“He said to him, ‘Run and tell this young man: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the number of people and livestock in it.’” (Zechariah 2:4 HCSB)
A few years ago, my uncle accepted a temporary work assignment to Washington, D.C., the capitol of the United States. He rented a small apartment in which to live while working, not wanting to move his family from California. When the United States’ President was to be inaugurated, the nation’s capitol swelled in numbers. My uncle flew into Washington the day of the inauguration. He was able to get a subway ticket that allowed him access to the city, but was too late to be allowed to get off at the Capitol Mall for the inauguration; there were already enough people, and it was closed. Even having a residence in Washington didn’t get him to the inauguration.
We’ve all heard about Joseph and Mary being turned away from countless hotels in Bethlehem prior to the birth of our Lord Y’shuaJesus. There was “no room in the inn” that night. Some day soon Y’shuaJesus will return to Earth and there will be a great feast, to which we’ve all been invited. How many can come and sit at the table with our Lord? How many will fit in the room. How many will fit in the city of Jerusalem on that occasion?
Haven’t you at least once wondered about getting to Heaven’s gate, only to have it close right in front of you, with someone saying, “Sorry, all filled up.”
There are people who might not even try to get to the gate, not want to wait in line. We’ve all heard the expression “there’s no room for sinners in Heaven.” Occasionally in movies, characters will say something like, “Heaven wouldn’t want me!” You know Y’shuaJesus loves sinners, just hates the sin; they obviously don’t.
Another way to look at it is from the perspective of a person convinced he or she must do something to gain access to the Lord. Isn’t there a bit of legalism left in all of us? How disappointed one becomes when the reality of the situation sets in: no matter how hard we try on our own, we can’t do enough to earn the right to enter through the gates, to sit at the table with our Lord at The Feast.
Zechariah spoke to a people rebuilding the temple, rebuilding Jerusalem, restoring worship of G-d. It was long, hard work, and often might have seemed futile to continue. Things didn’t appear to be going well. So Zechariah, a priest and prophet, relays some encouragement to the people. His encouragement is for us, too. There is no limit of the number of people that Jerusalem can hold. It is to be without walls. G-d, Himself, will surround His people, offering the protection and containment they need, and always able to expand so that another Believer may enter.
We Gotta Be There! And we will. We will overcome the odds, by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, that we believe the Lord Y’shuaJesus.
Lord Bless, Keep, and Shine, in and through us today and throughout.
JonahzSong 