"All I can point to is the collective trembling of the world; the mass anxiety simmering within us; the seemingly endless cycle of grief that story after story has brought; the fear that can shapeshift so quickly to anger; and the protectiveness of a fragile hope that seems to evade us one day and triumph the next...I am reminded that our hope is not fragile. It runs deep and wide and everlasting. It is not afraid. It is already victorious. Our hope is in a God who is much, much greater than even a global pandemic. A God who told the sun to rise this morning and to set last night. A God who, even now, mourns with us and restores us." - Mango, Love in the Time of Corona
I have been reading the Gospel of Mark lately, and one consistent theme throughout the book is the disorientation of Jesus' disciples. They never really get their feet under them and appear constantly confused. And why not? There are so many abrupt, chaotic situations in that gospel. For instance: John the Baptist, the faithful prophet of Christ, is "handed over" to unjust rulers and eventually loses his head over a chaotic, nearly-random event defined by a frivolous, drunken promise. "That's what happens to the faithful?!" Jesus' disciples must have wondered.
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Thank you for this post. It was encouraging, profound, and also convicting.
When I read your post* I was reminded about how the kind of "simmering" instability you describe is more common for more people than I might like to acknowledge. If I am honest, this broken world's norm is incredible pain and suffering. Meanwhile, I--as a comfortable American Christian--have been shaped a social experience characterized by relative calm.
It is no surprise to me, then, that when I experience discomfort, I am tempted look to my faith and prayers to try and obtain control. After all, those beliefs have been shaped by my comfortable, under-control experience.
The downside to that? Comfortable American Christians like me often don't know how to deal with significant discomfort when we encounter it. Our comfort has shielded us, yes, but it has also prevented us from obtaining the tools we need to process real suffering. And for me, that begins to explain some of the bizarre responses I have seen among white American evangelicals to this current pandemic--responses ranging from gullibility, to conspiracy, to racism, and more.
Of course, the instincts towards comfort and control fueling those responses are confronted head-on by Jesus. He never promises his people control--he commands that we become the servants of others. He teaches us that we should love our enemies, endure suffering, and lay our lives down for the sake of peace. And more than that, he promises that his followers will suffer in this world. How contrary to much of American Christianity!
I have been reading the Gospel of Mark lately, and one consistent theme throughout the book is the disorientation of Jesus' disciples. They never really get their feet under them and appear constantly confused. And why not? There are so many abrupt, chaotic situations in that gospel. For instance: John the Baptist, the faithful prophet of Christ, is "handed over" to unjust rulers and eventually loses his head over a chaotic, nearly-random event defined by a frivolous, drunken promise. "That's what happens to the faithful?!" Jesus' disciples must have wondered.
The disciples' vision of God's working in the world, and of the Messiah, clouded and corrupted their ability to process tragedies like John's death. Likewise, our discernment of the tragedies we increasingly see all around us are distorted by our misunderstandings.
We should say: "this is what we get when we as humanity collectively prefer our way over God's shalom".
Instead, we may say that "God is in control" without first acknowledging how that phrase is often used as an anesthetic to our conscience and an excuse to our inaction. The declaration that "God is in control" should rally us to radically selfless behavior; it should remind us that God will supply what we need when we need it as we obey him. After all, God's reign as King is exercised primarily through His people. And until God returns to renew His creation, He manifests his glory and reign through His people as they abide in the example of Christ. We should be wary, then, of how this common phrase--which should spur us to our God-given purpose--often provides us with a heavy dose of empty relief.
Instead, we may say that "God is in control" without first acknowledging how that phrase is often used as an anesthetic to our conscience and an excuse to our inaction. The declaration that "God is in control" should rally us to radically selfless behavior; it should remind us that God will supply what we need when we need it as we obey him. After all, God's reign as King is exercised primarily through His people. And until God returns to renew His creation, He manifests his glory and reign through His people as they abide in the example of Christ. We should be wary, then, of how this common phrase--which should spur us to our God-given purpose--often provides us with a heavy dose of empty relief.
We also may say that God is "bringing judgment" upon the world. Yet that kind of escalation reveals our unfamiliarity with suffering and contradicts the plain teaching of scripture. Think of the story of Job, in which God declares in the midst of his servant's suffering that He is far greater than the chaos, all without ever providing an answer to Job's tragedy. Or consider Jesus himself: when His disciples presume a blind man's condition was caused by sin, Jesus flatly rebukes them.
Instead, our response must be anchored in what you highlighted so well in your blog--our ever-present, already-victorious God-King. On the day of Christ, the scriptures teach, our satisfaction in God's triumph over evil and suffering will be so great that we can eagerly look forward to it--even if we suffer, lose our loved ones, or even lose our own lives before that great day.
And so, as followers of Jesus confronted by suffering, let us ground our hope in that great day, not in our Americanized experience of safety and comfort seasoned with scriptural citations. And may that hope fuel us to live the cruciform life taught and modeled by Jesus.
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*What was originally going to be a comment to Mango's blog post quickly grew into something more. I am grateful for Mango's reflections and offer these thoughts in response to the specific portion quoted above.
Speaking of "bringing judgment", it looks like John Piper has already published an entire book ("The Coronavirus and Christ") committed to explaining God's relationship to this pandemic.
ReplyDeleteHere are some of his summary reflections:
“The coronavirus was sent, therefore, by God. This is not a season for sentimental views of God. It is a bitter season. And God ordained it. God governs it. He will end it. No part of it is outside his sway. Life and death are in his hand.”
“What is God doing through the coronavirus?
1. God is giving the world in the coronavirus outbreak, as in all other calamities, a physical picture of the moral horror and spiritual ugliness of God-belittling sin.
2. Some people will be infected with the coronavirus as a specific judgment from God because of their sinful attitudes and actions.
3. The coronavirus is a God-given wake-up call to be ready for the second coming of Christ.
4. The coronavirus is God’s thunderclap call for all of us to repent and realign our lives with the infinite worth of Christ.
5. The coronavirus is God’s call to his people to overcome self-pity and fear, and with courageous joy, to do the good works of love that glorify God.
6. In the coronavirus God is loosening the roots of settled Christians, all over the world, to make them free for something new and radical and to send them with the gospel of Christ to the unreached peoples of the world.”
Great reflections! Also, this is the first time anyone has ever responded to one of my blog posts with another blog post! How exciting!
ReplyDelete"And so, as followers of Jesus confronted by suffering, let us ground our hope in that great day, not in our Americanized experience of safety and comfort seasoned with scriptural citations."
Amen to this!
On a related note, have you read The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight? The beginning chapters offer some great commentary on how we've distilled the Bible into little spiritual morsels that make good inspirational calendar material. Not finished with it yet, but would recommend the beginning chapters so far.