Confident expectation in the fulfillment of Scriptural promises

By Steve Hall

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/093023.cfm
Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15
Luke 9:43-45

Today we are given two Scripture readings which at first glance seem totally dissimilar. They are, in fact, reflecting on the same thing.

The first text, the one from the prophet Zechariah, offers encouragement, hope, expectation and promise. It points to a future where the Lord himself is the glory in the midst of Jerusalem. We read it, and, if we truly hear and receive it, our hearts leap for joy, knowing that the Lord has promised to dwell among us.

Then we are presented with something far more solemn: “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men." Just a few words. They sound almost benign; but we know better even if the Apostles didn’t. Unlike the words from Zechariah, we hear something ominous in these words of Jesus because we recognize the reference to the cross. The Apostles were put off to the degree that they dared not even ask. Yet we know today, as they would understand after Pentecost, that even these sober words offered encouragement, hope, expectation and promise. They too point to a future where the Lord would be the glory in our midst.

Together these two texts touch on the core of Christian belief. There is a future awaiting us. God is present; he is among us. He was there with the Chosen People during the centuries of the Old Testament. He is here with us today in multiple ways as we slowly gravitate toward the glory of eternity. At the same time we are constantly reminded that we must profit through the sufferings of the present time if we are to arrive and live in his glory.

Paul says it very well: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)

But there is another dimension in these paired texts which is of particular importance to those with faith. Yet, the magnitude of that reality might easily be ignored or overlooked; it is certainly discounted by many. That is the reality of hope, a genuine and fact based expectation that there is more to life, more to our very existence than passing a few years on this planet.

A sci-fi novel I am currently reading opens with the following: “I believe what I believe to make life less terrifying. That’s all beliefs are: stories we tell ourselves to stop being afraid. Beliefs have very little to do with the truth.” (Adrian J. Walker, The End of the World Running Club) I would live in despair if I thought that were true. Compare the emptiness of such a statement with the divine promises heard through Zechariah. Compare the futility of such an existence with the confidence of Jesus as he approaches Jerusalem and Calvary. Do the beliefs of Zechariah and Jesus have very little to do with the truth. No, and neither do mine.

Until recently the gift of hope—not wishful thinking, but the confident expectation in the fulfillment of Scriptural promises—was little more than a footnote to my faith. However, recognizing the alternative has brought hope in Jesus, the Christ to a new level of spiritual engagement. It is a part of my life which will never again be ignored, only cherished.