A Group Hug

Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. (Zechariah 14:16-19 ESV).

Not long ago I saw this outdoor signage, “What This World Needs Is a Group Hug.” It belies a sentiment that has existed for millennia. Genghis Khan was a great Mongolian warrior whose armies almost did what every conqueror dreams of, uniting all nations. Alexander the Great also tried. Perhaps the Roman Empire came closest. The United Nations keeps trying to negotiate peace and unity in the world. Politicians from nearly every first world country have tried to bring peace and harmony to the world. All of them have thus far failed. The Scripture has a different message of world unity. In our reading today, Zechariah’s vision of world unity is based on united worship of the world’s one God. Worship is what the world was created for. The world at its best is a world that is worshiping God. Further, worship in Zechariah’s prophecy is all-voluntary. The penalties he mentions for refusing to go up to Jerusalem show that everyone is free to choose. Jerusalem is journey’s end and harvest home. God reigns as Lord of all. Some few don’t like it, but God’s sovereignty is known to all. Each person must declare his or her position toward God, either as worshiper or rejecter, subject or rebel, child or orphan. “Come to Jerusalem” is the biggest, best invitation to be all you were meant to be, God’s son or daughter. In Zechariah’s time this “global unity” day was called the Feast of Booths. The great day Zechariah points toward won’t need a special name. Its celebration will eclipse all previous holidays and never end. My caution to all of us is that we not be deceived by coming to believe that somehow we are capable of making world peace and unity a reality without the work of Christ in our lives. A group hug, no matter how sincere and heartfelt, will never be enough without Christ’s work of redemption. That was the missing ingredient in Zechariah’s day. The Temple feasts and sacrifices were simply not enough; nor are they enough today. No wonder that the prophet points us to that day. Let’s all look to Jesus today. He is the author and finisher of our faith!