The Righteous Reign of the Coming King

9^*But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
^{2 *}The people who walked in darkness    have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—    on them light has shined.
³ You have multiplied the nation,    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you    as with joy at the harvest,    as people exult when dividing plunder.
⁴ For the yoke of their burden,    and the bar across their shoulders,    the rod of their oppressor,    you have broken as on the day of Midian.
⁵ For all the boots of the tramping warriors    and all the garments rolled in blood    shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
⁶ For a child has been born for us,    a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;    and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His authority shall grow continually,    and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.    He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness    from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Norway honoured the prince of peace by the way it dealt with a mass murderer

Here’s a prophecy. Is it any more sensible than the so-called Mayan Apocalypse (a total misinterpretation of the Mayan Calendar!)? Well yes, originally the prophet was pinning the hopes of his faith on a prince of the royal line who would grow up to honour the traditional religion of the people, free the nation from foreign domination and rule in peace and justice. Was the prophet absolutely sure that this would happen? Possibly not-maybe one of the motives for the prophecy was to give a vision to the royal family and their children, of their true vocation, thus contributing to the chances of the prophecy coming true. The first Christians who knew that the prophecy had not been fulfilled in 800 years by the royal family, applied it to the crucified and risen Jesus by whom they believed it had been fulfilled. We could say the prophecy was not so much a prediction of the future as the statement of an ideal, the hope of justice. As such it contributed to the faith and politics of the Jewish people, and informed the faith of those who trusted in Jesus Messiah as their true king. For in Jesus the prophecy is not exhausted: the rule of the prince of peace is utterly disregarded in most nations of the this world. The rod of the oppressor still weighs on many victims and the bloody boots of battle still trample over many territories. The primary mission of the Christian church, along with all who hold the hope expressed in this prophecy is to continue the challenging, healing, protecting and liberating work of the Prince of Peace.

Luke 22:54-69

Peter Denies Jesus

54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance.⁵⁵When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.⁵⁶Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, ‘This man also was with him.’⁵⁷But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know him.’⁵⁸A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, ‘You also are one of them.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not!’⁵⁹Then about an hour later yet another kept insisting, ‘Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’⁶⁰But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about!’ At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed.⁶¹The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’⁶²And he went out and wept bitterly.

The Mocking and Beating of Jesus

63 Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him;⁶⁴they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, ‘Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?’⁶⁵They kept heaping many other insults on him.

Jesus before the Council

66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council.⁶⁷They said, ‘If you are the Messiah,^* tell us.’ He replied, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe;⁶⁸and if I question you, you will not answer.⁶⁹But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.

Amnesty International

As I have recently commented on Peter’s betrayal of Jesus in Blog 665, I’ll concentrate on the brutal mockery that Jesus, like so many in all ages, suffered at the hands of soldiers. If evidence were needed that the profession of war is corrupting, the behaviour of soldiers to innocent civilians would provide it. But at least they have an excuse in the brutalities they have suffered. Those who set up torturing systems in civil society along with the agents who carry out this torture are without excuse. Jesus Christ forever stands with their victims and invites his followers to do the same, even if the torture is carried out by their own governments. The continued existence of the Guantanamo facility is a disgrace to all the governments who supported it, including the UK government. Torturers should remember that the tortured saints will sit with Jesus at the “right hand of the power of God”, where they will have to answer for their crimes. Amnesty International is not a cuddly Christmas charity but it deserves support  now as always.  I’ve just renewed my membership.