If A Tree Falls In The Forest...

As a topic prompt, this week we are supposed to respond to our professor's blog post, How Seriously Do We Take Jesus’ Words in John 17:23 On The Need For Christian Unity?

Before we get to this passage in John 17, unity and oneness have been a frequent theme in John’s Gospel (Seeà John 10:16, 38; 11:52; 14:10-11, 20, 23; and 15:4-5). Allow me to quote the last reference,

Grapevine in Israel. Photo Greg Dueker

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

Now in chapter 17:22-23, we read,

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

I love this prayer. Obviously this unity Jesus speaks of was important to him since it was on his mind right before he went to his death on the cross. Should it be important to us? Of course! However I wonder in what way it should be important.

Should it be important because it is something we are supposed to produce? I have to confess that sounds kind of arrogant and self-important to me especially since Jesus was actually praying to the Father, not to us.  

Christian unity should it be important for another reason—because it is a sign of Christ’s presence in our lives. Unity is made possible by his re-gifting the glory, which the Father had given to him, to us. Unity is made perfect when we respond by giving all the glory back to him through loving and humbly serving others.

Now these verses in John 17 are from Jesus’ High-priestly prayer for his people. His petition to his Father on our behalf was both passionate and profound.

So was Jesus’ prayer not answered? This is a troublingly honest thought to be sure.

Since Jesus never spoke outside of what flowed from the heart of the Father I will assume that the answer wasn’t “No.” Perhaps some might say that it was answered with an eschatological, “Not yet.” While this makes a little more sense for once sin is completely removed from the world and the Kingdom of God is fully manifested, complete unity is an easy thing for us to picture. However, this might be too convenient for us, excusing us from serious determined efforts at unity if it can’t truly be achieved until the Millennial Kingdom. My dear friend, wrote passionately,

“We can hide behind claims that Christians are invisibly united through faith in Jesus Christ even in the midst of visible disunity. I seriously doubt that Jesus had in mind invisible unity that was somehow divorced from visible unity. Invisible unity must be visible; otherwise, it is illusory.”

While I think I have come to share The Metzger’s passion for unity, I think that his last statement reaches too far. “Illusory” is a word for used things that are not real, that are based on an illusion. Visibility has not been a metric by which reality is measured for a very long time…except in Missouri (the “Show Me” State). Despite believing in many things we cannot see (like air), we live in a culture that too often fails to recognize the reality of the spiritual realm. As Christians we should not fall into the same error. Invisible is not the same as unreal.

I contend that we are already one spiritually if we are truly Christ’s…whether we recognize it or not. There is a spiritual unity that may or may not be seen—that flies in the face of such rationalistic statements as “Invisible unity must be visible; otherwise, it is illusory” because they are not relational enough. Is our unity in what we do or in whose we are and whom we depend on for our salvation? When abiding people meet there is no hiding the unity of the Spirit.

Allow me to wax momentarily metaphorical. This is Portland, so consider a tree…, is it one or is it many? It may sound like a stupid question, but the answer may depend on how we are looking at the tree. There are many individual leaves that while similar all have their own distinctives and character. There are many branches and twigs leading to those leaves, each with their seemingly random angle, thickness and length. While each branch, twig, and leaf is separate and unique, when we step back from hugging it and widen our scope to “look larger” we see that the many elements really form one tree, each part in its place fulfilling its purpose. So are the leaves many or one? Many, if you don’t believe me look at my front lawn in the fall. Yet in a very real sense, as part of the tree the many are one. I use this analogy with caution, as an illustration of how we may be looking too small when we look for unity.  

Am I simply making excuses and contending for an invisible unity? Well that depends on how big we choose to look. Are we focused in too closely on what is in our hands to see the unity that actually exists? Has our vision become pixilated like when you stand too close to the huge TVs in Costco? Sometimes you have to step back and look again. Are we individual buildings or a city? Again, I contend for the possibility that the visibility of unity depends upon the scope of our gaze.

Perfect unity exists now in the lives of those who have surrendered pursuing their own glory and maintaining their own kingdom. It is found in the indwelling of Christ and the Father by the Spirit. It is not something we could ever produce on our own. What I love is meeting another who is united to Christ and sensing immediately the unity of the Spirit. Certainly this spiritual unity manifests visibly. I think we just need eyes to recognize it.

I recently attended an ecumenical luncheon of sorts arranged by a custodian at our church. He grew up in the Lutheran Church and still is an active Lutheran while working at a Foursquare Church. Somehow his life was touched by the love of Christ through those he served with and he wanted to share his gratitude with us by inviting us to eat a great lunch and by allowing us the opportunity to sit in open fellowship with pastors and others from the two Lutheran churches he has attended. Wonderful people, all part of God’s unified plan to touch one man’s life, and also a part of the tapestry of Christian unity.

What are some of the visible signs of the presence of biblical unity that is synonymous with our remaining in Christ? We don’t shrivel up in the heat of circumstances. We are not prone to separate from his purposes. We humbly accept correction and pruning. Our lives produce good fruit in God’s eyes and a wholesome witness takes place in the eyes of the watching world.  

Psalm 133 

¹ Behold, how good and pleasant it is
    when brothers dwell in unity!
² It is like the precious oil on the head,
    running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down on the collar of his robes!
³ It is like the dew of Hermon,
    which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
    life forevermore.

The Name Game (Part 4) -- Naming Jesus

Recently, I was reading the Gospel of Mark for a devotional blog I write, and I was struck by how Pilate, among others, named Jesus in those last hours.

Mark 15:1-5

And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.

And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

And he answered him, “You have said so.”

And the chief priests accused him of many things.

And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”

But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Jesus was taken to Pilate and said nothing except to answer as to his identity that Pilate had called him the King of the Jews. As I have written previously, Jesus didn't defend himself against the false charges or the incomplete naming. So much is said today about the oppressor’s habit of naming the oppressed, but here Pilate names Jesus “King of the Jews” and Jesus didn’t object. Was Jesus the king of the Jews? Yes, but that was not everything he was—he was so much more! Yet he felt no need to correct Pilate’s condescension.

Governments tend to be threatened by the authority of Jesus which is historically present in the lives of his followers. Ultimate authority does not rest with Caesar and for most rulers and realms this inflames their inferiorities and persecution spills over onto the church. However, like Christ, those who have come to realize that Jesus’ death and resurrection have removed the penalty of sin and opened up access to eternal life, what fear is there in death? If we don’t fear death it shows the superiority of the kingdom that we serve. Remember, Jesus came to set us all free from the fear of death, as it says in Hebrews 2:14-18,

^“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

He set us free from the fear of death! And because state control is ultimately related to the fear of death—we are no longer oppressed by the fear of death, because we have received eternal life in Jesus Christ. We don’t ever stoop to trying to establish the kingdom by force by attacking the servants of the oppressors like Peter did, but we explicitly trust in the heart of God and the Spirit of God to bring about the plan of God. If we overcome, in Christ, Jesus promises to give us a new name. 

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’" (Rev. 2:17).

So even when people consider us less than we really are we can like Jesus accept the part that is true, and trust God for the rest. 

Jesus knew his life was in the Father's hands. He knew his life was being given as ransom for even those who attacked him. He knew who he was as the Father had named him, “Jesus” (Matthew 1:21; lit. Yahweh is Salvation) and declared, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11)

But here in this moment of trial…

• I wonder as to the expressions on his face, the sense of eternity in his eyes.
• I wonder how the priest and leaders felt when he looked them in the face.
• I wonder if his countenance, though bruised and disfigured, glowed with the radiance of a pure spirit. Certainly, Pilate wondered and marveled at Christ.

 

 

The Name Game (Part III): Re-Naming Me?

As we continue our series on “naming” and its connection to oppression and power, we can read in Ecclesiastes 6:10-12,

Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?

So what does this mean and what does it have to do with our discussion? I found it interesting that the ESV Study Bible comments,

God is the one who has already named all things. To “name” something is to exercise authority over it (Gen. 2:19–20). The Preacher thus confesses that God rules over all things, and he points out that it would be foolish for mankind to dispute with God’s sovereign ordering of the world; to do so would only produce more words and more vanity.

Sometimes we don’t like the names that God has assigned and we desire to make a name for ourselves. Yet the name that the Lord makes great is to be preferred over the kind of greatness we produce ourselves. It is the difference between Babel, 

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4).

And Abraham,

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

Which of these paths do we really want to follow?

I have been aware in my life that the enemy wants me to name myself either too highly as though I were some kind of awesome specimen, or too lowly because of my past failures. 

The first is illustrated by Oprah’s self-exalting sayings found on Starbucks’ cup sleeves.

The second is captured powerfully in the song, Hello My Name Is, by Matthew West. He writes in part,

“Hello, my name is Regret
I’m pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I’m the whisper inside
That won’t let you forget

Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I’ll drag you right back down again
‘Til you’ve lost all belief

Oh, these are the voices. Oh, these are the lies
And I have believed them for the very last time

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

I am no longer defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it’s true
Just take a look at my life

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King…”

While we all face an enemy like “Tobiah and Sanballat” who wants to use fear to control us and “give me a bad name in order to taunt me” (see Nehemiah 6:12-13) he no longer has a right to name us. We have been set free from bondage to sin and death, and now our family is named by our heavenly Father himself. God not only has the right to name us, but the name he gives is a great gift!

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” (Ephesians 3:14-17)