application:

Here we are, just beginning our advent journey, and in this year of global pandemic, I think we are all hoping for peace. At the same time, I know that there are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, who have been praying for revival. We have been praying for the people of the world to wake up to the reality of, and need for, God. Are we ready for what that might mean?

I hear people saying over and over again that they can’t wait for things to get back to “normal.” Then, I read this passage today and I realized that the answer to their prayers meant that the peaceful life they were living in their village would now be replaced with chaos for the remainder of their lives. However, these upright people were willing to allow God to use them in any way necessary for God’s promise to be revealed to the world. 

What if we’re not supposed to go back to “normal?” The lessons we learn from this pandemic should be transformational and I hope we never go back to “normal” again. It is in the chaos that we see God stirring up the people. Politically things didn’t settle down for the Jews. By the year 60 Jerusalem has fallen and, escaping for their lives, they become refugees all over the Roman world. The result is an incredible spread of the gospel — but it certainly isn’t a return to “comfort” or to “normality.”

I wonder if we’re ready for God to answer our prayers? If we truly want God to break in, our peace may be replaced with chaos. 

Prayer:

Lord, I pray that you will break into the world and draw all of humanity toward you. Strengthen your children to be your servants on this journey. Amen.