Like the Psalmist, Isaiah believes that the city of Jerusalem is a particularly holy place, one where God effectively resides on earth. He believes God will issue judgment over the conflicts among all of the twelve tribes and that only then will people finally recognize the futility of their war games. Some translations actually say that the text says people will no longer “play war” anymore, which seems to point to the ridiculousness of it all.
It’s hard to know for sure what the psalmist in Psalm 122 is saying in their prayer for peace, but it could be argued that they are asking for a more personal, internal peace for those who seek and follow God, and not for the reign of the city itself. It certainly changes our perspective on whether they’re praying for particular worldly outcomes or personal and collective transformation.
In Paul’s letter, war isn’t so much the problem but rather internal fighting, most likely within the church itself. But of course that never happens . . . right?
The Gospel text can present a challenge for those who understand Jesus to be fully divine and who believe God is all-knowing. Doesn’t it seem like Jesus is professing not to know the answer to their question about the timing of God’s coming? That, or maybe it’s a brush-off in a vernacular figure of speech, suggesting that their question is pretty dumb to begin with.
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