2017年アドベント、ニューイングランドの母校からメッセージ その7 日目

2017年アドベント、ニューイングランドの母校からメッセージ　その7
日目

2017 Gordon-Conwell Advent Devotional
Day 7 | The King Has Come
ゼカリヤ 9:9-13
「9:9 シオンの娘よ。大いに喜べ。エルサレムの娘よ。喜び叫べ。見よ。あなたの王があなたのところに来られる。この方は正しい方で、救いを賜わり、柔和で、ろばに乗られる。それも、雌ろばの子の子ろばに。
9:10 わたしは戦車をエフライムから、軍馬をエルサレムから絶やす。戦いの弓も断たれる。この方は諸国の民に平和を告げ、その支配は海から海へ、大川から地の果てに至る。
9:11 あなたについても、あなたとの契約の血によって、わたしはあなたの捕われ人を、水のない穴から解き放つ。
9:12 望みを持つ捕われ人よ。とりでに帰れ。わたしは、きょうもまた告げ知らせる。わたしは二倍のものをあなたに返すと。
9:13 わたしはユダを曲げてわたしの弓とし、これにエフライムをつがえたのだ。シオンよ。わたしはあなたの子らを奮い立たせる。ヤワンはあなたの子らを攻めるが、わたしはあなたを勇士の剣のようにする。」

　Maybe we can relate with this oft-told story: A mother prepared tirelessly for Christmas—roasting, scrubbing, shopping and wrapping presents. Her young daughter, electrified by the extravagances around her, was misbehaving. So wrapped up in Christmas festivities, this mother had reached her wit’s end. The mother lost her temper and sent the daughter to her room.

After a while, the mother felt remorse over her harshness. Peeking into her daughter’s room, she heard her daughter say this prayer: “And forgive us our Christmases, as we forgive those who Christmas against us.” Sometimes we get Christmas wrong! In our passage today, the Jews got Christmas wrong, too, but in a different way.

Zechariah, the Old Testament prophet, wrote his book roughly 500 years before the coming of Jesus. In Zechariah 9, we read about a prophecy concerning the King of the world. Zechariah tells God’s people in verse nine to “rejoice greatly” because “your king comes to you.” This should have been great news. The Jewish people had been waiting for a king and a deliverer.

Have you ever received a disappointing Christmas gift? The “problem” with Zechariah’s prophecy for the Jews was that they expected a different type of king. What did Zechariah prophesy? This king would be righteous and humble (v 9), peaceful (v 10), and bringing salvation (v 10). These very attributes of Jesus Christ were antithetical to the Jewish expectations of kingship.

To prepare the way for peace, God will take away all instruments of war: the chariot, war-horses, the battle bow (v 10) (a.k.a. tanks, rifles and nuclear weapons in modern terms). The Savior King will establish a kingdom of peace. Can we imagine a peaceful world—even peace in the Middle East and North Korea? God promises that day will come. King Jesus has come and he brings salvation and peace.

Dr. Matthew D. Kim
Associate Professor of Preaching and Ministry