In 1941, as Hitler’s reign was expanding across Europe, novelist John Steinbeck was asked to help with the war effort. He wasn’t asked to fight or visit troops on the frontline, but to instead write a story. The result was The Moon Is Down, a novel about a peaceful land that gets invaded by an evil regime. Printed on underground presses and secretly distributed throughout occupied countries, the novel sent a message: The Allies were coming, and by imitating the novel’s characters, readers could help secure their freedom. Through The Moon Is Down, Steinbeck brought good news to people under Nazi rule—their liberation was near.
Like the characters in Steinbeck’s story, Jews in the first century were an occupied people under brutal Roman rule. But centuries before, God had promised to send an Ally to liberate them and bring peace to the world (Isaiah 11). Joy erupted when that Ally arrived! “We tell you the good news,” Paul said. “What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us . . . by raising up Jesus” (Acts 13:32–33). Through Jesus’ resurrection and offer of forgiveness, the world’s restoration had begun (vv. 38–39; Romans 8:21).
Since then, this story has spread throughout the globe, bringing peace and freedom wherever it’s embraced. Jesus has been raised from the dead. Our liberation from sin and evil has begun. In Him we’re free!
By Sheridan Voysey
REFLECT & PRAY
Compared to other rulers, how does Jesus bring peace to the world? How can you join Him in this work?
Jesus, my ultimate Ally, I surrender to Your rightful rule.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were on their first missionary journey. When they arrived in Pisidian Antioch, the two missionaries entered the synagogue (v. 14), and there Paul delivered his first recorded message in the book of Acts. Speaking as a reputable Jewish scholar and to a committed Jewish audience, it’s no surprise that he made substantial use of the Old Testament in his presentation of the good news about Jesus. After reciting Israel’s history and showing how it pointed to Jesus, Paul landed on Psalm 2 (see Acts 13:33) to support his argument that Jesus was and is the Son of God. This was strategic because the Jewish people viewed Psalm 2 as a messianic psalm where the Father and the Son speak with one another of fulfilling the promise of David’s “greater son”—Jesus (see Luke 1:31–33)—who would one day rule over the entire world.
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