RETURN TO ME!
ZECHARIAH 1:1-6
In
the name + of Jesus.
Throughout the Wednesdays in Lent, we will
be hearing from the prophet Zechariah.
Zechariah’s message is a reflection of Israel’s past, to the present population
of Jerusalem, with an eye on the future Messiah.
Israel’s past was not pretty, and
Zechariah acknowledges that. “Our
forefathers did not listen, nor did they pay attention to me, declares
the LORD. Your
forefathers—where are they now? And
those prophets—did they go on living indefinitely? But my words and my statutes, which I
commanded to my servants the prophets, caught up with our forefathers, didn’t
they” (Zechariah 1:4-6)?
The
people of Israel wandered away from the Lord and his word. They were negligent in their worship and
self-serving in their lives. Some ignored
the word of the Lord. Others lived in open
rebellion against it—worshiping idols, engaging in licentious behavior, and
oppressing the poor. The Lord was not
content to let the people of Israel forsake the covenant, so he sent prophets
to them again and again. Those prophets
were mocked, threatened, and killed.
After years and years of stubborn rebellion against God and his
prophets, the Lord acted in judgment.
As he had threatened through Moses, the
Lord raised up an enemy nation which destroyed their nation, killed many, and
carried others into exile. That captivity
lasted for decades. Finally, God raised
up a new nation which granted the release of the captives. The Persian King Cyrus issued a decree that
enabled the people to return and to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. But those who came back were lax in rebuilding
the temple and restoring proper worship.
Later, King Darius renewed the decree.
Nevertheless, the people were still negligent. They were committed to building up their own
homes while the house of God remained in ruins.
It is to these people that Zechariah was
raised up to proclaim the word of the Lord.
“The LORD was very angry with your forefathers. Therefore, now you are to tell this people
that this is what the LORD of Armies says to them. Return to me, declares the LORD of
Armies, and I will return to you, says the LORD of
Armies. Do not be like your forefathers,
to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed, ‘This is what the LORD of
Armies says. Return, return from your
evil ways and from your evil deeds’” (Zechariah 1:2-4).
The people of Israel may have returned to
Jerusalem, but their hearts had not returned to the Lord. They were embracing the very same attitudes
which resulted in the exile of their forefathers. Their return to Jerusalem began with noble
intentions. But once they returned and
had to rebuild Jerusalem from scratch, they focused on their homes and
businesses. While those were important,
the people lost sight of what they had returned to Jerusalem for. The Lord was an afterthought. Life got in the way of faith. Homes got priority over church. Commerce trumped over the sacrifices. The stomach became more important than their
hearts. So, the Lord sent Zechariah to
proclaim, “Return to me … and I will return to you” (Zechariah 1:3)!
How is it possible that the people of
Israel did not learn the lesson from their fathers? Their captivity had lasted seventy years! If their fathers had not died in Jerusalem
due to starvation, disease, or the sword, they died in captivity. Even though a new generation returned to Jerusalem,
it was no easy endeavor. Just the
journey was dangerous and expensive.
When they returned, Jerusalem was a ruin. There were no homes and no walls for
protection. Fields needed to be
cultivated again, and vines and trees needed to be tended. This journey required a commitment to the
Lord and to restoring right worship. How
could they forget so quickly?
There is nothing new under the sun. Every year, we return to the Lenten season,
and every year we hear the word of the Lord again declaring, “Return to
me! Repent of your ways.” The call is not because you are criminals who
need to be scared straight. It is
because, like those Israelites of old, we become absorbed in daily living. We are too busy to pray or to contemplate God’s
word. To be fair, we are usually busy. Few people spend their days with nothing to
do. So, life gets in the way of
faith. Homes get priority over church. Commerce trumps over prayer. We hunger for entertainment rather than meditation. So, Zechariah still proclaims the word of the
Lord, “Return to me” (Zechariah 1:3)!
One of the disciplines of Lent which is often
avoided by Lutherans is the practice of fasting. In the Roman Catholic Church, people were
taught that a failure to fast was a sin against God. There were even specific foods that were
forbidden on certain days. We are all
familiar with the fish fries which are the alternative to eating meat. But there were also butter days and cheese
days and so forth. Since consciences
were burdened by failing to keep commands that God has not made, the Lutherans
exposed the practice as wicked. We are
not to treat traditions—even laudable traditions—as the commandments of God. No one is going to hell because he eats a
bacon double cheeseburger in Lent.
But the pendulum has swung the other way. Many Lutherans have been taught to avoid
fasting altogether—either because we don’t have to do it or because it is Roman
Catholic. Today’s Gospel lesson,
however, shows us that fasting, prayer, and repentance all go together. When Jesus instructed his disciples, he said,
“Whenever you pray” (Matthew 6:5).
It is not an “if” but a “when.” God’s
people will pray. Likewise, Jesus said, “Whenever
you fast” (Matthew 6:16). He assumes
God’s people will fast. Repentance is
not optional, and fasting, repentance, and prayer all go together. It is not a commandment; rather, it is discipline
for our sinful flesh.
St. Paul referred to this when he wrote to
Timothy. “Train yourself for
godliness. For bodily training is
beneficial to an extent, but godliness is beneficial in all things, because it
holds promise both for life now and for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). Fasting is bodily training. We learn to control our desires instead of
letting our desires control us. Fasting usually
regards food, reducing the number of meals from three to 1 ½ or 2 meals. Fasting disciplines us so that our stomachs
do not control us. But perhaps you would
do better to withhold something else from yourself—social media, entertainment,
caffeine—whatever you crave. Of course,
wicked desires should always be put to death.
“Bodily training is beneficial to an extent”
(1 Timothy 4:8). We need not despise
it. If you find that it is hard, you discover
that your cravings have more control than they ought. If you fail, you need not quit. Return to your fast. You are not sinning against God if you sip
coffee, eat chocolate ice cream, or check who posted what on Facebook, but you
are learning that such discipline is work and that the flesh is weak.
When Zechariah called the people of Israel
to return to the Lord, he was not calling them away from criminal activities. They were not committing atrocities. And while they could argue, “We are not doing
what is evil,” the Lord would retort, “But you are failing to do what is good.” Farming and family, commerce and industry all
have their place. But they become idolatry
when they are placed above the Lord. It
is evil when the First Commandment gets demoted. That is why Zechariah called out, “This is
what the LORD of Armies says. Return, return from your evil ways and from
your evil deeds” (Zechariah 1:4). Even activities that are noble and pious will
not save you. While it is good to be a diligent
worker, a dutiful child, and a decent citizen, that does not save you. While it is laudable to cross yourself or to
be marked with a cross of ashes, that does not take away your sins. While it is right to pray, to fast, and to
give alms to the poor, these do not atone for sin.
Return to the Lord your God. Devote yourself to his word and
sacraments. For, these deliver to you the
salvation that Jesus Christ has won for you.
“Return to me, declares the LORD of
Armies, and I will return to you, says the LORD of
Armies” (Zechariah 1:3). The Lord does not delight in the death of the
wicked—to the point where he offered up his own Son as a sin offering. Jesus’ pure motives have atoned for our
impure desires. Jesus’ faithfulness has
atoned for our failings. Jesus’ steadfast
devotion to his Father has atoned for our misplaced devotion and
priorities. Jesus substituted his
innocent life on behalf of all the guilty.
To cleanse you of all unrighteousness, Jesus poured out his innocent
blood. To paraphrase Zechariah, “Because
of our ways and our deeds, the LORD of Armies has done to [Jesus]
just as he planned to do to us” (Zechariah 1:6). Jesus
has appeased the wrath of God. He spares
you from the terrible judgment. Jesus,
and Jesus alone, has secured God’s blessing upon you.
Once
again, we being a Lenten journey to the cross.
We have made this journey before.
There are few, if any, surprises.
We offer our prayers. We hear of
Jesus’ sufferings and death. We look forward
to the joyous resurrection. For now, we
heed God’s call, “Return to me.” For we
have not overcome our sins. We continue
to fight against our cravings. We still
become distracted so that prayer and meditation become a chore to cram into our
schedules instead of a joyful part of our day that we spend with our Lord. It is to be a time of peace when God speaks
to us in his word, and when we carry to him all our concerns, worries, and fears.
“Return to me, declares the LORD of
Armies, and I will return to you” (Zechariah 1:3). He will
return to you with blessing and grace and comfort and peace. The blood he shed for your forgiveness is
given to you once again. The body which
bore took your punishment is given to you again. Here, the Lord strengthens you to engage in the
discipline. Here, the Lord summons you
to pray because the flesh is weak. Here,
the Lord pardons all your faults and failings.
Again, to paraphrase Zechariah, “Because of [Jesus’] ways and [Jesus’]
deeds, the LORD of Armies [will do] to us just as he planned to do to
us” (Zechariah 1:6). His plan is to raise you up from the
dead. Dust and ashes will give way to
immortality. And the feast will go on
without end.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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