The Priest On His Throne (Zechariah 6:13)

 


Tuesday, October 15, 2024


Psalm 104:1-25

Zechariah 6

1 Peter 1:10-17


Observance: Theresa of Avila, teacher (d. 1592)


The Priest On His Throne (Zechariah 6:13)


Our prophet’s series of visions now come to an end – the most incredible night of his life draws to a close – and what a glorious end it is! This Branch, the coming Messiah, is to be enthroned in the temple as both priest and king. No mere human could ever hold both titles; there has always been some degree of separation between church and state. Only the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord of heaven and earth, the Incarnate one who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, is worthy and able to sit on this throne of thrones.


The promise towards, and aspiration of, all of God’s people has been for a government that loves God. How exactly we are to work this out has been an ongoing effort; our current phase of this effort is a pretty poor one, however. A separation of church and state that idealises a state that has no opinion towards God whatsoever has proved to be impossible; you either love Jesus, or run from him.


On the day I was ordained, I and my fellow ordinands were taken to an upper room and called out one by one into the office of the General Manager. Placed before us was a document that, among other things, confirmed our assent to the 39 Articles of Religion. Many clergy feel uncomfortable with all 39 of the Articles; particularly the couple at the end, which speak of the relationship between the church and the state. However, if one recognises that there is no such thing as neutrality when it comes to this topic, then those Articles actually become quite reasonable (and, dare I suggest, noble in their aspiration). We recognise that, as humans, there is no place for one of us to hold both offices of king and high priest. However, as our Christian faith urges us, we ought to do our best in trying to have both offices be places of loving service to the Lord.


In our place as citizens of the kingdom of heaven here on earth, we have a high priest who is also our king – Jesus. He holds both offices. This means that every human with authority in either of those spheres – the church and the state – are responsible, ultimately, to him. When we consider what the relationship between our congregations and our civil rulers are, what are we missing? What do we take for granted? What needs to be done away with, and what do we need to build up?


Christ Jesus our Priest-King: minister to us your loving mercy, and bring rulers and the ruled together in such loving harmony that your kingdom flourishes here amongst us.

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