Peace in heaven and glory in the highest

Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 19:38 “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

While we pause this week to meditate on the significance of Palm Sunday, it's interesting to note the parallel being drawn by Luke between Christ's entry into Jerusalem and Christ's entry into the world. The phrase "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest" in Luke 19:38 is a turn on Luke 2:14. Rather than the praise coming from angels in heaven projected to the earth, the scene has moved from the heavens to the earth, where the throngs are affirming the message of the angels with praise projected to the heavens. Luke 19:38 represents Israel's (short-lived) acknowledgment and reception of "the Messiah, the Lord" (2:11) as King (via Psalm 118:26: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord").

This King in Luke 19, though, is not coming to Jerusalem to establish "peace on earth", but "peace in heaven"... his is a kingdom of heaven. It's also noteworthy that this peace will not be Jerusalem's (vs. 43,44). The crowd's exclamation of blessing provides the backdrop for Christ's pronouncement of judgment. The crowd acknowledges what Jerusalem does not."Peace" will not be realized "on earth" but "in heaven" where Christ eventually established His throne (Acts 2:33-36; Rev. 12:7-10 may also be a reference to this kind of peace that results from Christ's death-resurrection-exaltation). Tracing the movement of Christ's inauguration of His kingdom through the book of Luke, there is an acknowledgment by the crowd that "peace on earth" is grounded and has its source in "peace in heaven" (see Col. 1:15-20, where what is in heaven -- image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation, the firstborn from the dead, the dwelling place of all the fulness of God -- *effects* what is in heaven and on earth -- all things created, thrones, dominions; the church).

In Christ's death and its subsequent justification, "we have peace with God *through* our Lord Jesus Christ...since therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, *through* whom we have now recieved reconciliation (Romans 5:1,9-11). The peace brought by Christ's satisfaction of God's wrath in heaven effects or results in peace (reconciliation) between God and man.

Whereas the angels' "peace on earth" announces the beginning of the Incarnation, the crowd's "peace in heaven" announces the beginning of the end/climax of Christ's redemption, the advent of a heavenly King rejected by Jerusalem, but exalted in glory. This King rides into Jerusalem to bring an end to enmity between God and the Serpent, and reconcile His people to God.