The King came…and died…and was raised from the grave.

Having died the most gruesome death and lying lifeless in the grave for days, Jesus rose to life and walked out of the tomb. He was indeed king, king over all life. But what had Jesus done, what was accomplished in dying and rising from the dead? What does it have to do with the need to get shalom back? The question needs to be addressed to make sense of it all. Jesus demonstrated he was the coming king who was to speak peace to the nations, whose kingdom was to extend from sea to sea. But how does he bring back shalom?

Jesus’ kingdom is to be centered around a new covenant. But for the covenant to take effect it must be ratified with a death, a sacrifice. When Jesus entered Jerusalem that week of his death, he rode in on a colt, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9-10. The language of the colt in Zechariah is that of Genesis 49:8-12. This colt is tied to a vine that represents a time when Judah will reign. During Judah’s time holding the scepter, that never departs from his hand, a man’s eyes will be dark from wine and his teeth white from milk–indicating their abundance. Again a king who will make things to be right so that all is as it should be, a king to establish shalom, peace. There is an ancient Semitic story from that time period about a suzerain king, a king who rules over many kings. Two of the kings he rules over, called vassal kings, were going to make a treaty together. The suzerain king sent his servant to observe the cutting of the covenant, the drafting and signing of this treaty. The servant returned to report to the suzerain. He said that when the terms of the covenant were agreed upon, a colt was slaughtered to ratify the covenant. The words he used to describe the colt are those found in Genesis 49:11 and Zechariah 9:9. That colt symbolizes an animal whose death enacts and ratifies a covenant. The king came to make a new covenant that effects shalom, bringing an end to hostilities and creates a kingdom of the nations. Jesus was the king and his death was symbolized in the donkey, his death ratified the new covenant.

This covenant wasn’t like the old one. The priesthood of the new covenant wasn’t like the old one. The old covenant did not bring shalom. The people were still rebellious in nature. The sacrifices did not effect a true and lasting peace between I AM and his people, the people amongst themselves, and lift the curse. The priests had to continuously offer up the sacrifices.

Rather this old covenant pointed to the new. The community life in the old covenant of “do not murder” and “do not commit adultery” pointed to a community that did not hate and did not lust under the new covenant. Peace would come because I AM would change and transform the people to have a heart with his laws written on them and the people will know I AM, not needing to be told to know him. I AM would change them by removing their dead hearts of stone and replace it with a living heart of flesh, giving them a new spirit that would cause them to be obedient. They would have a heart that fears I AM and obey him. In this new covenant, real forgiveness would be effected.

Jesus’ death also served as the basis for the members of this new covenant to properly relate to I AM. On the cross Jesus fully absorbed the wrath of God against the sins of the members of the new covenant. Jesus became the sacrifice that the former sacrifices pointed to. In his death came the purification from sin from the sin offering. In Jesus’ death he was the burnt offering that symbolized I AM’s consuming wrath by the fire on the altar. His death was the meeting place where I AM and his people meet because all is right between them. The cross becomes a place of fellowship. Jesus had the sin and guilt of I AM’s people imputed to himself and died baring it all in their place. But even more than that, his righteousness is credited to the members of the covenant, providing for them a right standing by which they may relate to I AM. As Paul said of those who are justified in this manner, “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 NET).

This death then also leaves the old law and the covenant behind as obsolete and ineffective–only in the sense that it did not accomplish peace. Jesus’ death perfects those who are being made holy. Their sins are forgiven and there is no longer any need for forgiveness. King Jesus is also high priest in this new covenant. He offers an offering that effects the salvation, the restoration of peace, between I AM and his covenant people, those who belong to the new covenant. Jesus delivers them to the uttermost. When judgment comes for the covenant people, they have the death of Jesus and his righteousness to guarantee their survival of the judgment of I AM.

When Jesus made the old covenant obsolete, he removed the barrier between Israel and the Gentile peoples. The Law of Moses, their ancestry leading back to Abraham, their Temple had all lead to the people of I AM looking down on the other peoples as inferior and unclean. These “uncircumcised” were cut off from their Creator. But by his death, Jesus broke down that wall of separation and recreated a new humanity. Paul said that Jesus nullified the law and spoke peace to those far off and those near. He became peace to all. By reconciling Jews and Gentiles together in himself, he then reconciles them to I AM though himself and his body. They become at peace by becoming one in Jesus. Shalom has returned to the people of I AM, not to the Jews only but to all.

Zechariah 9:9 says that the king must be vindicated. How was Jesus vindicated in his work? His resurrection. I AM did not let his holy one see decay as the Psalmist says. He raised up Jesus, his Son par excellence, from the grave, declaring his acceptance of what Jesus accomplished. His death was seen as acceptable to redeem a people from every tribe and tongue and nation. Jesus offering was deemed as sufficient to effect true forgiveness of sins. His righteousness was seen as perfect. His resurrection was Jesus’ vindication that I AM accepted Jesus’ death and ministry. Therefore Jesus was given the kingdom to establish here on earth. I AM seated Jesus at his right hand to show his favor of Jesus.

Thus by Jesus resurrection the people of God, the members of the new covenant, can experience new life. They can enjoy the favor that Jesus has from I AM. They can have that new heart and spirit. They can be cleansed by the water I AM promised to sprinkle. They can have the heart that fears I AM and follows him and obeys him and cherishes him. Through Jesus’ resurrection they can be that new people who have peace with I AM and with each other. They will return to shalom.

But how do they get it? Jesus has it but how do they participate in it? That is the question to be answered next.