Pitiable
Introduction
Every now and then during early morning prayer walks I sense a revelation from God’s heart that intensely excites my spirit. Recently the Lord has been drawing my attention to the parable of the sheep and the goats, and I have been praying about how the description of the needy there, the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned (Matt 25:35-36), is related to the Lord’s description of his rich in Laodicea as “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev 3:17). As I was out praying it was early, dark, about 2 degrees and I felt cold, hungry (I’d been under some fasting), tired, and truly pitiable. Feeling wretched I was strongly moved to appeal to the Lord to look mercifully upon my pitiable state. Then I realised I wasn’t just praying for myself but for a Laodicean-like church that presently refuses to recognise that it is truly pitiable. But point of excitement is that the exciting Jesus always has mercy on the pitiable.
Not Realising
The Lord clearly states why the Laodiceans did not see their truly wretched spiritual condition, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing…” (Rev 3:17). Few Australian churches will own up to this description, but it is surely fits us, ““‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”” (Rev 3:15-16). Since, for example, the prayer life across our churches is tepid, and the Bible knowledge in decline, how can we deny that we are lukewarm? And, according to the Lord of the Church, to be lukewarm is to be pitiable! This indictment is a word to us all, for Jesus labelled the whole Church community in Laodicea, not just some individuals, in this way. Can we confess that the Church in Perth (enter your city) is pitiable? I believe that when the book of Revelation was read aloud in the church of the Laodiceans they repented (Rev 3:19), but the Spirit has spoken this message to the churches multiple times (Rev 3:22) and I can’t remember a prominent church leader owning it publicly. (Especially the pitiable part.) We have yet to own these things deep in our hearts. Something more is needed that being told about these things if we are to receive the mercy Jesus always pours out on the pitiable. To start with we need a fuller immersion in the wisdom of the cross seen through the parable of the sheep and the goats.
A Pitiable Saviour
This parable contains some of the most striking language of judgement in scripture. From Jesus’ own mouth comes the terrifying verdict, “‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’….And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt 25:41, 46). In the context of the parable the lost are “cursed” because in not caring for the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned they did not care for Jesus (Matt 25:42-45). The identification of God with the wretched condition of lost humanity is limitless. Christ endured our poverty and miseries by becoming one of us in our fallen state (2 Cor 8:9). It’s obvious that in his fasting period in the wilderness he was hungry and endured cold and heat (Matt 4:2). But the climax of the Lord’s immersion in our miseries is his lonely deprived agonies on the cross. Unlike us, Jesus never denied his wretched, pitiable, blind and naked state. We know this because scripture testifies plainly to it (Ps 22:1-18; Isa 42:19; 52:14; 53:2; Mark 14:34; John 19:23, 28). Whilst no human person visited or relieved Jesus in his utter anguish, he was visited and restored by the Father and the Spirit in being raised from the dead (Ps 16:9-11). Jesus’ parables of the kingdom of God teach us that turning away from those in need, even denying our own pitiable state, is to turn away from the sufferings and Christ and to cut ourselves off from resurrection life (2 Cor 4:7-12; Phil 3:10).
Seeing Jesus
The New Testament does not advocate a form of social righteousness and the essence of the gospel is social concern. However, we need to see the wretched of this world as God sees them, taken up in Christ into his cross, and resurrection. To think like this, and to respond as Jesus did to the miseries of humanity, is to live out the gospel. As long as we deny our own desperate need to be visited by Jesus we cannot enjoy this gospel vision. A vision whereby “the righteous” already hear from the Spirit, ““‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”” (Matt 25:34). These enthralling words spoken from heaven can fill our souls with awe at the goodness of God. once lukewarm always lukewarm is not God’s purpose for us.
The Promise
““Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”” (Rev 3:19-20). This is a promise of unlimited communion with Jesus, who defines himself as “the faithful and true witness” (Rev 3:14). When through repentance the church is be visited by Jesus her witness in fellowship with him becomes bold, whole and true. She lives like the Lord who testifies, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27). A canopy of blessedness awaits a pitiable church that turns to the Lord then does works of amongst the miserable of this world.
Conclusion
We live in an era when self-identification is extremely potent. People proudly identify as gay, queer, trans, Indigenous, female, male, coloured, white etc. But to identify as wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, naked is not something socially acceptable, inside or outside the Church. Think of the largest or most famous church in your denomination. Can you imagine its leaders and people publicly and sincerely identifying as pitiable?? But there is hope and encouragement. Until Jesus comes again, we must look at all things as being in him. Then we see our pitiableness taken into the pitiableness of Christ crucified in our place. In him we will be visited by the Lord, his Spirit and the Father, we will enjoy the intensity of communion with God he promised (Rev 3:20) and we will bear fruit that is blessed forever (Matt 25:34). This is wonderful beyond words. May the Lord turn our world inside out and upside down, such is the truth of the gospel of Christ crucified and risen (Acts 17:6).