July 10, 2023

Today's Reading: Zechariah 9:9-12

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 25:1-22, John 19:23-42

“Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What a weird statement from Zechariah today, “prisoners of hope”.  What does it mean to be a prisoner of hope? Remember that the people of Israel had been in the habit of groaning about their captivity. They were used to whining about the fact they had been exiled from Jerusalem, from everything they had held near and dear, particularly the temple.  They would groan and whine, the Lord would set them free and the cycle would repeat.  The same goes for us.  We are prisoners to our sin, but prisoners of hope.  

Zechariah calls the people to face the fact their hopes had been dashed, because their hope had been misplaced. It was a false hope that, once the messiah showed up on his war horse, everything could go back to the way it was. But the way it was meant turning away from God, rejecting God’s promises. 

This is your daily battle with life as well. St. Paul reminds us:  “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (Romans 7). 

Like the Israelites in Babylon, we have to face the fact that we constantly sin but we are also called the saints of God. This is why the prophet Zechariah says “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!”  We may be prisoners in our sin but our hope is in the Lord your God. Repent of your sorrow and lament, and rejoice in the salvation accomplished for you in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. Bow your meek head to mortal pain, then take, O God, your pow'r and reign.  (LSB 441:5)

-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.