The Eleventh Hour

At 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the guns fell silent across the Western Front of World War I. After more than four years of devastating warfare, an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations brought the fighting to an end. The moment became known as the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and November 11 was commemorated as Armistice Day, a celebration of peace after unimaginable destruction.

In 1954, following World War II and the Korean War, the United States renamed the holiday Veterans Day, expanding the day to honor all Americans who have served in the armed forces. Today we remember their willingness to serve something greater than themselves. And the holiday also reminds us that the hope that follows war is not just victory, but peace.

Over the past several weeks, our Cedar Creek Sunday evening group has been reading Peter Enns' The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It. In Chapter 5, "Jesus Is Bigger Than the Bible," Enns reminds us that Jesus himself was a remarkably innovative teacher of the Hebrew Scriptures. Rather than simply repeating ancient teachings, Jesus often challenged familiar interpretations, pushing his listeners toward a deeper understanding of God's purposes.

Consider Matthew 5:38-44, when Jesus begins by quoting the familiar biblical principle, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." This ancient law, found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, was originally intended to limit retaliation and ensure that punishment remained proportionate to the offense. In its historical context, it represented a meaningful step toward justice.

But Jesus doesn't let it rest there. "You have heard that it was said," he begins, before offering something radically different: Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you.

Notice what Jesus is doing: He is not dismissing Scripture as irrelevant; he is inviting his listeners to look beyond the letter of the law toward the heart of God. Where the ancient teaching limited retaliation, Jesus asks his followers to imagine what it might mean to interrupt the cycle altogether.

So on this Veterans Day, the eleventh hour reminds us that even the longest conflicts can come to an end. And then Jesus challenges us to take the next step: to lay down our scorecards, question our assumptions, and find the courage to see a neighbor where we once saw an enemy