Justice and mercy meet
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36, ESV)
People often see Jesus’ arrival as a time of universal peace, joy and festivities. Jesus’ startling statements about peace show that this is not the case. The peace that comes at Jesus’ birth is not a vague, general peace, but peace with God through Jesus’ work. By birth, we have a sinful nature and stand as enemies of God, under an eternal curse. There’s salvation for those who make peace with God by believing in Jesus, and judgment for those who don’t. There will be a clash between these two groups like Esau and Jacob, who shared a womb as twins, but wrestled so much that their mother wondered about the turmoil within her. (Genesis 25:19-23). Esau devalued God’s promises while Jacob valued them, though he tried to obtain them initially through deceptive means. The descendants of these two brothers struggled against each other throughout history.
Jesus, born in the line of Jacob, is the fulfillment of all God’s promises and by His own words, will cause division – even within families. What Jesus proclaimed about Himself doesn’t allow one to be neutral. He didn’t claim to be just a wise Rabbi or moral man, but the Son of Man – the divine man – the Son of God in whom there is forgiveness of sins and eternal life. He is the Balm of Gilead, the Physician necessary for life. The Gospel is not additional information to consume but demands an answer – either to believe and accept it as God’s message of peace or not. How we respond affects our eternal destiny.
Looking at the present age, you see the truth of what Jesus said. Look at those who convert from other religions in countries hostile to Christianity and see how they are treated. Some of their own family members attack, disparage, disown, or in severe cases, physically harm them. People tend to get angry at Christians’ belief that Jesus is the only way for man to make peace with God, avoid judgment and receive eternal life. He is seen as offensive rather than a Balm. The sword He brings is seen as vindictive rather than vindicating. Many do not see that the sword is actually bringing justice. A holy God who is perfectly good cannot abide sin, which is evil. The sword that Jesus brings is not unjust but God’s justice enforced.
Noah’s story gives a glimpse into how justice and mercy meet – how judgment and salvation exist in tandem. Noah is called a preacher of righteousness. (2 Peter 2:5). Every day Noah spent building the ark in a dry place, telling and showing people what and why he was building, signaled God’s righteousness and the coming judgment against sin. Noah was building a refuge but at the same time, he was preaching judgment. He built a refuge by God’s command – to survive God’s judgment. Only those in this one ark made to God’s specifications were saved. In the whole world, God saved only Noah’s family (8 people). Noah was a herald of righteousness, but Jesus is far greater. He is God’s righteousness revealed. (1 Corinthians 1:30). God sent Jesus, to be the true, ultimate Ark in whom man can find refuge – from God’s judgment. 17″For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:17-18, ESV).
The cross is where justice and mercy meet perfectly. Jesus’ arrival and death on the cross bring God’s mercy. Those who believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, are counted one with Jesus – united to Him by faith. They become children of God and receive mercy. The justice poured out on Jesus applies to them. There is lasting peace, with no further judgment – for there is no double jeopardy.
God saved only one family through Noah, but through His Son Jesus, God creates and saves His family, spanning numerous cultures and time periods. It’s amazing to see God’s saving work still happening all over the world. People are believing in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, in countries no one would expect – that are very hostile to Christianity. Operation World, a missions research organization, says that the fastest growing church in the world is in Iran, and the 2nd fastest growing church is in Afghanistan. In the midst of news of sickness, deaths, strife and turmoil, God is working mighty miracles to bring more and more people into safety – into the Ark – of Jesus. With all that’s been going on the past couple of years, people probably asked what time is this – what time are we living in? If we care to stop and look, it’s a time of salvation. It’s still a time of God’s mercy.
New believers sometimes lose families, relationships, wealth, and cultural acceptance but they gain far more. They are adopted into the family of God with many mothers, brothers, sisters, and children – and receive an inheritance that is eternal and imperishable. Those who are in Jesus, are headed not to Mr. Ararat, but home – to final rest in the City of God, the Father’s House. It is a City of life, light, righteousness, beauty, truth and God’s love. And this City is more real than all the passing, hevel-ish cities of the world.
Soli Deo Gloria!