Toby J. Sumpter's Blog, page 84

Nations to the Light: Thoughts on Muslim Immigration

Reading Benard Lewis’s book What Went Wrong: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East at the moment, and finishing up the book of Isaiah and got to thinking…

Lewis outlines the gradual realization of Muslims that Western Christendom had somehow lapped them in cultural, industrial, political, and military might over the course of several hundred years. While it was initially military defeats and truces as the Ottoman Empire was stopped in its tracks, the reality slowly trickled in that the West had advanced explosively and Muslims had to begin grappling with how to handle this. At first, there was very cautious study of Western military practices, but then this curiosity spread to political theory and social organization and eventually to commercial, industrial, and scientific investigations. Sultans and Caliphs even began sending their people to be educated at Western universities, which is still a well known practice to this day.

It’s hard not to read about all this and not hear Isaiah’s prophesy: “Arise, shine, for your light has come… And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Is. 60:1-3). Over the centuries, Muslim investors preferred putting their money in Western ventures: “the wealth of the nations shall come to you… ” (Is. 60:5).

Of course all of this comes with opportunities and dangers. While Muslims have greatly feared the allure of the wealthy West, warning their people not to permanently settle in Western nations lest they be drawn away into the Christian faith, the desire to keep the wealth of the nations coming into the West has arguably become one of the hooks of secularism, the promise of multiculturalism without any explicitly Christian foundation.

Not sure if Lewis will touch on this, but the explosion of Muslim immigration in Europe, Great Britain, and the US toward the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century is also a fascinating phenomenon, given the traditional Islamic prohibitions against settling in infidel lands. One can hardly help but think of the mass evacuations and migrations from Cuba during the rise and reign of Castro as indicators of what life was actually like on the ground. People don’t risk their lives crossing seas in rafts if what lies behind them is peaceful and prosperous. Those immigrants are running, fleeing for their lives. And indications are that many modern Muslim immigrants are likewise fleeing the Taliban, Isis, etc. And now Aleppo is just the latest on the list of the genocidal tendencies of pent up Islamic frustrations and fury.

But the point I’m making here is that for all the massive problems in the “Christian” West (the proliferation of abortion, pornography, homosexuality, greed, etc.), the West is still a shining light to the nations. The nations are still streaming in.

And of course this immediately raises the whole immigration discussion, especially as it relates to those jihadists using immigration as cover for their violence. If we hear Isaiah rightly, Christians ought to see immigration in principle as a good thing. All things being equal, people who want to move to your nation is a compliment, a sign that your land has been blessed. A closed-door policy that simply despises immigration is refusing the blessing of God. In the Bible, the blessing of God is often pictured in the form of foreigners bringing their treasures into city of God. Of course in the New Covenant that could be anywhere. The city of God is not limited to the West, and if we do not turn away from our current course of rebellion, we will at some point create our own refugee crisis. But when God blesses a city, a state, a nation (anywhere) it becomes a place that people consider moving to, to enjoy those blessings.

One set of problems comes when the original inhabitants forget where those blessings came from and begin thinking that their own hand has gotten them that wealth — that’s a quick path to racism and xenophobia and the worst sorts of ethnic nationalism. Another set of problems comes when wicked men ride the stream into the city only to destroy it. And in order to rightly divide between the glory of the nations and the hatred of the nations the host nation must have some way of distinguishing, a standard of law and justice, which begs the question: where’d you get that standard? And if there is no standard above mass human opinion and fear, you curse yourself with the whims of ignorance, staggering hard right or hard left or godless center depending on how the room seems to be spinning at the moment.

Turns out these current issues (along with so many others) are constant invitations to return to the wisdom of Christ. His Word, His cross, His ways are the good paths.

Matt & Katy: Love that Goes Too Far

The crucifixion of Jesus is like a bad dream. And as in bad dreams, things keep happening that seem more and more horrific. First Jesus is being flogged. Then he’s being mocked in a purple robe with a crown of thorns forced onto his head. Then there’s the mob calling for his crucifixion. And Pilate is afraid. The Jews, the very people Jesus came to save, are citing their law in favor of the crucifixion. And then Jesus isn’t even willing to defend himself. Pilate tries to release Jesus, but the Jews say his release would be a betrayal of Caesar, and they insist they have no king but Caesar. And then He is led away and crucified with two others, and the soldiers gamble for his garment, and his mother and aunt are there at the foot of the cross watching it all in agony. And then Jesus dies. It goes too far. It goes way too far.

It seemed at that moment like the most horrific ending to the most hopeful story. Here we are, at the close of the fourth Sunday of Advent, just on the cusp of celebrating Christmas: though there were many hardships that first Christmas, we remember the glory shining through: the angels appearing to the shepherds and coming to find the new born babe. We remember the angels appearing to Joseph and Mary and Zechariah. We remember the wise men coming to worship the child King. We remember Mary’s song and the Song of Simeon. We remember old Anna declaring to all who would hear that the God was finally and decisively acting to save Israel. And the crowds grew and swelled, but the dark clouds of fear and rumors of treason swirled. And then he was arrested, falsely accused, and the Jewish leaders stirred up the mobs to demand his execution.

Of course this story erupts on that first Easter morning with the women visiting the grave, and Peter and John, grown men, running flat out to see for themselves. And then while some of the disciples still doubt and fear, the living, the living-again Jesus appears alive in flesh and blood with holes in his hands and a great gash in his side where the spear had struck his dead body, and blood and water gushed out.

This story, this gospel story comes in the raw brokenness of this world, full of doubt and fear, full of anguish and pain, full of false accusations and even a massively unjust sentence. The Christian gospel is the announcement that God Himself has entered into all of this. He was born into this. He was born on a trip far from home, without planned lodging. As a young child, his family was on the run from terrorist thugs, and they spent several years as refugees in a foreign land. He was misunderstood by his parents. He endured patiently their sins, their bumbling attempts to be faithful to God and love their very unique son. He was in the spotlight, in the chaotic white noise of churning human opinion: hated, loved, despised, rumored, gossiped. What a mess. He bore in His body the sins of the world. He endured the tragedies, the pain, the sorrows. He entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly, all the way to the cross, all the way to the grave.

A Christian wedding cannot help but hold this story, this ragged, raging, aching story up into the light because this is love. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and gave Himself for us and for our sins. Love is not a soft, warm glow. Love is not a sweet smile. Love is not an enthusiastic sexual encounter, with everything just right. Love is a cross. Love is being betrayed by your friend. Love is being hunted by evil men. Love is being falsely accused. Love suffers patiently, bearing with the sins of others. Love is the soft, warm glow — of an old woman in the temple frail from fasting for 84 years. Love is a sweet smile — in a stable, far away from home, hoping you haven’t lost too much blood after the delivery of your firstborn son. Love is falling into bed in a messy house, full of exuberant children, who will be waking up in a few hours hungry for your attention, and giving yourself to your spouse gladly with the last ounces of strength you can muster. That is love.

Love goes too far. Love is death and suffering and pain for the good of others. Human logic says that you must draw lines somewhere. You can’t really give yourself completely away because then you’ll have nothing left to give. But if that were love, we’d all be lost in our sins. If God had drawn the line at reasonable, there’d be no hope for us. But by His death and resurrection, Jesus made a way through death into resurrection life. And this is the secret of Christian love: you can die and yet still live. You can give beyond what you think you can, and find there’s still more. You can suffer beyond what you think you can bear, and then find that somehow through dying you have begun living more fully than you ever thought possible.

Matt, this is the task of a Christian husband to model in particular. You are to love your wife like this. You must lay your life down for Katy. And this means death, dying, suffering for her, like Christ laid Himself down for us. Paul says in Eph. 5:26 that you are to do this in particular through washing your wife with the water of the Word. This means that sacrificial love is defined by the Word of God and not by how you feel, not by what seems right to you at any given moment. Like Christ, you must be a man under authority, in submission to God in order to know how to lay your life down for your wife. Jesus didn’t rise from the dead because He had good intentions. Jesus rose from the dead because He was obedient to death. Godly leadership is sacrificial because it is constantly cut and shaped by the sword of the Word. Your wife will thrive under your love when your love is constantly shaped by Scripture. Leadership apart from the Word of God is arrogance. So this evening the Lord is calling you to love this woman from this day forward, and you are to love her like you have been loved by Christ.

Katy, as a Christian woman, you too are called to imitate the love of Christ for your husband. You must lay your life down for Matt. In the economy of marriage this means submitting to your husband and honoring him as your head. But you are to do this, importantly, in the Lord Jesus. You do not submit to your husband as an inferior human being. You submit to your husband as his complete equal in the Lord, freely, gladly in obedience to the Lord Jesus. This is your sacrificial love. Love is not what feels right, or seems right. Love is obedience to God, rendered gladly. In this is love, not that it was our idea, but that God came and rescued us. He humbled himself to the form of a servant. If the form of a servant was not too humble for Jesus, then it is not too humble for anyone. In fact, in Christ, the humility of service has become a great honor. This evening God calls you to serve your husband, lay your life down for him; in so doing, you will find your life and you will be his glorious crown.

My charge to both of you is to remember this day as the day the Lord specifically set His cross before you to follow Him together. In this life, we always smile through tears. We always dance in a graveyard. The Lord our Shepherd always prepares festal tables in the presence of our enemies. This is because love reaches into the darkness. Love reaches down. Love lays down. Love goes into every bad dream and clings to the promises of God, the faithfulness of God until the Light of Christmas, the Light of Easter shines out in every place in all the world. Remember this day as your solemn commitment to God and one another to walk together in the light of Christ, and remember this love is for the brokenness of this world. It’s the courage to forgive again. It’s the strength to bear with weakness and failure even longer than seems possible. It goes way too far because Christ has gone too far for us.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Obedience of Faith

Advent IV: Is. 7:10-16, Rom. 1:1-7, Mt. 1:18-25

Introduction

What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever made? How do you make decisions in general? Who do you trust to provide the right kind of information? What sorts of things do you fear? Our readings today focus on significant choices, comparing the obedience of faith and the disobedience of unbelief and fear.

Faith in the Promises

Ahaz faced a crucial political decision. Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel had made an alliance and were threatening to conquer Judah (Is. 7:1), and Isaiah was authorized by God to tell Ahaz not to fear (Is. 7:4). The threat was not only an immediate national disaster; it was ultimately a threat to God’s promises to Israel, going back to Adam and Eve and Abraham and David (Gen. 3:15, 15:5, 2 Sam. 7:12-16). When we get to Ahaz in Isaiah 7, the question has everything to do with whether the “house of David” is going to actually endure (Is. 7:2, 13). This was not the first time the promise had been in jeopardy: Cain killed Abel, Abraham and Sarah were old and barren, Israel was enslaved and their sons were killed. God repeatedly asked His people to trust Him, to believe Him with very little to go on. And now God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, “deep as Sheol or high as heaven” – which may point to the fact that God recognizes the gravity of the situation. It’s a heaven or hell moment. However, Ahaz refuses to ask, feigning piety “I will not put the Lord to the test,” but Isaiah says this is “wearying” to God (Is. 7:13). And so God gives Ahaz and the “house of David” the sign of a virgin conceiving and bearing a son named Emmanuel (Is. 7:14). There is clearly some kind of immediate fulfillment of this prophecy as the “two kings you dread” were gone very soon thereafter and the Assyrians overran both lands within 10-20 years of this prophecy (2 Kgs. 16-17), but given the promises, there is clearly a distant fulfillment as well.

Part of the important context here is that we know that Ahaz sends for help to the Assyrians as a direct result of the threat of Israel and Syria (2 Kgs. 16:7ff). And Ahaz proceeded to look to Assyria as a model and protector (2 Kgs. 16:10ff). In the following verses in Isaiah, it becomes clear that the Lord is seeking to shake Judah’s confidence in political maneuvering altogether. At one time, they rejoiced in Samaria and Syria, so the Lord has turned that into a thorn in their flesh, and when they become infatuated with Assyria, that too will become a flood coming up to the neck of Judah (Is. 8:5-8). “Do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (Is. 8:12-13). God is calling Judah to walk by faith, to make decisions by faith.

Faith in the Gospel

When Paul sets out to write to the first Christians in Rome, he faces a precarious situation where there is significant tension and uncertainty in the capital of the Roman Empire, where they are marginalized, feared, ignored, and persecuted. The pattern in the rest of the Empire was for Jews to accuse the Christians to the Romans as being trouble-makers and rabble rousers (see Acts) – they worshipped a man who had been crucified for being an enemy of Caesar, after all (Jn. 19:12). This added to the already tenuous union between the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. Would the newly converted Jewish Christians betray their Gentile brothers? Would newly converted Roman Gentiles betray their Jewish-Christian brothers? And where was Paul anyway, the great leader of the international Church? Wasn’t it a bit suspicious that he hadn’t come to visit them himself yet (Rom. 1:8-15)? This helps to frame how bold and fearless Paul’s opening greeting to the Romans truly is. Paul affirms his own apostolic calling, reaching back to the ancient Hebrew prophecies to the Jews, affirming the Davidic dynasty fulfilled in Christ, with the central declaration being found in His resurrection from the dead, affirming Jesus as King on David’s throne forever (Rom. 1:1-4). And it is this reality that has driven the mission to the Gentiles, affirming the calling of all the Roman Christians, who are called to belong to Jesus the King and called to be saints (Rom. 1:5-7). All of this is a set up for a sixteen-chapter case for remaining steadfast in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ (remember Rom. 15:4ff, cf. 16:19, 16:25-27). The subtext running throughout Romans is the temptation to put their trust in the systems of the flesh through alliances, loyalties, and quid-pro-quo bargains. But the gospel of King Jesus is the good news that God has broken through all of it and proven its folly in the cross and resurrection, and therefore we are called to believe and obey.

Simple Obedience

The Gospel gives us a wonderfully brief glimpse into the life of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, and captures the simple, courageous faith of a man who feared God and obeyed him no matter the appearances, no matter the consequences. We see his courage and judicious character in his initial intention to put Mary away quietly, without rancor or bitterness (Mt. 1:18-19), but his character shines even more when he receives the message of the angel in a dream, believes, and obeys (Mt. 1:20-25).

Christian obedience flows from faith in Christ. In fact there is no other kind of faith, except for the faith that obeys. While it is true that we are justified by faith alone, that faith “is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love” (WCF IX.2) and that faith obeys the commands of God in Scripture, “trembles at the threatenings, and embraces the promises of God for this life and that which is to come” (WCF XIV.2).

What choices do you face? What decisions are you already making each day that are leading you down a path? Do you have sin to confess? Are there people you need to confront or forgive or reach out to? Do you need to stop being half-hearted and be all in for Christ? Are you afraid of the consequences or what might happen? Everyone lives by faith. The only question is whether the object of your faith will always be faithful. Ahaz trusted in Assyria, the Roman Christians were tempted to trust in ethnic and political alliances, but Joseph believed God, obeyed Him, and was blessed to become the father of our Savior.

Stepford Children: Secularism is a Religion

Just a friendly reminder that secularism promises relativism but delivers a bona fide religion in its own right. Secularism claims to create a space where no truth claims, no moral values are allowed to offend the beliefs or values of other human beings — all is relative. While the human race has sought for world wide peace and harmony for millennia, secularism promises to do so by neutering the human race of that pesky organ of belief in the transcendent — any belief that what is true is true outside of your head, outside of your private heart.

In other words, two things are necessary: first, you must deposit your heart at the door. Of course they will give you a much smaller (gluten-free, made from 100% recycled materials) substitute, but this is necessary so that no one is offended. Big hearts risk hurt feelings. But second, you must note that this promise of the secular state must be received as all promises, by faith. The secular pubic square has not actually ushered in world peace, racial harmony, or economic justice. So when the promises come and the requests for you heart on a platter, please (for the good of humanity), realize that you are being asked to trust the elite social priests and priestesses. And in return they will give you several fat tomes of rules and regulations about being green and tolerant and tobacco free and which pronouns you can use.

The myth of secularism, the myth of a way of doing public life together that is religion-free is just that: a myth, a lie, a fanciful dream. And the purpose of the myth is to do the very thing Marx and others have accused religion of being — sedating people with opiates of, well, just another religion. You see, the problem with the world (we are told), are all these all-encompassing worldviews that set out to give absolute values and moral claims over every area of life. Wait, wait, wait, you say. Isn’t secularism a worldview that believes that all other “religious” worldviews are inferior due to their absolute claims and moral values? Ah, sweet boy, but secularism isn’t a religion. It isn’t? Oh no of course not. But, but…. Now run along a play. Here, have some more money we printed and free sex with anyone or anything. Now, there’s a good boy.

These non-religion religionists will balk and sputter and deny. And you can bet that these religion deniers will even stoop to making value claims about my accusation that they are actually closet-religionists. They will say this is “wrong” and “evil” and “immoral” and so on, and when they pull these red cards out and flash them for the world to see, they will have at that very moment proven our point. What happened to secularism? The difference, you see, is that they don’t appeal to a Supreme Being, a god, a deity, a holy book. Instead, they require even greater faith. They believe in, get this, nothing. Why should I rip out my heart and lay it at the feet of the secular priesthood demanding that I think or feel no thoughts other than affirmation and respect for men who abuse one another in the name of love? Because that’s why. Not because secularism made the heavens and the earth? Nope. Not because secularism died for my sins? Nope.

Secularism makes every bit as many demands as a traditional religion, only without the rational foundation of transcendent truth, goodness, and beauty. What has secularism done for us? Nothing. In fact, it must have done nothing otherwise it would be grounded in something outside of this moment. And there we are at the most irrational, insane religion in the universe: the promise of heaven on the basis of nothing. Here, give us your heart. Rip it out and put it here on this platter. We’ll dispose of the mess. That’s a good boy. Now run along and play with the rest of the Stepford Children.

The Nagging Word

Just finished up Tom Wolfe’s new screed, The Kingdom of Speech, and the following are a few thoughts and impressions as a result:

Wolfe has of course made a name for himself over the years as a social contrarian, poking holes particularly in the various chimera of cultural elitism. And Kingdom of Speech is no different. Happily, the piñata of choice this time round is Darwinism, at least that form of Darwin’s theory of evolution that is propped up by elite snobbishness and pretension, and by extension, every form of scientism that is impervious to critique by virtue of personality cult (and the like).

The particular tale that Wolfe weaves in KOS concentrates on the nagging question of language and speech. It begins with the self-taught British naturalist Alfred Wallace who initially hypothesized a form of natural descent and survival of the fittest alongside Charles Darwin, but who later raised criticisms of the all-encompassing theory based on questions about the human soul and spirituality and in particular the problem of human language. Wolfe tells the story through the extant correspondence between the scientific celebrities of Britain, Charles Lyell, the established icon, and Charles Darwin, the rising star and soon-to-be darling of cultural agnosticism of every sort. And what becomes apparent is a fair bit of handling, PR-stunting, packaging, framing, and attempts at controlling the narrative. The point is searingly obvious: even when a nobody naturalist studying flora and fauna on a volcanic island off the Malay Archipelago puts forward a theory that resembles what Darwin had been sluggishly pattering around for nearly a decade, the fretting and frenzy of recognition, honor, defensiveness, and spin — all set in (with appropriate Victorian detachment).

Wolfe’s point, his real damning point, is that Darwin and Lyell and their many accomplices have always had commitments deeper than a pure, honest search for truth. There were objections to Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection from the get-go, some based on religious, Scriptural grounds, some based on moral, ethical grounds, and still others based on more empirical grounds, one of the latter being, Max Muller’s (should have an umlaut over the “u”) scathing assaults on Darwin’s theory for it’s failure to reckon with the most distinctive elements of human beings, namely all the artifacts, everything that is so patently unnatural about man: algebra, Shakespeare, castles, liturgy, Rembrandt, freedom, and the “mother of all artifacts” the Word. It would be Stephen Jay Gould in 1978 who would finally label Darwin’s theory as a feat beyond Kipling’s Just-So Stories, and Gould was no evolution-denier, he just didn’t mind pointing out a fact when he saw one.

But this was the nagging question unaccounted for in Darwin: the chasm separating human beings from the animal kingdom. Sure, there might be some superficial similarities between the chimpanzees and orangutans, but the divide yawns ever wider: Augustine, Aquinas, Bach, Henry Ford, Orville Wright, Larry Bird, Steve Jobs — creativity, choice, language, beauty, technology, self-awareness, morality, justice, mercy, love. It was Noam Chomsky who took up the elitist baton in the 20th century proposing a theory of language grounded in a particular part of the brain that he theorized would be discovered and confirmed very soon, very, very soon, any minute now… establishing a universal origin and template for human language, thus bridging the gap. Until… Daniel L. Everett came along, a pesky evangelical Methodist missionary turned linguist, cultural anthropologist, who began publishing contrary findings from his field work with members of a tribe called the Piraha (pronounced Pee-da-Hannh), isolated deep in the Brazilian Amazon. And the story of frantic narrative spin and academic bullying repeats itself again. Like a theme.

Of course the deep irony is that the limb the Darwinists are desperate to protect depends upon the freedom of language. In other words, what the naturalists are demanding, insisting upon is that the herds of the uninitiated fall into line, in the name of… Natural Selection? Here, let us demand that you think the thoughts and say the words that we think are natural. You don’t agree? Shut up. Of course on the one hand there is a fair bit of Survival of the Fittest being exercised in the attempted coup, but on the other hand it’s being propped up with a veneer of Truth. But you can’t keep insisting on truth and not expect people to actually believe you and then question the emperor’s new clothes.

Where Wolfe lands is perilously close to a fully coherent rebuttal to Darwinism. As it stands it’s a wonderful takedown and a well-aimed missile. Darwinism, scientism, elite-ism are worthy foes, and well-armed Anakim deserving of every smooth stone we can find. Cut off their heads and lift them up for all to see. Yet, this is a bit like assassinating dictators in third world countries: they’ll grow a new one in two years. Wolfe sees through the fog of postmodernity (and modernity) more clearly than most, but he doesn’t seem to reckon with one of the other most obvious artifacts of human existence: evil. If we are to take the Kingdom of Speech seriously, let’s face the six-fingered giant-demon at the heart of all our elitist pomposity. It’s the arrogant bitch inside every son of Adam. It’s the grandiose self-worship and self-protection that drives all the cover-ups, all the spin jobs, all the mincing of words, all the fretting letters. What will we do about that problem, Mr. Wolfe? What will we do about sin? That’s the real nagging question, that’s the deepest ache: guilt, shame, regret — what every last human being is most painfully self-aware of, that we are responsible creatures who have done wrong. How will we wash our hands of that? How will we tell the Truth about that? Unless we do, unless we tell that truth, we are still complicit in the Darwinian game.

Wolfe is right though… In the beginning was the Word. I pray that very soon he beholds the glory of that Word, full of grace and truth.

Infant Baptism & the Faith of Friends

How is it that we can say that we trust in God’s covenant promises on behalf of our children? How can we say that we look to God in faith for our children’s salvation as we do our own? There is much we could say but let’s give three simple reasons for now. First, this is what God promised Abraham, and this is what Abraham believed. God said, I will be your God and the God of your children after you. Abraham believed God for his children, and this was pleasing to God. Second, when Peter preached at Pentecost and the crowds wanted to know what to do, Peter said to repent and be baptized for the promise is to you and your children, and to those far off, as many as the Lord our God will call. In fact, what both of these stories tell us is that there really is no other way to come to God. You can only come to God believing that He is this kind of God, that He intends to be God to your children. Believing that He isn’t particularly inclined to save the rest of your family is to not really know the kind of God you’re coming to. Third, I would point to that famous story in the gospels when those courageous folks lowered their friend who could not walk down through the roof of the crowded house. Do you know what the gospel says? It says that when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, your sins are forgiven. That’s the kind of Savior we serve. When He sees the faith of the friends, he doesn’t even ask the lame man what he wants, Jesus just sets him free. Kaleb and Jessie, you are those friends to Madeleine today. It took a fair bit of courage and audacity for those friends, and it still takes courage and audacity today to bring our children to Jesus. But Jesus says, let the little children come to me for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Farming in the Wilderness

Advent III: Is. 35:1-10, Js. 5:7-11, Mt. 11:2-11

Introduction

What are you waiting for? What do you long for? Advent is an annual reminder that Christians are a waiting people, and this in turn reminds us that there is a profound blessing to be found in learning to wait on the Lord.

Two Prophets

Isaiah promises that the desert will rejoice and blossom (Is. 35:1-2). For that reason Isaiah calls on the people of Israel to strengthen the weak and encourage those who have a feeble heart with the promise of God’s coming (Is. 35:3-4). When God comes He will bring justice and healing: that’s what is meant by streams in the desert (Is. 35:5-7). When God comes He will make a way that is safe and secure for His people, so that they may come home to Zion with everlasting joy (Is. 35:10). This vision was what John announced was being fulfilled as he preached in the wilderness by the Jordan: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight a highway for our God (Mt. 3:1-3). John announced that God was coming, and He would “clear his threshing floor” in judgment (Mt. 3:12). But then John was thrown into prison, and the enemies of God didn’t seem to be getting thrown into the unquenchable fire. So John sent messengers to Jesus to ask if He was the coming one or whether they should wait for another (Mt. 11:2-3). Jesus points to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision in His healing ministry (Mt. 11:4-5), and says that God’s blessing rests on anyone who isn’t offended by Him (Mt. 11:6). Jesus recognizes that His way of fulfilling God’s promises to redeem His people and bring them home might be offensive to some, since He isn’t making everything right immediately. Yet, as great as John’s ministry was (Mt. 11:7-10), the least in the Kingdom will be greater than he (Mt. 11:11).

Patient Farmers

By the time of James many more Christians were in prison, had lost family, lands, jobs, livelihoods, and were suffering for the sake of Christ, and they too were wondering ‘Are you the One who was coming? Or do we wait for another?’ James says, be patient while waiting for the coming of the Lord (Js. 5:7). The coming of the Lord refers to an immediate relieving of their suffering, but it ultimately points to Isaiah’s promise: sorrow and sighing will flee away (Is. 35:10). James says Christians must establish their hearts like patient farmers waiting for their “precious fruit,” waiting for the early and late rains (Js. 5:7-8). The temptation is to be offended at God’s timing and begin grumbling (Js. 5:9). This is what God’s people have frequently been tempted to do in their wilderness wanderings. James points to the prophets as examples of suffering and patience: think of Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and John (Js. 5:10). James points to the patience of Job as a particularly striking example of the blessing of patience and steadfastness (Js. 5:11).

Wandering in the Wilderness

Biblically, the wilderness is any experience that feels like fruitless, aimless waiting. It feels disorienting, monotonous, like you aren’t making any progress. You aren’t sure if what you’re doing is what you’re supposed to be doing or whether it matters in the grand scheme. These seasons of life can be particularly depressing for God’s people because you may feel abandoned, like God is distant from you. You may be tempted to be offended by Jesus. Often we feel it the hardest following particularly exciting times or seasons of hope. Maybe high school was amazing but college has become a burden. Maybe college was amazing but life after college has come to feel bewildering. Maybe you started a career with high expectations but now years later you wonder if it’s all been a waste. Or maybe you got married with lots of excitement but now you wonder if this is what it’s really supposed to be like. Or maybe you had visions of a particular kind of family, but it hasn’t turned out the way you hoped. Or maybe you face particular health trials or family tensions or personal failures. Perhaps this is what John felt to some extent, having faithfully announced the coming Messiah and then landing in prison. Was this really the Kingdom of God?

Why Waiting?

The common denominator in all of these things is hope deferred. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Prov. 13:12). When God says ‘wait’ to things we long for (e.g. a sense of purpose, a spouse, joy, healing, love, children, progress), it can make us feel sick. But God has done this since the very beginning: right next to the original tree of life was a tree that was forbidden to Adam and Eve. Amidst all of the perfection and blessing, God gave them a command to wait. Their sin was a refusal to wait. Fundamentally, they grumbled against God’s command and were offended by His timing. They seized the fruit and ate. Many, like Adam and Eve, are quick to rebel and seize whatever they want, but many others remain faithful to God waiting, but after a while, it starts to seem pointless, especially while everyone else seems to be having a good time doing whatever they please. And there you are trying to be faithful, waiting for God to bless you, and nothing is happening. Why does God do this? James says, “count it all joy” when you endure trials of various kinds, “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (Js. 1:2-4).

Conclusion

Job was a man who walked through a particularly horrific wilderness of waiting, but his story is a powerful testimony to the purposes of God. God took everything from Job so that nothing would keep Job from God. In other words, the insidiousness of evil reaches far deeper into our hearts than we ever imagine, and God will stop at nothing to redeem us from its power. God is determined to bring us safely home from every form of slavery, every form of exile, but unless He teaches us to completely trust Him, we will only bring our evil with us.

Farming in the wilderness takes faith because it seems pointless. It seems utterly barren and fruitless. But it was in the impossibly “barren” womb of a virgin that our Savior was conceived, and it was from the wilderness of the cross and grave that He arose. Advent is the announcement that God has come and entered into the wilderness of this world so that it blossoms, so all His children come safely home to His everlasting joy. And God is teaching us that the safest way home is by faith.

A Signal for All Nations: The Politics of Advent

Second Sunday in Advent

Is. 11:1-10, Rom. 15:4-13, Mt. 3:1-12

Introduction

The gospel of Advent, which is to say the gospel of Jesus, is irreducibly political: it aims at nothing less than the greatest common good and harmony of all men. The question is not whether people will have a Lord, the question is only who that lord is and how that lord rules. The good news of Advent is the good news of the Lord who has come to end all animosity and bring peace and unity to all through weakness.

Allegiance to the King

When Isaiah prophesies a shoot coming forth from the stump of Jesse, he is making a political announcement: the restoration of the Davidic dynasty (Is. 11:1). In the previous chapter, the prophet has just finished announcing judgment against Assyria, the rod of God’s wrath (Is. 10:5-6). Just when Assyria believes itself to be unstoppable, God will judge them for their arrogance, and their “forest” will be burned to the ground (Is. 10:12-19). God will use Assyria like an axe to lop the boughs of Israel and chop down the forest of Lebanon, but the Lord will raise up a remnant shoot from the roots (Is. 11:1, cf. 10:20ff). Notice here that God is actively involved in the history of nations. He is the Lord of the nations: He wields them like axes and chops them down like trees. John’s warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism is related to this (Matt. 3:7). Are they really coming out to be baptized in order to submit to God’s Kingdom? Or is it just politically expedient? If they put their trust in their ethnicity as Abraham’s children (Matt. 3:9), they are no different than Israel of old: the axe is already laid at the root of the trees, and fruitless branches/trees will be thrown into the fire (Matt. 3:10). John says that his water baptism is preparation for the Powerful One who is coming who will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit and judge the earth (Matt. 3:11-12).

The Wisdom of the King

John is describing the Davidic King that Isaiah foretold: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him… And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth (Is. 11:2-4). This is perfect justice for the whole world precisely because it is non-partisan. He doesn’t judge with his eyes or ears; He judges by the fear of the Lord and by the Spirit of His wisdom. How does He carry out this judgment? “He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked” (Is. 11:4). Left to ourselves in the wilds of human depravity, we are like wolves and lambs, leopards and young goats, bears and cows, cobras and babies (Is. 11:6-8). Just check Facebook or Twitter. Isaiah is promising that one day a King will come who will be full of the Spirit of God’s Wisdom, who will not judge with any bias, whose judgment will not be colored by any allegiances. And by the rod of His mouth, He will untangle the most entrenched human divisions and animosities: They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Is. 11:9). The peace of Christ comes through His word, such that the nations come inquiring after it (Is. 11:10).

The Encouragement of the King

Now the Romans, like us, lived after the first Advent of Jesus, the promised King of Isaiah and John, but the world was (and is) still full of animosity and division, and Christians are like “sheep led to the slaughter” (Rom. 8:36). What happened to the lion lying down with the lamb? John said that Jesus was the Powerful One. Paul is answering that question. He says that whatever was written in the former days was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Rom. 15:4). And not just a generic hope: the kind of hope that continues pursuing harmony with one another in King Jesus (Rom. 15:5). In other words, Paul says that nothing has changed, the plan hasn’t failed, and the goal is still harmony in Christ – just like Isaiah promised. Paul says, go back and read it again and you will be comforted and encouraged to keep pursuing peace. How do the Scriptures encourage us and give us hope to continue believing and working for the vision of Isaiah? First, they proclaim and demonstrate the good purposes of God triumphing over all evil. We see this in Joseph (Gen. 50). We see this in Assyria (Is. 11). We see this preeminently in Jesus. In the very acts of evil, treason, and hatred, God is ruling over them for good. Second, the Scriptures teach us to recognize the patterns of God’s action in the world, doing what we consider impossible: weakness overcoming power and the union of enemies. Both of these are at the heart of Isaiah’s vision: a shoot from a stump and a new David for the world. And both are realized in Jesus Christ: risen from the dead to reconcile all things. Paul says that the goal of all human harmony is the worship of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 15:6). Therefore welcome one another as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God (Rom. 15:7).

Conclusions & Applications

The great fear of human politics is loss of power, and this is because human powers fear retribution. Lions must be killed or at least tranquilized before they can be trusted to lie down with lambs. Fear drives humans to kill before being killed, to demand the upper hand, to build walls. But Paul doubles down and says that God’s truthfulness to Israel in Jesus Christ will be the reason the nations come (Rom. 15:8ff). In Christ, the nations find mercy, not destruction, not retribution, not exclusion.

It’s important to note that the weakness of God really is powerful. This is sometimes because God works supernaturally, but this is also sometimes because we can only think like humans. Of course God was with David, but a well-aimed stone at a heavily weighed-down giant really is an advantage – though it didn’t look like it. Fundamentally, when we speak of Christian weakness, we mean obedience to God. Sometimes the weakness of God means telling the truth despite the consequences; sometimes weakness means silence in the face of accusations. But obedience to God often looks like weakness because it doesn’t put its trust in man. And that is profoundly good news. Advent is the signal to the nations that there is a King who rules in perfect justice (Is. 11:10).

Sola Scriptura & the Archaeological Casserole

One commonly held but mistaken conception of ancient Israel is the assumption of the priority of oral tradition over written record. I’ve gathered that many ancient cultures are thought to have been primarily oral and therefore the practice of writing things down developed later in the course of history as an afterthought or curiosity. For example, I know that some written languages are still being developed by modern Bible translators. Not being an expert in cultural anthropology or ancient history, I cannot speak to whether that was in fact generally pervasive (wouldn’t be surprised if it was) or whether that is Darwinism creeping into the archaeological casserole. However, there is significant evidence available to those interested in the ancient Hebrew culture, and what we find is that written records far from being a late stage development actually formed a significant cultural, political, and religious center for the people.

Beginning at least as early as the Exodus and the covenant at Mt. Sinai, Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews writes down the most important words that He wants His people to remember. In fact, as the story goes, God ends up writing it down twice when the first copy gets broken due to an impromptu Israelite idol worshipping party. This written record is called The Testimony, and it is placed in the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle (Ex. 25:21). Hence, the Ark of the Covenant comes to be called the Ark of the Testimony (Ex. 25:22, et passim). It should be noted carefully that at the center of the Israelite culture and worship was a written testimony of the covenant between them and their God. There had been a Voice that spoke from heaven, and Moses mediated speaking on behalf of God. But the ten most important words were inscribed in stone, “written with the finger of God,” and kept in the most guarded center of the Israelite camp. Furthermore, the application and explanation of those Ten Words were expanded to form the Book of the Covenant, which was kept by the side of the Ark as a Testimony/witness for the people (Dt. 31:26).

We can add to this several other political and cultural details that demonstrate that this was not merely a cultic curiosity but rather a culture-wide phenomenon. First, in that great summary of the entire law, the Shema, “Hear, O Israel…,” the command to love the Lord their God and to remember and teach these words to their children is immediately followed by the commands to “bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Dt. 6:8-9). God writes down the things He doesn’t want His people to forget, and He insists that they imitate Him by writing down the things they must not forget. The same command is repeated again in a similar context of commanding the words of the law to be remembered and carefully passed down to their children: write them (Dt. 11:20).

We should also note that in addition to the central legal charter of Israel’s covenant, they were required to keep written records of other significant legal transactions. For example, a man could not divorce his wife on the force of a mere spoken word, but he was required to write her a certificate of divorce (Dt. 24:1). There had to be a written record of the dissolution of the marriage, and this was important for record keeping because God prohibited a man from taking a woman back who had been divorced and remarried to another man (Dt. 24:2-4). Whatever the reasoning behind the law (likely prohibiting exploitive gold-digging marriages), the simple fact is that significant legal/contractual changes had to be written down. We see yet another example of this in the assigning of Canaan to the tribes of Israel (Josh. 18:4-8). Three men from every tribe were sent out into the land to write descriptions of the portions to be divided among the tribes. These descriptions were written down, and they were written down in the presence of multiple witnesses from the tribes who had an interest in the proceedings. These descriptions would become the “ancient landmarks,” which became the inheritances of the tribes, which future generations were prohibited from removing (Dt. 19:14, Prov. 22:28, 23:10). Marriage, divorce, inheritance, property rights, and the covenant with God were all written down. Written records were not afterthoughts or mere cultural curiosities. Written records form the central core of the religious, cultural, and political identity of the Hebrew people.

And this explains why the Old Covenant Scriptures were not a casual tradition, that form merely “part” of the revelation of God and the covenant charter of the people. Rather, the Old Covenant Scriptures are the core, the center, the written Witness, the Testimony of God’s unfailing love and kindness and the standing summons to His people (and through them, the world) to walk with the God who made them and promised to save them.

When the apostles were set apart to be the witnesses of Jesus from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Act 1:8), being thoroughly enculturated in the Hebrew scriptures and understanding the Christian gospel to be the fulfillment of the law and the prophets — there would have to have been explicit instructions not to write all the most important stuff down in order to believe that anything of significance was left to unwritten tradition. For Jesus to claim to be the revelation of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and for the apostles to be His witnesses leaves no doubt that this New Covenant, this New Testimony would be written down, to be remembered through all generations.

Since the beginning, God has written His word down so that it may be accessible, known, and clear to all His people. Yes, He calls teachers to instruct His people, but they are not free to add their own thoughts or opinions to what God has said. This is why it is improper to consider Scripture as one (though significant) part of the tradition of the Church.

“When they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word it is because they have no dawn” (Is. 8:19-20).

Getting Ready for the King

Advent means “coming” or “arrival,” and it is the beginning of the Christian calendar. Historically, Advent begins by celebrating the fact that Jesus will one day come to judge the living and the dead. This is why we sing O Come O Come Emmanuel. We are not in the first instance reenacting what it was like for Israel to wait for the Messiah to be born (though we certainly remember that). No, we are actually pleading with God to send the Messiah again. Of course we cannot separate these two advents. It is the first Advent, His birth in Bethlehem that gives us confidence to pray for His second Advent. While some Christians have been so infatuated with the second coming of Jesus they have essentially checked out of being useful and helpful in this world – the Bible makes it clear that the coming of Christ as our judge is reason for tireless preparation. Stay awake. Work hard. Learn more. Make beautiful things. Lift up the needy. So as you prepare for Christmas, think of all the decorations and food and gifts, as true signs and symbols of what your life is supposed to be constantly given to: preparing the world for the King. We are not pretending. That is exactly what we are doing every single day of our lives. To live for Christ is to live every single day getting everything ready for Him. We want our hearts ready for Him; we want our families ready for Him. We want our neighborhoods ready for Him; we want our cities and nations ready for Him. We want schools and hospitals and industrial plants and theaters and laboratories ready for Jesus. This means that all our activities ought to be done for Him, in obedience to Him, in excellence for Him, and for His praise and glory. Christ has come, and Christ will come again. This is the good news of Advent. It is our hope, our joy, our glory, our driving purpose in life. Christ has come; Christ is coming again.