Friday 21 December 2012

Peace on Earth

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8-14


Any enactment of the Christmas story would be incomplete without the angels. In fact, the angels are everywhere. Whichever scene it is, they are right there. They are there at the announcements of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-20) and of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26-38); they communicated to shepherds (Luke 2:8-20) and to the magi (Matt 2:12). They appeared to Zechariah to bring a good news (that Elizabeth is going to have a baby) and a bad news (he would not be able to speak until John is born; 1:20). They appeared to Mary as with a shocking and disturbing news that she is pregnant (Matt 1:26-38). They appeared to Joseph to persuade him to take a pregnant woman as his wife (Matt 1:20-25). They appeared to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20) and to the magi (Matt 2:12). Later on they appeared again to Joseph to tell him to carry his new-born child to Egypt (Matt 2:13); and when they were in Egypt for a while, they told Joseph again to return to Israel (Matt 2:19). The angels are everywhere!

The angels also proclaimed many things. A study of the angelic testimonies actually reveal a very rich Christology.  In the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke alone, Jesus is referred to as (1) conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:20); (2) Jesus or Joshua, which means “the Lord saves” (Matt 1:21; Luke 1:31); (3) the saviour of people from  their sins (Matt 1:21); (4) Immanuel, which means “God is with us” (Matt 1:22); (5) “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32); (6) inheritor of the throne of David (Luke 1:32); (7) “the holy one” (Luke 1:35); (8) “the Son of God” (Luke 1:35); and (9) “Christ, the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

The testimonies of the angels about Jesus Christ are very important. Considering that to be an angelos is to be God’s messenger means that the message of the angels are the message of God himself. Their testimonies are the very words of God, uttered through the lips of his servants. And so when they said that Jesus is “Christ, the Lord,” Jesus is indeed the Lord; when they said that Jesus is the saviour of people from their sins, he is indeed the saviour.

Our primary interest, however, does not lie in these Christological affirmations. Our reflections will revolve around the proclamation of the angels to the shepherds in Luke 2:14.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Let us pray: Father, speak to us the good news you proclaimed through the angels 2000 years ago about your Son Jesus Christ, born to be with us and for us. Breathe on us your Holy Spirit and give us peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.



THE PROCLAMATION OF PEACE

The angels announced that the coming of Jesus is the coming of peace. In a sense, this is a fulfilment of Isaiah 9:6-7, where Isaiah prophesied that the child to be born to the world shall be called “Prince of Peace.” God himself, in Christ, the Creator of the universe and the One who has brought everything into order, has come to vanquish the opposing chaotic forces. Peace has now come “to those on whom God’s favour rests” (Luke 2:14), and as Paul later on would affirm, “now is the time of God’s favour” (2 Cor 6:2; quoting Isa 49:8). But what happens in the time of God’s favour? Isaiah writes:

In the time of my favor I will answer you,
    and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ (Isa 49:8-9)

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the angels proclaimed that the fulfilment of all these has come. This is why Jesus himself, at the beginning of his public ministry, proclaimed that his mission was

… to proclaim good news to the poor
… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and [to give] recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19; quoting Isa 61:1-2)

But let us ask ourselves: why is peace so important that it is one of the many things that God himself in Christ has come to give us? Even the mission he gave his disciples included the giving of peace: “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house’” (Luke 10:5). When Jesus was born, the Romans were the rulers of Palestine, and the Roman Empire was enjoying the well-known Pax Romana. There was relative peace. There was prosperity throughout the empire. Wrong-doers were justly punished. There was economic security. There were excellent transportation modes. The Jews were free to worship Yahweh. If peace refers to (1) a state of harmony; (2) the lack of violent conflict; (3) the absence of hostility; (4) economic prosperity; (5) the establishment of equality; (6) the absence of war; and (7) the presence of positive and respectful cultural and economic relationship, then we can say that there was peace when Christ was born. So what was missing in the peace that the people of the first century experienced?

The peace that Jesus Christ offers us is a peace that this world cannot offer. The peace that God wants us to have is not attainable through economic security, socio-political status, ecclesiastical position, or whatever. It is shalom, the wholeness of being. We all have heard of the saying, “we have a God-sized hole in our hearts that only God can fill.” And yes, only when God comes to us in Christ and dwells among us and with us that we can find wholeness and fullness. Even if, like the people during the birth of Christ, they thought that they had peace, true peace is only attainable in the Immanuel, when God is with us. It is only when God is in our midst, when God is truly with us, that we find peace.

Let us face it: the proclamation of peace is always timely and relevant. For instance, it is interesting to compare the experience of the shepherds in Luke 2 and the experience of the disciples in John 20.


LUKE 2:8-14
JOHN 20:19-21
location
dark fields (2:8)
shut doors (20:19)
setting
shepherds tired and wanting rest (2:8)
disciples afraid and needing peace (20:19)
appearance
angels appeared out of nowhere (2:9)
Jesus appearing out of nowhere (2:19)
response
“terrified” (2:9)
shocked, but soon overjoyed (20:20)
the words
“on earth peace” (2:14)
“Peace be with you” (20:19, 21)

Like the shepherds and the disciples, right when we are down, exhausted, and afraid; right when we are in the darkest valleys of life tending to our own sheep, or family, or ministry, or our responsibilities; right when we have shut the doors and have isolated ourselves because of exhaustion, fear, and even resignation; right there God in Christ comes and gives us peace. Praise be to God! 


ATTAINING PEACE

Reading Luke’s Gospel further, it would appear that the people during Jesus’ time understood that the coming of Jesus is the coming of the King to both give peace and bring glory to God in the highest. This is why when Jesus was entering Jerusalem riding a donkey, people shouted and exclaimed:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38)

What is fascinating is that this verse resonates very well with Luke 2:14. First, both mention the glory of God in the highest. Secondly, both mention peace, but in Luke 19:38, such peace is found in heaven, not on earth. But instead of treating the peace in heaven and peace on earth as two different and unrelated peace, we should look at these two with reference to the prayer of Jesus in Matthew 6:10: “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This means that we can pray, “your peace come, on earth as it is in heaven.”

But did the Jews really know that it was Jesus himself who is the giver of peace? If we read the story of the triumphal entry further, Luke records what happened next.

“As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes’” (Luke 19:41-42).

The truth, therefore, is that the people during Jesus’ time did not recognize Jesus as the true giver of peace. They did not know how to attain peace, even though Jesus was right there in their midst. It is such a shame and a terrible waste that God has come to offer peace, but the people to whom such peace is offered to, did not know how to receive it. And this is my fear today: that we who are recipients of God’s gift of peace are not really availing of the gift which is for us; that even though we are celebrating the coming of the Prince of Peace, we are not really at peace; that even though God is drawing himself near to us, we are too blind to see Him; that even though he offers us peace, we are too proud to acknowledge our need of Him; that even though he is right here with us, here at church, that we are oblivious to his touch and voice.

My friends, he has already come to give us peace, now it is time to come to him.

He comes all of us. We are the people to whom God’s favour rests. He challenges us to be filled. He calls us to himself and offers us peace and rest. He said

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:28-29)

Thursday 20 December 2012

Enlarge the Place of Your Tent

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 54:1-5


“Sing, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,
    you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband,”says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants will dispossess nations
    and settle in their desolate cities.
“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
    Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
    and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth.


THE COMMAND: ENLARGE YOUR TENTS

It is common that the Hebrew Scriptures think of Israel as God’s wife. In fact, 54:5 indicates that indeed God is the husband of Israel. The image of the husband-wife relation is a rich one, because in Ancient Near East, to be a wife to someone entails ownership, protection and provision. This is why to be a widow is to be in a very bad predicament (cf. Ruth). So to be God’s wife means that Israel is God’s own responsibility, and as the faithful husband, God repeatedly declared himself as the “compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exo 34:6; 2 Chron 30:9; Neh 9:17; Psa 86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2).

If God as husband declared himself righteous and faithful to Israel, God also gives Israel different designations. In Ezekiel 16, Israel is referred to as the unfaithful wife. Like in Ezekiel 23, Israel’s history is retold as the story of a girl born in poverty (16:1-6), but is chosen and loved by God, who marries her and makes her wealthy, royal and famous (16:7-14). But God’s beloved wife strays and becomes an adulterer by worshipping other gods (16:15-22). This is why Israel is called a prostitute several times in the Scriptures (Ezek 23:3; Hosea 1-2).[1]

In Isaiah 54, however, Israel is portrayed not as someone evil and perverse to be punished, but someone who deserves mercy. Israel is likened to a barren wife (54:1). To refer to Israel as a barren woman is interesting because in general, in the Ancient Near East, there is great shame in childlessness (1 Sam 2:3-5; Luke 1:25) and to be barren is to live a life of humiliation (Gen 16:4; 1 Sam 1:6). We have the story of Sarah who felt ashamed that she was not giving Abraham a child, so she sent her servant Hagar on her behalf (Gen 16:1-2). We have Hannah who faced embarrassment from Peninnah because she could not give a child to Elkanah (1 Sam 1:7).

So God addresses Israel as a barren woman, a nation who has been shamed by being conquered, by being scattered, and by being unproductive. Israel has been through many ordeals, and even though they know that they are blessed by Yahweh, they also feel as though their progress as the people of God is very slow. Now it is this sort of people that God commands to enlarge their tents.

Here is the irony of the passage: presumably, the woman is still barren when she receives the command to enlarge the tent. (Women in these times were responsible in setting up the tents.) It means that she does not have a big family yet. She is still childless. And so on the one hand, the command to enlarge the tent is impractical and just plain absurd. But on the other hand, God is actually challenging the barren woman to act in faith.[2] God challenges his people to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). He calls us to believe in what God will do to us and through us. When we think that have been barren in our spiritual lives or when our church is not producing more than what we want, still God tells us: have faith! Enlarge the place of your tent!

For the church, to enlarge our tents requires us to possess spiritual eyes. Our “common sense” and earthly senses may disagree with the idea of expansion without feasible reasons, but redeemed and opened spiritual senses allow to see the reality that the harvest is plenty. We are very familiar with Jesus’ statement that “the harvest is plentiful” (Matt 9:36). If we think carefully, is it not proper that because the harvest is plentiful, we must not only prepare numerous workers but also enlarge the tents to gather the harvest? Are we not actually at fault because the harvest is plenty, but the barn is small? Are we not underestimating the power of the gospel to fill up his sanctuary?

The church must be prepared for what the Lord is doing. If, for instance, a revival suddenly breaks out – and prostitutes, drunkards, drug addicts, gamblers, and the isolated and condemned members of our society suddenly come to our church – are we truly ready to receive them? Enlarging our tent does not only mean expanding our building, but enlarging our vision and incorporating much more than what we are used to. The Lord beckons us: “Have faith! Enlarge your tents!”


THE TIME: NOW

Isaiah 54:2 has a very clear command: “enlarge the place of your tent.”  The whole verse is actually a repetition of the same command:  
“stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back;
lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes”

Such a repetition of the command seems very purposeful. There is a sense of urgency: a “do it now” push. In here we sense an example of God’s nagging. We can almost hear God’s words: “‘Enlarge the place of your tent’. If you have not understood that, ‘stretch your tent curtains wide’. And if you still did not understand that, “lengthen your cords’.” The Lord is adamant that what he commands is done, so he expresses it in several ways. Let us also remember that when someone nags someone to do something, it is because the something to be done is important. The nagging denotes the importance of the job. The command does now allow any room for hesitation.

Considering again that the Lord is talking to a barren wife, the question might be: “why the urgency?” The wife is still barren and there are yet no offspring in the tent, so why should the wife feel the pressing need to enlarge the tent? The same question might be asked by the church: why should we expand our ministries if evangelism or ministry is at its very peak of difficulty? It is true that people do not seem to be interested in meeting the Lord in worship. People are more and more very difficult to invite to church. People are more and more enticed by so many other commitments. People more and more, by choice, alienate themselves to the church and reject God. People are more and more becoming calloused to the voice of conscience. People are more and more becoming suspicious about the church. People are more and more exposed to and influenced by explicit and implicit anti-Christian propaganda. People are more and more deceived by competing secular idols. People are more and more finding reasons not to have God in their lives. Moral standards are very low, and preachings on holy living are scorned. These are really troubling times, and if one looks at the statistics, one may also claim that the gospel is losing its ground.

So why should we enlarge our tents? Why now?

God declared “now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2; quoting Isa 49:8). It is neither tomorrow nor somewhere in the far future. Salvation is here. God is at work. We read in the Gospels that Jesus went through all the towns and villages in his ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing. And it is reported that when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:35-37; Mark 34). This means that the readiness of people is not evidenced by a visible longing for God, but in the fact that they are living as helpless, shepherdless people. Indeed, as history teaches us, it is during the times of utter depression that revival actually happens. In the time of John Wesley, for example, the Methodist movement spread at a time when Christianity in Britain was at its worst.[3]

If it takes spiritual eyes to see that the harvest is plenty, we also need spiritual eyes to see that the harvest is ready. Enlarge your tents for the whole world is ready to be harvested and be brought into the inviting family of God. Jesus himself said:

“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (John 4:35-36)

If we believe that the world is ripe for harvest, then it is time indeed to enlarge our tents and build bigger barns.


THE FOUNDATION OF OBEDIENCE: FAITH IN GOD’S PROMISES

The command to enlarge the place of tent in 54:2 is immediately followed by a promise in 54:3-5. “Enlarge the place of your tent,” the Lord says, “for you will spread out to the right and to the left.” There is no reason to be afraid in making a step of faith, for the Lord promises that “you will not be put to shame, disgrace or humiliation” (54:4). It is true that fear of the future - particularly fear of failure, and consequently being shamed – can make us indecisive and inactive. Fear of embarrassment can paralyze the church. Fear of being scorned for failure can prevent us from taking risks, abandoning our comfort zones, and attempting to expand the ministries of the church. But this does not need to be the case. The Lord asks us not to be afraid (54:4).

The Lord challenges us to take a leap of faith and to trust that indeed the harvest is both plenty and ready, and that the Gospel will spread to the north, south, east and west (54:3). In fact the verb for “spread” used here – paras – is the same one used in Genesis 28:14, which speaks of the children of Abraham spreading out in all directions. The Lord’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 is to be fulfilled: that amidst Sarah’s old age, Abraham would have descendants that will become a great nation, blessed by the Lord himself. The Lord is saying that the days of barrenness are over (54:4), so we should enlarge our tents, leaning towards excess rather than limitation.

Let us face it: the command to barren women to enlarge their tents is quite nonsensical. The challenge to enlarge our ministries, when in fact our current ministries are not doing very well, is quite absurd. And the Lord knows that we human beings are creatures of the senses and of doubt. We must admit to ourselves that it is indeed difficult to obey something that we do not understand. This is actually why when we read the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac at Mount Moriah (Gen 22), our response is: “I wish I have the same faith as Abraham.” The fact that we wish for something implies that we do not have it yet. We must admit that we are creatures of doubt, and our doubts need to be dispelled and cleansed from us.

This is why 54:5 is central to the command. There is no need to fear or to hold back, because God has placed his own honor and name on the line. In 54:5 the Lord names himself the Maker, the husband, the Lord Almighty, the Holy One of Israel, the Redeemer, and the God of all the earth. Why should we fear if the Lord who commands us is the Maker and Sustainer of the universe? Why should we fear if the Lord is our husband, compassionate, caring and loving? Why should we fear if the Lord is the Lord Almighty who delivered a whole nation out of Egypt? Why should we fear if the Lord is the Holy One of Israel, faithful to his words and righteous in his ways? Why should we fear if the Lord is the Redeemer, who rescues us from the depths of sin, despair and death? Why should we fear if the Lord is the God of all the earth?  The Lord commands us: “Do not be afraid” (54:4). Rather, we should “Sing… burst into song, shout for joy!” (54:1).


CONCLUSIONS

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”[4]

The Lord is commanding us to “enlarge the place of your tent,” and we may protest “Really? I don’t see any valid reason why.” And the Lord is telling us “Have faith in me, will you? I, who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you (Phil 1:6). Enlarge the place of your tents, and allow me to work in and through you.”



[2] Josh N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66 (TNICOT series; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 416. The theme of barrenness of human strength and the fenundicity of the Spirit of the Lord is a favourite one in the Bible – like Sarah, Elizabeth (Luke 1:7, 25), and Hannah (1 Sam 2:1-10).
[3] Robert G. Tuttle Jr. even describes the 18th century as the period of “cesspool… if not for its filth then certainly for its morals.” He adds that “debauchery was epidemic, affecting the nobility, the middle classes, the lower classes, the members of the court, and even the members of the Parliament.” See John Wesley: His Life and Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), 31-32.

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