 |
| Giaconda, Rene Magritte |
And
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does
not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who
believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new
tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it
will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will
recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into
heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they
went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the
word through the accompanying signs. Amen
The
paintings of the Belgian artist René Magritte are
among the most recognizable images of the twentieth century. This fact makes
him one of the most famous Surrealist painters. Since the heyday of greats such
as Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo and Max Ernst, Surrealism has continued to enjoy popular appreciation.
Much of its popularity can be understood by analyzing the elements and motifs
of Magritte's imagery. Wikipedia describes Surrealism's aim as attempting to
"'resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality.'
Artists painted unnerving, illogical scenes with photographic precision,
created strange creatures from everyday objects and developed painting techniques
that allowed the unconscious to express itself." Magritte's canvases were
full of fantastic and dreamlike scenes
of men in bowler hats floating through ideal blue skies patterned with friendly
clouds. In other paintings we find fruit levitating to conceal the identity of
the depicted or kingdoms that ascend from the abyss to the heavens atop of a
spherical rock. Magritte’s surrealistic images juxtaposed the familiar against
a background of the absurd, illogical and fantastic. Yet there is an order to these images that assure them that their
creator is not depicting chaos. There is something so realistic and
master-of-fact about these images that draw us to want to find some sort of
meaning in them… much like our dreams. Mark 16:15-20 is much like a Magritte painting. In this
scripture we find people ascending into the air, casting out demons, healing
the sick, speaking in tongues, handling snakes and drinking poison. Yet there is an order to these images that assure them that their
Creator is not depicting chaos. There is something so realistic and
master-of-fact about these images that draw us to want to find some sort of
meaning in them… but unlike Magritte’s images these are not similar to a dream
sequence. The gospel does not even depict them as a vision or a parable. When
Jesus is shown ascending into heaven (after describing many other fantastic
scenes that would serve as the backdrop for his movement’s mission) he is
pictured as doing so as a historic fact. But what meaning are we supposed to
glean from this story? What is the significance of this strange dreamlike
episode to our lives? I believe that it has to do a lot with order. In the
Ascension Jesus showed us that he came to reveal a specific order
to things… all things. Mark 16:15-20 centers around involves three definitive
orders. |
| The Son of Man, Rene Magritte |
Order: A Command
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
The first order must be understood as a command. It is what is
known as the The Great Commission. It has a parallel in Matthew
28:16–20. The
recipient of this command is everyone. Now by “everyone” I don’t mean “everyone.”
Obviously Jesus was not commanding those who would never come to believe in him
to evangelize. So what do I mean by “everyone”? I mean two things: the
beginning Church (Jesus’
initial Disciples/Apostles who were actually there) and the Church throughout all ages (those who would become Jesus’ disciples from hearing
the message of the original Disciples/Apostles and/or reading their words).
Jesus’ command to both parts of his Church is that we engage in preaching and baptizing
to salvation.
It is what Matthew
28:16–20
calls "making
disciples." Now it is important to understand the Church in
multiple parts so that we can begin to understand an underlying truth: we don’t
do everything by ourselves. The church is a body and a community. When one part
starts a specific function the other part assists and collectively we all do it
collectively. You may not be the person at your local church that does the baptizing.
You may not even be the official “preacher.” However, we support each other in
our collective duty of making disciples and as a Church body (throughout space and
time). Christianity was
then, is now and will always be summed up in facilitating people's journey as
they follow the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Evangelization is not just getting people to go
to Heaven or not going to hell. Evangelization (the fulfillment of the Great
Commission) is making people into disciples of Jesus. We preach and believe
in salvation because Jesus believed in salvation. We baptize and practice
repentance because Jesus was baptized and advocated a lifestyle of repentance. We will one day rise from death to
eternal life because Jesus
rose from death to eternal life. We are duplicating the image of the Son of
Man.
Order: A Sequence
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
The second order is more of a documentation of a sequence of events. It is what theologians call Historia Salutis. The Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies describes the concept behind this fancy Latin phrase as such:
“Historia Salutis The historia salutis refers to the%2C%2BRene%2BMagritte.jpg)
actual events, in space and time, by which God brings salvation to his people. Creation, the fall, the flood, the call of Abraham, the exodus, the captivity, the life and death of Christ, Pentecost, all of these are events of the historia salutis. On the one hand, they are true events of cosmic history. They actually happened in space and time. But in another sense, they bear theological significance, because they come in order to fulfill—accomplish—the eternal decrees of God. We do not simply speak of abstract decrees of God, but of genuine historical events bearing a great theological significance. We believe that the Scriptures record the actual historical events of redemption, occurring over several millennia, from creation to consummation. The events recorded in Scripture, while real events inhuman history, bring into human history the decrees of God. They give substance and historical reality to these decrees. They provide the basis, in space and time, of our exegetical studies. Since even the most seemingly mundane parts of Scripture-e.g the genealogies or some of the Proverbs come to us through inspired authors writing as representatives of the history of redemption, we give ourselves to exegetical study.”
Order: A ProcessAnd He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
The first order must be understood as a command. It is what is
known as the The Great Commission. It has a parallel in Matthew
28:16–20. The
recipient of this command is everyone. Now by “everyone” I don’t mean “everyone.”
Obviously Jesus was not commanding those who would never come to believe in him
to evangelize. So what do I mean by “everyone”? I mean two things: the
beginning Church (Jesus’
initial Disciples/Apostles who were actually there) and the Church throughout all ages (those who would become Jesus’ disciples from hearing
the message of the original Disciples/Apostles and/or reading their words).
Jesus’ command to both parts of his Church is that we engage in preaching and baptizing
to salvation.
It is what Matthew
28:16–20
calls "making
disciples." Now it is important to understand the Church in
multiple parts so that we can begin to understand an underlying truth: we don’t
do everything by ourselves. The church is a body and a community. When one part
starts a specific function the other part assists and collectively we all do it
collectively. You may not be the person at your local church that does the baptizing.
You may not even be the official “preacher.” However, we support each other in
our collective duty of making disciples and as a Church body (throughout space and
time). Christianity was
then, is now and will always be summed up in facilitating people's journey as
they follow the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Evangelization is not just getting people to go
to Heaven or not going to hell. Evangelization (the fulfillment of the Great
Commission) is making people into disciples of Jesus. We preach and believe
in salvation because Jesus believed in salvation. We baptize and practice
repentance because Jesus was baptized and advocated a lifestyle of repentance. We will one day rise from death to
eternal life because Jesus
rose from death to eternal life. We are duplicating the image of the Son of
Man.
 |
| Castle in the Pyrenees, Rene Magritte |
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
The second order is more of a documentation of a sequence of events. It is what theologians call Historia Salutis. The Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies describes the concept behind this fancy Latin phrase as such:
“Historia Salutis The historia salutis refers to the
%2C%2BRene%2BMagritte.jpg)
actual events, in space and time, by which God brings salvation to his people. Creation, the fall, the flood, the call of Abraham, the exodus, the captivity, the life and death of Christ, Pentecost, all of these are events of the historia salutis. On the one hand, they are true events of cosmic history. They actually happened in space and time. But in another sense, they bear theological significance, because they come in order to fulfill—accomplish—the eternal decrees of God. We do not simply speak of abstract decrees of God, but of genuine historical events bearing a great theological significance. We believe that the Scriptures record the actual historical events of redemption, occurring over several millennia, from creation to consummation. The events recorded in Scripture, while real events inhuman history, bring into human history the decrees of God. They give substance and historical reality to these decrees. They provide the basis, in space and time, of our exegetical studies. Since even the most seemingly mundane parts of Scripture-e.g the genealogies or some of the Proverbs come to us through inspired authors writing as representatives of the history of redemption, we give ourselves to exegetical study.”
This
is what I mean when I mention things like Salvation History.
So why is this important to mention? Well because I don’t want you to get hurt.
You may have read the first part where I said that Christ called the whole
Church to participate in preaching and baptism and concluded that every
believer should also be speaking in tongues, handling snakes and drinking
poison. I do not want you to get hurt by a snake bite, consuming poison or by
feeling less of a super-Christian because you do not possess certain spiritual
gifts. This is where the understanding of the different parts of the Church
comes into play. Specifically, it refers to the different parts in history.
What Jesus was describing in this section was what would happen in the history
of the Church not necessarily what would happen in the life of every believer.
This was a historic description not a normative prescription. Indeed in the
book of Acts we see the original Disciples/Apostles speaking in tongues (which
means languages) on Pentecost and afterwards. We also see St. Paul falling victim
to a snake bite and recovering from it. There were also man healings, demon
exorcisms and we can safely assume an undocumented case of ineffective
poisoning. However these just like Noah’s Ark and Moses’ parting the Red Sea,
these were just historic steps in the overall story of Salvation. They were
signs to verify the veracity of the Scripture that was being revealed and not
to be understood as repeatable events. For nineteen centuries of Christian
history the Cessationist truth
that the sign gifts were temporary was generally understood. The Apostolic
generation that practiced them was given them to lay the foundation for
everyone else that followed. They were the foundation stones for the Kingdom of
God. This was the Kingdom of God whose chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, eschewed
the pursuit of miracles as a continual locus of faith. His miracles were always
to introduce listeners to the purpose of his ministry: to make disciples for
himself. His kingdom is to be filled
with duplications of the image of the Son of Man.
 |
| The Infinite Recognition, Rene Magritte |
So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
The third order is a description of a process. It is also referred to in a big, Latin, theological phrase: Ordo Salutis. It literally means “order of salvation” and it is an explanation of what happens to a person who becomes a disciple of Christ (also known as “being saved”). As far as the details go Wikipedia lists a few different theological perspectives:
| Calvinist:[3] | Modified Calvinist:[3] | Classical Arminian/Wesleyan:[3][6]
| Lutheran:[3]
| Catholic:[3]
|
Earlier we discussed what Jesus called the Church to do on Earth but when he ascends we
get a view into what he does in Heaven. In Heaven Jesus advocates for us to the Father. The book of Hebrews describes Christ as our Great High Priest who is petitioning for us to God the Father. It is in this advocating and petitioning for us that we are being saved. Slowly but surely we are being changed and being made more and more into the image of the Son of Man. One day we will join him in glory to share in the joy of the Lord. All of this is possible because of what God the Son has been doing at the right hand of God the Father throughout all of eternity. The foundation that was set by the Apostolic generation (that provides for what we do as the present day Church) was made possible by the One that went before them. He not only went before them (chronologically) but he also went for them (theologically) to God. We must never underestimate the significance of what Christ being at the right hand of God means. The right hand is the place of honor, the place of favor and the place if strength. It is then with the honor, favor and strength of the Almighty God that he saves us, transforms us and makes us into his disciples.
 |
| The False Mirror, Rene Magritte |
Earlier we discussed what Jesus called the Church to do on Earth but when he ascends we
get a view into what he does in Heaven. In Heaven Jesus advocates for us to the Father. The book of Hebrews describes Christ as our Great High Priest who is petitioning for us to God the Father. It is in this advocating and petitioning for us that we are being saved. Slowly but surely we are being changed and being made more and more into the image of the Son of Man. One day we will join him in glory to share in the joy of the Lord. All of this is possible because of what God the Son has been doing at the right hand of God the Father throughout all of eternity. The foundation that was set by the Apostolic generation (that provides for what we do as the present day Church) was made possible by the One that went before them. He not only went before them (chronologically) but he also went for them (theologically) to God. We must never underestimate the significance of what Christ being at the right hand of God means. The right hand is the place of honor, the place of favor and the place if strength. It is then with the honor, favor and strength of the Almighty God that he saves us, transforms us and makes us into his disciples.
 |
| Musée Magritte, Brussels |
Order of the Empire
And they went out and preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them and
confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
 |
| The Empire of Lights, Rene Magritte |
Like most popular twentieth century artists, Rene Magritte has a major museum that honors him in the city that made him famous. The Musee Magritte stands in Brussels, Belgium. Recently when this museum underwent renovations it was wholly covered with a tarp. The tarp itself featured a witty, surrealistic image that revealed one of Magritte’s surrealistic masterpieces. The outside of the museum was shown to pull back like a curtain (or tarp) and reveal Magritte’s famous painting “The Empire of Lights.” In The Empire of Lights Magritte didn’t have any of his iconic, bowler hat figures floating about. In fact no objects were ascending through the composition. However he did paint his trademark serene sky with cotton clouds. The surrealistic twist to this image was that these picturesque heavens, as serene and joyous as they were, had no effect on the darkness that pervaded the earth below them… except for one light. This light was emitted from a lone streetlight that stood off kilter from the rest of the composition. This lone streetlight rose from the dark ground around it and shined as if it alone had seen the brightness of the heavens above. This lone street light was no longer bound by the night of its surroundings. This streetlight was by its nature designed to ascend from the earth. And as much as possible this lone street light was going to let its little light shine in the darkness that surrounded it. The Church is that streetlight. The mission of the Church that Jesus’ original disciples lived out was to pull back the tarp and reveal a Heaven that was filled with light (for Jesus had ascended there). Their mission was to enlighten a dark world around them with the love, mercy and grace that Jesus preached. This was the truth that they were immersed in and set out to baptize the world into. That is the order that the Church is called to fulfill. We, the Church, are called to ascend the darkness that surrounds us and testify of the Light that created the Truth that we live in. We can only live in this light if we believe in the surrealistic, dream that Christ painted for his disciples.
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