Where is Jesus?
“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, 8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.” (Ps 113:7-8)…“he has brought down the mighty from their thrones land exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.” (Luke 1:52-53)
Background
This little teaching flows from a Zoom prayer meeting early Tuesday morning. You will experience its message as painfully countercultural to the degree that your “Christianised” mind set has been shaped by contemporary Western society rather than the gospel of Christ.
Introduction
In being placed by the Father at the supreme centre of everything (Phil 2:9-11; Col 1:18) Jesus equalises all human relationships. Only to the degree and at the pace we are moving towards this vision of Christ our prayers and actions. This is a persistent struggle.
In my recent reading of A History of Christianity in Asia the author notes that whenever the Church allied itself with a dynasty, when that reign ended its mission collapsed. The impulse to align with visible power seems to be an endlessly repeating phenomenon. (A deceiving form of partnership with the beast (Rev 13:3, 12)?). I will never forget the impact of visiting St Paul’s Cathedral London. Its walls are lined with memorials to soldiers slain fighting for the Empire. As though Jesus was on the British side! Have we learned nothing? “Those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.” (Santayana)
It is natural to want to live in a so-called “Christian country” and delight in a Christian P.M., but the command to make disciples of “nations” more accurately means “people groups” rather than modern political states. In preaching on John 9 last Sunday I recognised that the blind man healed only recognised Jesus as Lord after being cast out of the synagogue. The churches in traditionally “Christian” nations will remain immature lacking depth of character until we are afflicted; “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character” (Rom 5:3-4).
Prayer Circles
Over the last week I have been engaged with online meetings to do with Movement Day, The Return and the National Solemn Assembly. All these had their own distinctive character, but only the last requires some commentary. The deeply resonating lament in song of elderly Indigenous intercessors from the Top End of Australia embarrasses me about my personal spiritual insensitivity. Christian native peoples understand the mourning tradition of the Bible (Jer 9:1; 13:17; Lamentations), but we “powerful” Westerners struggle to identify. They are in seemingly endless mourning over youth suicides, whilst we worry about the minor inconveniences of lockdowns! At the heart of our spiritual shallowness is that we do not acknowledge that Jesus is drawn to the margins of society rather than to the centres of worldly power. You are far more likely to see the Lord amongst first nations people, refugees and the young than political heavyweights.
Renewal?
What do Francis of Assisi, John Wesley, Charles Simeon, William Booth and the Azusa St revival have in common? The manifest presence of Christ in being marginalised for Jesus’ sake (Matt 5:10) or through ministering to the marginalised. The Bible is not silent about such things. Speaking to those attracted back to the safe haven of orthodox Judaism, Hebrews says, “Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” (13:13-14). The writer sees Jesus crucifixion outside the walls of Jerusalem as a sign of where we must follow Christ. His being crucified as though a blasphemer and covenant breaker meant Jesus was cast out of all civilised society, Jewish and Graeco-Roman. The cry of dereliction (Mark 15:34) testifies that in dying for us our Jesus is the ultra-marginalised person. Naturally, his resurrection appearances were not in the Roman Senate or the Jewish Sanhedrin but to rural fisherman.
Another City
Hebrews prophetically sees that to possess “a city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (11:10) you cannot give ultimate significance to the structures of this world. As Jesus categorically announced, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and material gain.” (Matt 6:24). Christ was only articulating the priorities of his own life manifested in utterly rejecting Satan’s offer of “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” (Matt 4:8). As Lord he knew the only route to lasting influence was death and resurrection. I fear many conservative Christians have been beguiled by wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15) into thinking that there can be any overlap between good civil order and morality and the kingdom of God. Ironically, masses of Bible-believers have become adherents of a social gospel. The eternal city of lasting peace is not Rome or London or Washington or Beijing [or Canberra] but the Church of the King (Rev 21:9=21:10). The marginalised of this world already know the first part of this assertion is real, but as yet, most do not see the latter as true.
Get out of the Way
The Church may relate to presidents, governors, and mayors, or intercede for Justices of courts High and Supreme. Such folk deserve honour (Rom 13:7), but if we would see the face of Jesus in ways that would overwhelm us, personally and corporately, we must gaze elsewhere. In our hearts we already know this. The Salvation Army holds such high esteem in cynical Australia because they engage in what Jesus told his servants to do, to go into the main roads and city lanes to bring the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind into Messiah’s banquet (Luke 14:13, 23). Looking for favours from the powerful and touching the marginalised are incompatible and mutually destructive. “Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” (Matt 9:17). The priority of God’s kingdom is clear.
Conclusion
The environmental, health, social and political crises of our time call for the highest wisdom from the Church. which is the wisdom of the cross (1 Cor 1:18-19). In the Spirit we should see that Jesus will be most intensely seen as the Church moves her mission to the margins, in groups such as youth, refugees, the violently/sexually abused, Indigenous, prisoners, the poor and so on. Here you will be touched by the anguish of the cross, and so experience resurrection power for the two are inseparable (2 Cor 4:7-12; Phil 3:10). This unity of lowliness and unlimited might is utterly incomprehensible to the irreformable power structures of this world. Christians can work within spheres of power, but only if their hearts are weak, humble broken before the Lord in fear of being corrupted. But this is precisely how every one of us should live, daily!