Lent 2018 Devotional: Day Eleven
“But of the Son [God] says… ‘You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” —Hebrews 1:8a, 9
This passage refers to an earlier passage in Psalms (45:6–7), applied here to refer to Jesus as the Messiah. (In the time of the Hebrew Bible’s writing, kings were anointed with oil.) Christians understand Jesus to be a different kind of “king” than earthly monarchs. In the kingdom of God, power is not maintained by the strong over the weak. There is no hierarchy of royal positions, ranging from princes on down to serfs. The last are first, and the first are last. This is not good news for those who have gained power by force, and keep it at the expense of those who live in poverty and oppression to maintain the wealth of a privileged few. But Jesus came to preach good news to the poor—not the wealthy, who have already received more than enough.
Jesus calls the Church to live as the foretaste of the kingdom of God. We do this through sharing in the abundance of God, affirming the equality of all God’s children. This is called living eschatologically: the “end” we devote our lives to is the coming kingdom that Christ has already initiated. As his followers, we agree to join him in the work already begun through his life, death, and resurrection.
What does it mean for you to live toward the “end” that Jesus calls us to? Take some time to pray; ask God how you can more fully live into the way of Jesus today.
This passage refers to an earlier passage in Psalms (45:6–7), applied here to refer to Jesus as the Messiah. (In the time of the Hebrew Bible’s writing, kings were anointed with oil.) Christians understand Jesus to be a different kind of “king” than earthly monarchs. In the kingdom of God, power is not maintained by the strong over the weak. There is no hierarchy of royal positions, ranging from princes on down to serfs. The last are first, and the first are last. This is not good news for those who have gained power by force, and keep it at the expense of those who live in poverty and oppression to maintain the wealth of a privileged few. But Jesus came to preach good news to the poor—not the wealthy, who have already received more than enough.
Jesus calls the Church to live as the foretaste of the kingdom of God. We do this through sharing in the abundance of God, affirming the equality of all God’s children. This is called living eschatologically: the “end” we devote our lives to is the coming kingdom that Christ has already initiated. As his followers, we agree to join him in the work already begun through his life, death, and resurrection.
What does it mean for you to live toward the “end” that Jesus calls us to? Take some time to pray; ask God how you can more fully live into the way of Jesus today.
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