Journey

Adoration of the Magi, by Peter Paul Rubens

Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him”...

 

Yes, we are into the New Year and still talking about Christmas. But contrary to your suspicions, this is not part of a commercial campaign to extend your shopping season from Halloween to Martin Luther King Day. Remember that song about the Twelve Days of Christmas? Well yeah, it's real. Some of you who follow a Liturgical Calendar at your church know that Christmas seems to never end! It's like a religious version of Dr. Who. Well at least in Western Christianity it doesn't end until Epiphany. That's when we celebrate Jesus being visited by the Magi, you know the Wise Men or maybe you know them as the "three kings" from the song. Whatever you know them as we all can agree on one thing: paintings of them look a lot like the band Journey when Randy Jackson played bass. But who were and what were these Magi? Why did they search for the newborn Christ-child and what significance could this story hold for our lives today? I'm glad you asked, hypothetical reporter that I imagine when I am writing a three point essay. 

 

The Journey

 

Paintings of the Magi like this one from Peter Paul Rubens (not to be confused with Paul Rubens) usually include a solitary "Randy Jackson" type figure as one of the Magi. Why? Not just because 1980's Randy Jackson is a perfect mix of LT and Bernie Mac, but rather because he represents what we know the most about the Magi outside of the biblical record: The were different, they were mysterious, they were foreign. Sure, tradition tells us that they were Melchior a Persian scholar, Caspar (also Gaspar, Jaspar, Jaspas, Gathaspa), an Indian scholar and Balthazar an Arabian scholar, but that is just one among several ancient Christian traditions. Use of the Persian term "Magi" denotes that they could be a range of things from magicians, fortune tellers, sorcerers and/or followers of Zoroastrianism. "Wise men" of these backgrounds were used by rulers in the Orient as advisers hence their designation as being from "the East." So the biblical writer left his interpretation of what it meant to be different: from a farther more mysterious region of the Middle East out of Roman control and most probably Gentile. Centuries later the Flemish painter Rubens would leave his interpretation of what it meant to be different: from a farther more mysterious region of the Old World, namely the Third World, out of Western control and African. Now maybe you are or are not Black or of a darker hue, and maybe you are or are not Gentile but I would argue that everyone reading this article has more in common with the Magi than with any other character in the Nativity story... because you're different, mysterious, and foreign. In the least you are two millennia away from being similar to the Holy Family. Like the Magi, coming to faith in Christ requires a journey: one that is quite different from how we are used to thinking and may feel like we are just chasing stars. But if we follow on in the story we will realize that the walk of faith is based a lot less on mystic tales than on everyday scenarios that we encounter in our everyday life. Faith is more than just an agreement among men of what occurred in the past but it is an acknowledgment with God of how we treat men and women in the present. 

 

The Encounter

...When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also”...

I have no experience in mastering the bass guitar like Randy Jackson, or using my hair to simultaneously Kid N' Play and A Flock of Seagulls... such greatness eludes me. Yet I do have extensive acting experience playing King Herod in my church's Children's Nativity play. It was appropriate when I was 9 years old and the children were my peers but it became inappropriate when I was still filling this role at age 23 and the wise men were still played by nine year olds wearing pajamas and bedazzled Burger King crowns #smallchurchfail. This being the case I have done a little background research into this Herod fellow. Herod the Great was the puppet King of Judea under Roman rule. He was not ethnically Jewish but was Idumean (an Edomite), a closely related group that were the offspring of Essau in the Old Testament. He does however appear to have practiced Judaism, in that he greatly expanded the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. Shows of power like this combined with displays of ruthlessness is what gets him the historic suffix "The Great." However his outward religiosity and "greatness" as a ruler are both betrayals to the spiritual meanings of the words. Scripture teaches us that "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." This is also close to it's definition of greatness:"But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Herod's greatness and religious practices were more smoke and mirrors to disguise the trickery of a perverse ego. When he encountered the magi and their talk of a new "King of the Jews" he feared the loss of his job and glory. Christ didn't come to dethrone Herod from his rule but rather to dethrone the ruling notions of how life is to be lived, greatness to be pursued and God to be glorified.

 

So Herod turns to his own "wise men" for counsel as to the details of this Messianic prophesy. They correctly respond with a loose quotation of Micah 5:2, that declares that the humble Judean town of Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah's birth (just like his ancestor King David). It is at this point that we see the contrasts between Herod's advisers and the magi. Both were groups of "wise men", trained in their respective religions and respected by their local leadership but only one group used it for good. Herod's advisers served an earthly king, a tyrant who sought the subjugation of the people for his own gain. The Magi sought a heavenly king, the sovereign Messiah whose birth provided "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." So the "everyday scenarios that we encounter in our everyday life" that this Magi speak to are not our daily encounters with a tyrannical ruler or pilgrims from the Orient bearing gifts but rather the encounter we have with God everyday when our values, priorities and perceptions of a life well lived clash with His. Ideally this will lead us to a personal epiphany of what matters. 

 

The Epiphany

...When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Recently my mother-in-law was in town. If you've read this blog regularly (in spite of the fact that I don't write it regularly) then you might remember when I referenced Hamlet and stated that she was the world's biggest Hamlet fan and an English teacher. When she was here she mentioned the Irish author James Joyce, and his short stories "Dubliners." Well to make the story short, it is placed on the Feast of Epiphany (the end of the Christmas season) and it is about people making epihanies (meaning "a sudden consciousness of the "soul" of a thing"). James Joyce is the first to coin this usage of the word epiphany. Before then everyone understood its usage in the Christian theological sense as God revealing himself. But maybe the religious notion of the word entails both, fore it is when we discover who God is (really, really is) then we discover what life is and who we are. Now that doesn't mean that believing in Jesus means that you have life wrapped up. The reverse may also be true: if you don't really understand who you are and what life is actually about you may not understand something integral to who and how God really is (despite your external religious practice and fervor). That's the most mysterious thing about the Magi: for all intents and purposes they were theologically what you would term a "heathen" yet they were the ones who recognized the newly born Messiah for who and what he was when they saw him. I spite of their religious difference they understood something about the soul of pure religion and the essence of God to recognize him in the flesh. They saw past Mary and Joseph's poverty to realize that they were the parents of the true King of the Jews. They saw past the Christ child's age and understood that this was the Eternal God in flesh. They understood themselves as well in the in the scheme of things and fulfilled their religious duty to give to those who were without in their midst. And in doing so they gave to God.

Discovering who the characters in the Magi story truly were should lead us to question who we really are. What do their lives tell us about ourselves? Are we seeking God or our own selfish gain? Do we practice external religion for societal and cultural acceptance? Is our worship of God and relationships with those around us about getting or giving? Considering these questions are not exclusive to the Christmas season, but for the New Year and the rest of our lives. It is a journey that reveals what greatness truly is: it is glorifying God by living humbly in service for your neighbor, concern for the stranger and love for your enemies. I challenge you on this Epiphany to have an epiphany of your own.

 

 

The Dinner Party

The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago

Luke 14:1 & 7-14 

 

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.

When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

 

I have walked in the shoes of Martha Stewart and Julia Child. Don't worry, I'm not turning this blog into a Julie and Julia type blog. Last night my wife and I held our first dinner party. We have had a friend over for a meal before (on several occasions) but this one was more intentional. The previous weekend my best friend from high school ended up staying for dinner, so yesterday's dinner party was two of her friends from high school (and one spouse). We woke up Saturday morning and started cleaning, even though dinner was at 7:00 pm. Well mostly, I just attempted to look like I was cleaning when my wife was watching, then I'd go back to painting. Then by mid day I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner (sodas, cake... you know, the priorities). So when I came back my wife went to the grocery store because apparently people eat more than soda and cake nowadays (weird, right?). When she came back we finished organizing the place, cleaning up and finishing dinner. Actually when they arrived my wife was still blending a sweet potato soufflé and I showed them around he place. Why did we go through all of this trouble? She has been friends with these people for about 16 years and I've known them for at least 3-4 years. It is because we wanted to feel comfortable and accepted. They may have been our guests for a few hours but we wanted them to feel "at home." You know that whole "Mi casa es su casa" thing that you are supposed to say with a "wink and a gun." Today's verses from the Gospel of Luke are about those very same considerations. Christ was invited to dinner, but it makes us wonder who he invites to dine with him. Who does Christ prepare a place for at his table? Who does he welcome into his Father's house and asks that they accept it as their own home?

 

The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago

For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted

 

I'm a McDonald's type cat. My mom cooked at home for most of our meals and my dad cooked a few times as well. But McDonald's was probably 25 % of the meals that I consumed. I learned to cook a little while living in the dorms at college, but I still kept a place in my heart for driving around and eating fries. And riding on the bus and eating tacos. And walking down the street eating a burger. And, well you get the idea... I like moving around and eating food that will lead to my demise. This being the case I never really learned the intricacies of dinning etiquette. Now keep in mind, I am not a total Philistine: I know the basics of eating a meal around non-barbaric company. But I never learned which side silverware goes on... and for some reason I can never commit it to memory. So if you are a stickler about dining and you are eating with me, then chances are you may be secretly judging me. In Luke 14 we find Christ observing the dinner etiquette of his dinner hosts. Jesus wasn't critiquing their table manners (remember he didn't scold his disciples for not washing their hands before meals, as was the Kosher custom) but rather the manner in which they lived. After noticing all of the schmoozing and jockeying for position that was occurring at this dinner table, Christ saw an opportunity to reveal how a simple setting like this displays one's internal spiritual condition. One should live life in a manner that displays humility. This is that type of life that God honors and the type of person that God rewards. God's mercy is always offered to the humble and not to the proud. All of Christ's Beatitudes of Matthew 5 can be summed up as "blessed are the humble." When we daily aspire to dine with the Breakfast of Champions God jut wants those to honor at his Dinner for Scmucks. True greatness is recognized by God. A God who esteems the lowly.

 

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.

 

So if we are to be like God and emulate His practices, then our dinner guests that we surround ourselves with should be similar to those that God surrounds himself with. Who do you break bread with? Do you make friends in an aspiration to "network" and benefit yourself or do you show love with the intention to serve? Give to those who have nothing to give and your Father will give to you. This emulates what God does... giving to those who have nothing to give. That is what Grace is. All of God's relationship with us is based on dependency: hence He calls us His children. When was the last time that a child returned something valuable to you in gratitude? I'm sorry, macaroni necklaces and refrigerator drawings don't count. Or do they? They have no financial value on the market, but they are true riches to a parent because they display the love that a child has for her parent. That's what God gets from us. True worship is gratitude and love. God may be rich in all of the wonders of the universe, but His greatest treasures appear to be the macaroni necklaces and refrigerator drawings that we give Him through prayer and our love for others. This being the case, Christ asks that we make room at our tables and our hearts for those who need. For there was once a time when we were spiritually and physically hungry and he did not turn us away.

 

The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago

 Feminist artist Judy Chicago's  installation artwork The Dinner Party and The Gospel of Luke have a lot in common. I mean, besides the whole abstracted images of vulva on plates and everything (If you are a kid and don't know what that "v" word meant, then ask your parents. If you are an adult and you don't know what that word means, then call up your parents and tell them that they failed you). Wikipedia describes the Judy Chicago's work as such:

 

The Dinner Party was created by artist Judy Chicago, with the assistance of numerous volunteers, with the goal to "end the ongoing cycle of omission in which women were written out of the historical record." The table is triangular and measures 14.63 m (forty-eight feet) on each side. Each place setting features a table runner embroidered with the woman's name and images or symbols relating to her accomplishments, with a napkin, utensils, a glass or goblet, and a plate. Many of the plates feature a butterfly- or flowerlike sculpture as a vulva symbol. A collaborative effort of female and male artisans, The Dinner Party celebrates traditional female accomplishments such as textile arts (weaving, embroidery, sewing) and china painting, which have been framed as craft or domestic art, as opposed to the more culturally valued, male-dominated fine arts. The white floor of triangular porcelain tiles, called the Heritage Floor, is inscribed with the names of a further 999 notable women.^"

 

Is The Dinner Party about the Jesus? No, amongst the names of hundreds of women included in the piece are even a few ancient Pagan deities. However, I feel that both the installation and Luke's gospel attempt to address similar things. They both focus on exalting those that have been treated as second class. Judy Chicago even intentionally delivers her artwork in a medium that was seen as a frivolous past time of women: the dinner party. Yet both Christ and Chicago communicated their truths through the sharing of a meal. In doing this they both elevated the viewers focus on the status "the outsider." It is believed that Luke is the only Gentile (non-Jew) to write in Scripture. He was a writer from a people who had been outsiders to God's mercy. If this is true then it matches Luke's focus on the previously overlooked groups of people. When you read Luke it is hard to overlook the several character profiles, that the author provides, of people that encountered Christ. Luke uses these short profiles to highlight women, those of humble estate and gentiles... those who were deemed as second class or outsiders. They were people that normally wouldn't be given the place of honor at dinner parties. Yet Luke peppers them throughout his book and Christ places them at the center of his ministry. So the vulva on the plates of Judy Chicago's artwork may be offensive to many viewers, yet her intention was not derogatory or sexualized. She displays what separated these greats from being recognized and honored by their peers: their womanhood. When Christ looks at the outsider (the woman, the Gentile, the crippled, the foreigner) he does not see what Man sees and is offended by. Christ sees the beauty that God created in every individual. He sees the grace of humility that is greatness waiting to be exalted in holiness. Christ sees nothing derogatory or vile about the outsider, for he became an outsider so that we might have inside access to God's mercy. 

The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago (artist pictured)

Maybe I am more like Martha Stewart and Julia Child than I previously thought... or at least a bad impersonation of Chef Justin Wilson. Christianity is centered around a dinner party. Before Christianity enjoyed legal status and worshippers could build public churches, believers would gather together in houses. Worship was held around tables at a meal called the "agape feast." "Agape" is a Greek word that means "love." Not a romantic or familial love, but an unconditional and divine love. One that mimics the kind of love that we freely receive from God. One that has no preconditions and cannot expect repayment. It can however expect a response. A response of passing that same love, hospitality and forgiveness on to our brothers, strangers and enemies. That is the love and forgiveness that we celebrate in our Eucharist celebrations and Communion ceremonies. Christ asked that as often as we do partake in this meal that we do it in remembrance of him. In remembrance of his blood, his sacrifice and forgiveness. If we keep this in mind while eating the bread and drinking the wine then it is impossible for us to keep offence with our brother (in good conscience). It is because our communion is not just with the Lord but with each other. He died that we may all be brothers and sisters. There is no outsider at the table of God. We all dine as equals before Him.  

 

God and Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson portrait, Unknown Myspace artist

Hebrews 12:5-13

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

In biblical times it was uttered "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" And God raised up His Son from that very town to save the world. In modern times it was uttered "Can anything good come from Gary, Indiana?" And Joe Jackson raised up his five sons from that very town to entertain the world. After Michael Jackson and the other members of the Jackson 5 rose to fame. Joe Jackson would produce a few of his other children to be musical entertainers and actors. Likewise God used Christ's sacrifice to bring Himself more spiritual children. It may seem ridiculous that I am making a blog entry comparing God and Joe Jackson, but it happens often (but not as explicitly). Thy are the two fathers that are often criticized the most about how they raised their children. People question if Joe was too hard on his kids: physically disciplining them, working them and not allow them to have a childhood like their peers. Likewise we all have had moments when we ask why God allows His children to go through hardships and tough lessons. So....does God beat his kids? In Hebrews 12:5-13, the writer (who we usually assume is St. Paul) admits that God's discipline can be extreme a times... but in the end that's a good thing. It is what makes us stronger in our faith and character. It is what makes us spiritual Tito Jackson's... or Jermaine or whichever one you prefer.

The crux of St. Paul's argument is structured around God's discipline as a way of Him showing love. Sounds familiar kids? You know, the whole "this is going to hurt me a lot more than it will hurt me" line. Or maybe there is more to it. Maybe when Paul uses the imagery of chastisement and discipline we shouldn't be thinking of spanking and or beating. Maybe we should be thinking of a form of discipline that actually instills discipline... like athletic discipline. Maybe it is the father's role as a coach that Paul is conjuring. You may not be familiar with this but sure am. My parents stopped spanking me somewhere between 7-9 years old. Now they still disciplined me and it still was physical discipline. When I got in the "spanking level" of trouble he would have me run laps outside my house. I lived two houses away from the corner so this consisted of me running back and forth several times. In the scheme of things it wasn't that bad, but it was just weird and slightly embarrassing when you had to do it at like 9 p.m. in ordinary clothes. After asking me a few times if I was trying out for the track team my neighborhood friends eventually caught wind of what was going on... and comedic hijinks ensued. As an adult I can (grudgingly) appreciate what my dad did and will probably initiate such familial hazing tactics on my own children one day. Eventually my dad stretched into other things like push ups and sit ups. As a Navy veteran he understood that he couldn't prevent me from making mistakes in life, but maybe in disciplining me he could leave me with good practices that would help me grow. Sometimes it may seem that God is just giving us spiritual beatings but in actuality he may just be leading us in spiritual exercises. Ones that will build strength, character and faith.

The second leg of St. Paul's support for divine discipline is that by disciplining us it shows that he recognizes us as sons/daughters. We live in a time with all types of family structures. There are many readers who may not have a working relationship with their biological fathers. A generation or two ago that was a pretty scandalous situation to find ones self in. If you go back even further your social and legal standing were even affected by your presumed "legitimacy." The difference between a man's treatment of his children that he produced inside or outside of marriage was not only a matter of legitimacy and illegitimacy but also a matter or acknowledgment. If a man's children were produced outside of marriage (especially if it was while he simultaneously in a marriage) he would not acknowledge being related to them (in an effort to save his false reputation). In declining to acknowledge the children he would also decline his duties as a father: one of those being disciplining the children. So with this being the unspoken rule of the day, Paul uses this code as an allegory with our relationship to God. God disciplining us proves that he acknowledges his spiritual paternity of us. And that spiritual paternity, as well as the discipline is based in His love of us. Honestly that is a quick test of legitimate and illegitimate Christian outlooks to life. Where does spiritual discipline fit in? If there is no spiritual discipline there is no spiritual growth and no quality time with your spiritual Father.

St. Paul finishes by acknowledges that spiritual discipline can suck at times. Nobody naturally enjoys... and if they say that they do then they are probably just trying to impress people in church. But, the apostle interjects, it produces fruit. Wait, wait.. are we mixing metaphors here Paul? Are we talking about fatherly discipline or farming? This is starting to sound a little like Ross Perot, who once stated the mixed metaphor of " People don’t change from lions to rabbits in mid-flight". But there is biblical precedent for this mixed metaphor... specifically from Jesus.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
- John 15:1-2

When Jesus refers to God the Father as being the "husbandman" he is using an old school term for a farmer. If you attended a State University that had an Agricultural & Mechanical focus (like Texas A&M or FAMU) then you probably know that the "animal husbandry" program referred to a program for people studying farming (and not some group of weirdos that you should shy away from). All farmers and gardeners engage in pruning: intentionally cutting and removing dead parts of the plant to encourage growth. It is like disciplining a plant. If we are the Body of Christ, then God (as a responsible farmer) prunes us from time to time. Pruning is nurturing discipline to make the vine as fruitful as possible. When God prunes us he disciplines us and this discipline encourages growth.

So even after the breakdown of the verse you may be still comparing God to Joe Jackson. Specifically you may be asking the same question asked about Joe Jackson, Joe Simpson (Jessica Simpson's dad) and the parents of all child musicians and actors: is God more of a father or a manager? Is he producing children or talent? Not to criticize these real life parents of "industry kids", but I feel like the key difference between God's parenting and the industry parent stereotype is the reliance on one's children for employment. God has no financial gain wrapped up in producing his children into spiritual stars. It can be argued that, God in Christ, He actually lost much to gain us. Even though God created all of mankind, He lost us in the Fall of Man into Sin. Since that point every person has been born into this world with the assumption that they are spiritually illegitimate... without a spiritual Father. It is with this assumption of loneliness that the Gospel conflicts. It tells us that we are not alone in this world but victims that have been kidnapped by Sin. Victims with a loving Father knows us by name. A loving Father that thinks of us constantly and longs to have us again. A loving father that gave up His Son Jesus in an effort to pay our ransom. A loving father that has nothing to gain from loving us but everything to give. So when you are chastised by God, think of how much He valued and cared for you. When you understand this truth about spiritual discipline then you will be able to appreciate and recognize true spiritual growth... until you grow up to have the features of your spiritual Father.

Restricted Access

Paris Metro, Abbesses Station on Metro Line 12

Luke 13:22-30

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’  then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

Today's entry will be another one that uses two scriptures and two images. The images are of two different works f art by different creators. The scriptural selections are both by Jesus and though they are in two different Gospels and have different details, they essentially discuss the same thing and may be two versions of the same sermon. So to discuss these divine truths I feel it best to start off with a story of my fraternity days back in school.

In undergrad I pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (and yes, we always have to state the "Inc." at the end every time we say the name). If you don't know much about frats then imagine it as less of an "Animal House" type frat and more of a "Stomp The Yard" type frat. I was the awkward, uncoordinated brother who ruined every step show. So we focused on a lot of great stuff like service and producing a good image of what a fraternity man is on campus, but being a frat we also threw parties. Before you judge, please understand that there was no alcohol at our parties and they were our biggest form of fundraising for the service events. I also must engage in an obligatory name drop and mention that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a brother in my fraternity back in the olden days (yes, I know that didn't help me prove a point, but it made me feel important). Our chapter didn't own a frat house (neither did any of the other chapters in New Orleans) so we threw most of our parties in a really big room in the student center building. The parties were pretty successful. Since we didn't have alcohol, people came out for the music and the dancing... the likes of which Miley Cyrus  should have studied more of before embarrassing anyone who learned to be a twerker in the late 90's-2000's New Orleans. So my job at these parties was usually to guard the back door... all 6 ft and 160 lbs of me (at the time). Even though I wasn't very intimidating (I'm more of a friendly, Wayne Brady-ish type of nice black guy with an overall De Barge Family aesthetic) my job was important... because they were probably afraid that I'd miscount the money (did I mention that I do accounting now?). So the lines to these parties got pretty long and the line in the front would snake around the back... hence the need for me to protect the rear access. Since we advertised the parties to other colleges, fraternities, sororities and even at certain clubs downtown, we would have a mixed crowd of attendees. While guarding the backdoor I would see them all as they waited for several minutes to get in throughout the night: freshman giddy for their first college parties, fellow Greeks that made the rounds to every party and step show, classmates from that particular semester, people that I hadn't seen since 6th grade, folks who stumbled in from the dorms in pajamas to see what all of the noise was about. church members that I would see again in about 8 hours at Sunday worship service, grad-chapter Greeks who wanted to party with some teenagers in spite of the fact that they were 30 something, people that I went to high school with who drove down from LSU. street hooligans who came to hit on college girls... I even saw Baby/Birdman once wearing a $10 Dickies/white tee shirt combo and about 1/2 a million worth of jewelry. With all of these groups I would get pleas from those who didn't want to deal with a several minutes long wait or pay the $5 entrance fee to let them sneak in the back door. Suddenly people that I didn't think that I knew very well (or at all) needed a favor. "Hey man remember me from elementary!" or " Bro I saw you at Xavier University passing out flyers!" or "We are Sociology and the Black Student Union together!": all of those greetings meant the same thing "I know you so let me in the back door!" The only thing separating these party goers from the excitement within the Alpha party was this door and my narrow worry frame. So today's verses are about something similar, in that Jesus guards the door of access to God. Who does Christ let enter and who is just a name dropper?    

The entrances into Paris Metro (subway) are beautiful Art Nouveau structures. They playfully spell out "Metropolitan" in a whimsical script that matches the gilded iron structure and is reminiscent of Paris of yesteryear that lives in our collective mental imagery.  Yet this tactical entrance, but rather an ornate sign, an announcement over the stairwell that leads to the entrance. Make no mistake about it: to ride on the actual Paris Metro you must pay admission and push your way through a turnstile. If you do not press through that narrow turnstile entrance then you can still watch others enter, but you cannot enter yourself. There are many who ride the Paris Metro daily, likewise, the entrance standards into our college parties weren't that restrictive (as long as you had $5, didn't have a weapon and seem too much like a thug) but Christ's standard of who would be saved seemed to be tough. So much so that someone asked if there would only be a few who would be saved. Jesus answers that the number of the saved is so few not due to effort lack of effort of the many but due to their lack strength. The entrance of the Kingdom of Heaven is narrow and restrictive like the Paris turnstile. Jesus goes on to state that many will backdrop for entrance. They will yell out to Christ at the door and say how they knew him and what they had done for him. But Christ will deny knowing them because it seems that during all the time they thought they knew him, they never really knew him. It leads the reader to wonder "do I really know Christ or do I only think that I know him?" There are many popular notions of Christ that really don't reveal his true identity. It may be "like Jesus" but it is not the "real Jesus." One mark of knowing the real Jesus is if our conception of Jesus and being his follower yields spiritual strength... the kind that allows us to resist temptation and press our way through the narrow gate. If we do not know this type of friendship with Christ and comfort of the Holy Spirit then we will find ourselves still waiting on the outside while we watch others enter. This is the saddest type of rejection because it is rooted in our lack of preparedness. We don't know God because we never took time to know Him.

The Gates of Hell, Auguste Rodin

Matthew 7:13-20

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
 

French sculptor Auguste Rodin was known for his depictions of singular figures in clay, like his masterpiece "The Thinker." Yet to stave off the critiques he decided to do a multitude work based on Dante's "Inferno". Like Rodin and Dante, Jesus' view of the gates of Hell are broad and filled with people. Like the Paris Metro and Rodin's Gates of Hell the difference between Jesus' two sermons the revealing of the second entrance. Just like the Alpha parties there are two doors... but unlike the Alpha parties, only one if them leads to the celebration. It's just like if instead of guarding the backdoor, I guarded a mop closet and tricked people to pay me $2 to let them into the party. Christ sees the problem of those who don't enter into life as a problem of deception. He blames their lack of spiritual strength and direction on the fact that they have been misguided by false prophets and false teachers...figures who lack spiritual strength and integrity themselves. As you may have gathered by now, I am fairly tolerant of diversity amongst Christian beliefs. There will always be differences and some of them aren't that big. However, all theological and practical matters must be weighed against the testimony of Christ in Scripture. Yet we cannot always base our notion of what a false prophet is on external creedal impurity... because Christ doesn't. He bases the bulk of his assessment of a false prophet on the spiritual leader's internal intentions. Do they claim Christ to backdrop and gain glory and praise for themselves? If so then they may  deceive followers or even themselves but they cannot deceive Christ. Now while you are mentally listing all the religious leaders and weighing them against this standard, take a moment and analyze yourself. This standard is not only for leaders but for Christians in general. Does your outward profession of Christ match your inward practice? That is what makes wolves in sheep's clothing. Those are they which unknowingly populate the way of Destruction that leads to the gates of Hell.

So who then can be saved? Who enters God's doors? Who is important to God and who will He recognize? In the verses in Luke Jesus starts off by listing the great Patriarchs of the Hebrew Scripture: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then he lists other obvious V.I.P.'s such as the Old Testament Prophets. But who else gains entrance? Christ says that it will be many of those at the back of the line. The ones at the very end will be preferred to those in the beginning. That is the logic of the Kingdom of God: those who are overlooked and celebrated in this life are valued in the next life. God does not look for those who make a big show of their giving, public allegiance to him or "great" acts of faith: he can see past the smoke and mirrors. God searches for the humble of sincere and simple faith. They are those who may have to enter through the backdoor in this world but will be greeted at the gates of Heaven, in Jesus, as honored guest.

Homeland: A tale of Diaspora and Homecoming

Arch of Titus

Isaiah 66:18-21

^"And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory. I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels. And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

 

Everyone loves a good Homecoming celebration! Whether it is a Homecoming football game and you cheer on your high school team and root for the ol' Alma Mater. Or maybe it's the Homecoming dance where you celebrate high school royalty, pageantry and coming of age rituals awkwardly set to waltzes. Or maybe it is a Homecoming parade for the troops coming back from war. Even the ancient Romans knew about this last type of homecoming celebration. They perfected it to an art. Being a militaristic empire the Romans made honoring their war heroes a glorious event. Parades were thrown, crowds were assembled, wreaths were given and even generations later victors of war were celebrated through public art. These monuments were erected to champion the home town boys who went far from home to gain glory for Rome and returned home with the literal spoils of war (that was a literal example of the contemporary overuse of the word "literal"). The Arch of Titus is one such structure. It was constructed to celebrate Emperor Titus' victories while he was a military commander. Like any contest, war has winners and losers. Yet the losers in this conquest were decimated. This arch celebrated Titus' victories in the first of the Jewish Wars. The relief on the arch (that is pictured above shows) Roman troops carrying off the sacred treasures of the Temple at Jerusalem, which the Romans destroyed in 70 AD. The Second Jewish War (also known as the Bar Kokhba Revolt) would see the Romans destroy Jerusalem a second time, expel the Jews from Jerusalem and lead to a general Jewish Diaspora from Palestine for about 1,800 years. So for the Romans this artwork was a symbol of military honor but to Jews is a symbol of shame and ethnic persecution. Yet even though it would be the final Jewish dispersal from Palestine it was not the first. It was not even the one that is referred to in Isaiah 66:18-21. So why even discuss it with this verse? Well, because whether we are discussing a diaspora due to Roman oppression, Babylonian oppression, Assyrian oppression or what have you, the reasoning behind it seems to be the same... at where God is concerned. That is what is revealed in Isaiah 66:18-21.

 



Arch of Titus

Merriam-webster.com defines Diaspora as "the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland." Our popular conception of one usually involves this happening do to a tragic impetus. As an African American with ancestors who were slaves brought to the America in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, I am part of the greater African Diaspora. My wife, whose ancestor's migrated to the U.S. after the Great Potato Famine of 1845, is part of the Irish Diaspora. In 2005 we both became part of the contemporary New Orleanian Diaspora due to Hurricane Katrina. There are scores of people groups in the ancient and contemporary world that have been misplaced, yet the Jewish Diaspora is the most famous. The Jews trace their history back to Abraham who was taken from his hometown of Ur (in contemporary Iraq) by God to be shown a future homeland for his future offspring. Later the Jews would find themselves leaving Palestine again to seek shelter is Egypt during a famine. After being enslaved by the Egyptians for several centuries the Jews were emancipated by Moses and spent 40 years as a nomadic people in the Sinai peninsula. They would eventually conquer land in Palestine that would eventually turn into a kingdom... and then separate into two kingdoms. Eventually both kingdoms would be conquered by Mesopotamian powers and many of them taken away from Palestine. Eventually many would return, but this would start a period where the Palestinian Jewry would go from being ruled between different conquering Mesopotamian, Persian or European powers (with one small exception of self rule after the Maccabean Revolt). Even when Jews were allowed to live in Palestine, their maintained a population (known collectively as "the Diaspora") that lived in Jewish enclaves abroad. When the Roman induced Jewish Diaspora occurred, living abroad amongst Gentiles became the norm of Jews rather than the exception. Yet just as we are reminded in the New Testament that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose", God would show His children Israel that all of the calamity's that befell them happened for a reason. And that reason was one that was for the good of all mankind.       

Arch of Titus



Most Believers are familiar with the Promise of Abraham... when God told the ancestor of all Jews that all the nations of the world would be blessed by his offspring. But that isn't the only thing that God revealed to Abraham about them. In the same passage where God promises land in Palestine to Abraham's seed, He also tells of their future travail and captivity in Egypt. Later when God discusses the Egyptian slavery episode of Israelite history and His punishment of Egypt's pharaoh His states a similar line of reasoning that mentions in Isaiah 66: all of the things must occur so that the nations of the Earth might see His glory. This display of God's greatness was not just a display of God's power and judgment upon the Egyptians but also his mercy upon the Israelites. God had humbled the proud (the Egyptian empire) and exalted the humble (the Israelite slaves). Jesus' mother Mary would later extol of God's modus operendi in the Magnificat of Luke 1:46-55 when she stated "...he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble." That is the significance behind God's spreading His people to all corners of the Earth. It was not just to show that God's mercy was now open to the heathen Gentile, but expose that God's mercy has always been open to the humble amongst all people (Jewish and non-Jewish). Much of Scripture had heretofore divided people into two sections Jewish and Gentile with the Jews being God's chosen and the inheritors of Abraham's promise. However the greater distinction amongst Men is between the Humble and the Proud... and it is the humble among all nations that Abraham finds his true children by faith. It is the meek that inherit the Earth. Whether it be the Jews like Daniel who were taken from Palestine in the Babylonian Captivity or the later Jewish Christians like the Apostles who were driven from Jerusalem by religious persecution, God sent believers all over and spread the message of His goodness to the Gentiles. Isaiah 66 depicts how these children of God would go out and make new brothers and sisters of the former enemies of God.   


Arch of Titus

If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

- Romans 11:17-21

 

Yes boys and girls, we've come to that part of the show where we connect things in the Old Testament to other things that the Apostle Paul said in the New Testament. And how befitting, seeing that he was known as the "Apostle to the Gentiles." If anyone had an opinion on how the Gentiles fit into God's plan it was St. Paul. In describing how Gentile Christians fit into Salvation History he uses the image of an Olive Tree. Olive trees have the ability to graft and merge into each other, whereby two trees become one. Likewise, Gentile believers (of which I am one) have been grafted into the story of the family of Faith in Scripture. They are not a separate story, side story or greater story. Jewish and Gentile believers are all part of the same story: an older brother and a younger adopted brother that are equal heirs to God's mercy. It is all part of God's plan since the Fall of Mankind in the Garden of Eden to unite all of Mankind in one redeemed family. A gathering of all believers into one people, inheriting the fruit of their one faith. This is the same faith that saved Abraham and brought Him away from Ur in search for a true homeland.

Arch of Titus

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

- Revelation 21:2

Thus is the journey of all the faithful: whether they be Jew or Gentile, Ancient or Contemporary: all are pilgrims in search of a land whose foundations were not laid by Man but by God. Starting with Adam and Eve, Scripture as a whole is the story of the Diaspora and Homecoming of the Human Race. Like Israel, Christ himself was God's child who went abroad (from Heaven) and found suffering in await to return home... and return home with new brothers and sisters. ***Spoiler Alert: I am skipping to the end of the Bible and Human History.*** Revelation 21: reveals that more than a geographic location this homeland, The New Jerusalem, is a people. It is adorned as a bride awaiting union with Christ. It is the people that he was born into this world to redeem and died to save. They are the children of God. They are the children of Abraham. They are the meek. They are the Body of Christ. They are the Church. The City of God where the Lord reigns and gathers the diaspora of believers together is the People of God. If you are long to know God, welcome home.



Arch of Titus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Firestarter




Fallen Blossoms, controlled explosion at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Cai Guo-Qiang

Luke 12:49-53

 

“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Flash! Outside of shiny things, humans seem to have an unstoppable interest in fire. Things that burn and explode. Things that go "Zap!" Things that go "Boom!"
Cai Guo-Qiang is a Contemporary Artist from China that specializes in such things. He has made a successful career of using the ancient Chinese invention of gunpowder to create art. However his work isn't just about the bright lights and loud noises that come with explosions but rather about what fire leaves behind. Fire is only the medium/tool that he uses to create drawings. Often we focus on fire as an agent of destruction but this dangerous medium can also create. It is on that note that we look at today's verse in Luke 12. Christ speaks of strange things: fire baptism and division. In the center of it all is a startling statement that he has not come to bring peace! Could it be that the Prince of Peace is really the Lord of War? Is Jesus denying all of that "turn the other cheek", and "pray for your enemies" stuff that he was saying earlier? No, remember that we must always understand scripture in the context of other scripture...and the testimony of Scripture as a whole. So it appears that Jesus was using hyperbole, however, it was used to a specific end. He indeed is the Prince of Peace but his fire would indeed usher in destruction in order to create beauty.

Cai Guo-Qiang, Gunpowder

Fire is a dual agent of destruction and creation. For some reason we are the most fascinated with destructive qualities. Yet even though it goes unappreciated by most fire leaves a residue behind. It is more than the ashes of destruction. Charcoal that we use for cooking, gunpowder and drawing is made from the residue left after fire. Cai Guo-Qiang recognized that potential in that duality of fire. Many people struggle with the duality of God: He is both a judge and a savior. Yet it is destruction of His judgment that makes room for the creative mercy of salvation. When the Lord saves us from our sin through Christ, it is as a judgment against the system of Sin. When Christ rose from the dead and instituted his body as the new temple of God it was itself a judgment against the condemnation of the Law. If there is no destruction then there is no room for creation: Death allows for new life. This brings us to another good property of fire: it is a purifying agent. In iron working fire is used to form the metal in its raw and unsophisticated form into something stronger, utilitarian and aesthetically pleasing. It is not a "diamond in the rough" but it is the "iron in the rock." Fire is used to burn off the impurities. That is what makes gold pure and what gains Believers long suffering. While going through his own God given test of suffering Job described it as "When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." It appears that this is the type of fire that Jesus was about to unleash. It would prove to be tumultuous, but only a temporary tumult that would forge something strong and beautiful. God's most beautiful golden crosses are forged in flames. God's most ornate sketches are drawn with charcoal.

Baptism is a spiritual purifying agent. That is generally understood. We symbolically wash away our old sinful nature in submission to Christ's commands. But I suspect that when Jesus speaks of his own impending baptism that distresses him that he isn't referring to the traditional water baptism. Christ is referring to a "baptism by fire." When I say baptism by fire I am not making an allusion to the baptism of the Holy Spirit...I am referring to baptism through sacrifice. It is a baptism that was reserved specifically for Jesus. Suffering as a spiritual purifying agent, yet it is not one that needs to be willingly sought out. Don't go looking for Trouble. If needs be, Trouble will find you... like Chuck Norris. Even though Christ's baptism of fire on the cross would be prepared for only him, it would still have universal implications. One of these immediate implications would be division.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Just as Fire and Baptism are purifying agents, they are also divisive by nature. In both cases one thing is divided into two parts. Fire divides by separating the parts that are consumed by the flames from the residue which remains. Baptism shows that we have been separated from our sins. As Christ testified his baptism of fire would divide families. Belief in what his crucifixion spiritually achieved caused division amongst brothers. Specifically it caused division within Abraham's children. Belief in Jesus as the Messiah would form two separate factions in Judaism that would form the future of the Abrahamic faith. In the days leading up to his crucifixion, Christ preached about how the temple would be destroyed, foretelling the Romans destruction of the Temple some 40 years later. He also said that if they destroyed "this temple" (meaning his body) that he would raise it in three days. When Christ was executed it is reported in the gospels that the veil in the temple (that showed the area where the spirit of God was thought to dwell) was torn. Christians saw this as a sign that the spirit of God no longer dwelled in the temple at Jerusalem. Christ's cross was not only an agent of salvation but a sign of judgment against sacrificial Judaism. When the actual destruction of the temple occurred and the Jews were eventually banned from Jerusalem by the Romans, it spelled an end to sacrificial Judaism as a whole. Having no place of sacrifice or priesthood to perform it, Judaism became a "religion of the book." The focus of worship became how to live out the commands of God in everyday life: how we express personal holiness and how we treat others. Their are a few Jewish factions that were around then which remain today (like the Karaites, who derive from the remnants of the Sadducees, and the Samaritans) but for the most part the last two millennia have been dominated by the disciples of the Pharisees (who created Rabbinical Judaism) and the disciples of Christ (who created Christianity). I have no desire to simplify or antagonize either group: both Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity have several different sects, denominations and subcultural groups with different beliefs. Though there is hope in the recent developments in Messianic Judaism (Jews who believe in Jesus as Christ and worship in a rabbinical structure), the majority of the historic interactions between the Church and the Synagogue have been filled with hurt and animosity. Most of these have been due to the sins and bigotry of Christians. Even though the cross may be an offence to some, we need not be intentionally offensive in our treatment of others.



Cai Guo-Qiang

^"but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
- 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, St. Paul

There is one last quality to the Message of the Cross that burns. Yet it is less like fire and more like indigestion. Any of you who have spent any time in unbelief are familiar with that feeling. Christianity is hard to swallow. It is hard to mentally digest the whole story of Christ's redemption. To St. Paul's Jewish brethren the message of Christ's cross presented a stumbling block: the idea that salvation was not through ethnic identity as a child of Abraham and one of God's chosen people, but rather through faith in one specific rabbi, Jesus, as the Son of God. To the Greek philosophers that St. Paul encountered abroad the message of  Christ's cross was a presentation of foolishness: the idea that amongst all of the religions and people of the world, God would chose the humble Israelites to send his Son through as the only means of salvation. This debate still exists today and is called The Scandal of Particularity. It is a pretty strong argument. I live in a pluralistic culture and I generally believe in compromise: whether it be political, at my job or what have you, usually a suitable answer can be found by cooperating and merging ideas and paths. Yet there is one area where I do not practice or believe in this principal: love. When I married my beautiful wife I chose to love her and forsake all others. Does this mean that I hate everyone else in the world? No, I maintain friendship with many people but the truest and most dedicated love is for my wife. Hopefully we will produce children one day and we can share our intimate love within even more people. People that have been born of our love. God often described his relationship with Israel as a spousal relationship. If the Israelites engaged in idolatry he likened it to adultery. Likewise, Scripture refers to the Church as the Bride of Christ. Truth is singular in its expression when that expression is Love. Truth bears children of faith when that expression is Love. Truth burns like a fire when that expression is Love.