I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. – Joel 3:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 24, 2019): Joel 3

I love Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” And one moment in the book that has stuck with me is her comparison of a man with a bible and one with a bottle of whiskey.

“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)... There are just some kind of men who - who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.”

Maybe it goes further than the fact that sometimes we are “so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.” Sometimes, we seem so focused on the judgment of this world in which we live that we lose sight of compassion and love. While God has reacted to us and our situations with grace, we cheer on the judgment of God extended to those who are not like us. Maybe it is those of a different sexual orientation or religion, those who wrong us, or sometimes just those who disagree with us. Judgment, in our minds, will be visited on these people, and, as a result, we will be vindicated, even though we, too, are scarred by sin.

 At the close of Joel’s prophecy, he speaks of a gathering in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. To our best knowledge, there has been a valley in Israel, or even in the Middle East, that has been labeled the “Valley of Jehoshaphat.” So this is probably not the location of the meeting, but instead it symbolizes something else. The name Jehoshaphat means “The Lord Judges,” and so this “Valley of Jehoshaphat” has come to point at a time of judgment, when the enemies of God get what it is that they deserve.

But as we edge closer to Christmas Day, we need to recognize that Jesus, and his ministry, were unexpected. Instead of a Messiah born to power, he came as a baby, born in a manger to a family that was without power. Instead of a powerful instrument of God’s vengeance, Jesus became the one who criticized those who were secure in their religion and stood beside the sinner, eventually dying for their sin. Instead of fighting for a national agenda, he stood as the one who wanted to unite the Jew and the Gentile or non-Jew under his banner and purpose. We get a hint of who Jesus was to become in the words of Simeon when the baby was only eight days old.

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,

    which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:28-32).

Jesus came for all nations, which includes you and me. And his judgment was different than many might have imagined. When he extended his judgment to the soldiers who wronged him, nailing him to the cross, it sounded like this; “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). For Jesus, this might be the way that the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” might look.

That kind of judgment begins tonight, so let me welcome you to The Valley. It just might not be judgment the way that you imagined it to be. It is judgment extended from the one who has walked with us and died in our place because of his love for us. So, go and spread that love as part of your judgment on the world around you. Have a great Christmas Eve.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 13