If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
Jesus does not want to see judgment visited on Israel. He is sad to know that its enemies will hem it in a smash it to the ground. But his sympathy for Israel does not deter his zeal for his Father's house. When necessary he chases money changers from it. He even lets it be smashed to the ground because of its infidelity when it comes to that.
In his zeal for his Father's house (cf. Joh. 2:17) he is similiar to Mattathias.
“Let everyone who is zealous for the law
and who stands by the covenant follow after me!”
They both have a profound zeal for the law of God from which no sympathy can make them deviate. They both understand that infidelity to the law can reach a point that makes it necessary to stand apart and to separate the sacred from the secular. Whether standing out themselves or driving out the profane, they do not shy away from judgment.
“Let everyone who is zealous for the law
and who stands by the covenant follow after me!”
Thereupon he fled to the mountains with his sons,
leaving behind in the city all their possessions.
Many who sought to live according to righteousness and religious custom
went out into the desert to settle there.
It is sometimes necessary to leave aside even the most legitimate possessions or pursuits in the name of righteousness. If things get too bad we must sometimes flee to the desert or to the mountains. We can't change our ways for the sake of society around us.
Although all the Gentiles in the king’s realm obey him,
so that each forsakes the religion of his fathers
and consents to the king’s orders,
yet I and my sons and my kin
will keep to the covenant of our fathers.
But in the face of this need for zeal, this need, sometimes for hermetic separation from the secular world, we must not lose our sympathy for world. For although Jesus allows the judgment to destroy the physical temple he also and primarily allows it to happen to the temple of his body. The ultimate judgment against the profane, unholy, and unrighteousness is something which he does more than to just allow. He takes it upon himself.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
pand with his wounds we are healed.
How much more, then, ought we have this ability to sympathize with the world around us, since we ourselves are guilty of the same things as them? We feel the same weakness and stand in the same need of mercy and grace. But it isn't easy. Can we hold zeal this zealous..
When Mattathias saw him, he was filled with zeal;
his heart was moved and his just fury was aroused;
he sprang forward and killed him upon the altar.
At the same time, he also killed the messenger of the king
who was forcing them to sacrifice,
and he tore down the altar.
..simultaneously with sympathy and love for the offenders? Can we really love the sinner and hate the sin? Usually if we love the sinner we don't really and truly feel the offense of the sin. If the sin truly offends us we have trouble genuinely loving the sinner. But this is what Jesus does. This is what makes for peace. This is the life to which we are called.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth. He wants to gather all of us before him. He himself offers the world the fidelity we need to make this possible.
Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
and fulfill your vows to the Most High;
Then call upon me in time of distress;
I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me.
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