Jesus had helped Thacia understand that the coming of God's kingdom will be different from what might be expected. Instead of involving victory in warfare, it instead will manifest itself in a radical change in men's hearts.
The Jewish people believed that the coming of the kingdom would bring about their deliverance from hated Roman rule. Daniel himself has devoted his life to seeing that this happens. When he first heard of Jesus, he had hoped that Jesus would join with Rosh's renegade band and build a great army with which to overthrow the occupiers. Thacia's explanation of the kingdom Jesus is talking about completely goes against everything for which Daniel has worked.
According to Thacia, God's kingdom may come "without any fighting", and that the Jews "don't have to wait for God to care for (them)...He does that now...every one of us". Thacia has learned from Jesus that "God sees into our hearts and loves us...every man and woman". This concept leads to the conclusion that perhaps God loves the Romans too.
Daniel is incensed by this idea. Having seen the ruthless hand with which the Romans have victimized the Jews for so long, Daniel harbors a deep and abiding hatred for them. The thought that all people - Romans and Jews alike - might be called to live in harmony is too much for him, but perhaps more importantly, "Thacia's words had come close to his own secret doubts" as well (Chapter 16).
No comments:
Post a Comment