The hope of change is in the air as we enter the New Year. It’s the anticipation of a new outlook or a new direction or the chance to do things differently.
At the turn of the first century, the Jewish people were anticipating a change. In many ways, they were still reeling from being captured by the Babylonians—something that had taken place more than 600 years earlier. Their aggressors had destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple, carting off most of the people to Babylon. It had been devastating—shades of Egypt all over again, as they were once more enslaved in a foreign land (Psalm 137:1).
Babylon eventually fell to other empires, and many Jews made their way back home to rebuild, but they were not yet free. In Jesus’ day, it was the ruthless Romans who were running the show (Luke 2:1), and the Jewish people again felt the crushing weight of oppression. Still, they lived with an ever-growing expectation that God would overthrow the Romans, just as He had done with Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Again, they were waiting for God to rescue them from their oppressors and reestablish His kingdom.
It was into this increasing anticipation of another exodus that Jesus burst on the scene. His countrymen were more than ready for God to oust the Romans. They wanted an uprising—which is partly why they called for the release of Barabbas (a revolutionary) rather than the release of Jesus (John 18:40). They couldn’t see that Jesus came to rescue them (and the whole world) and reestablish His kingdom through love, not force (John 3:16; Galatians 1:4).
Simply love. It’s what Jesus embodied and modeled throughout His life. This is the power He unleashed to change the world, culminating in His death and resurrection.
Jesus’ sacrificial love seeks the best for us and from us.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Genesis 1:1–2:3
More:
Read Matthew 11:12 and note what Jesus said about His kingdom and those who are against it.
Next:
How does Jesus’ example of love instead of force inspire you in your relationships? What sacrifices do you need to make to seek the best for others?
roxanne robbins on January 1, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Thankful for a New Year, fresh opportunities and time to reflect on the ultimate new beginning that we’ve been granted through Christ:
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
dossk on January 1, 2013 at 8:24 pm
Dear Jeff, Thanks for the post. If the community has to change today, in any part of the world, it is only unconditional LOVE. Prisoners, thugs, thieves, serial killers, drug addicts, rapists, can be changed only through Christian Love, This is happening in many parts of the world today. This is perhaps the only way to transform the local community