Why Yesterday Matters

Dear Faith Family,   

"...Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
(Hebrews 13:8) 

"Christ ['the anointed'] is the same yesterday..." What does that mean? In what way(s) is God's anointed the same as he was yesterday, and how many yesterdays does that cover? 

Believe it or not, the anticipation of one anointed, whose life is covered in God's life and so can be a bridge or gate between heaven and earth, goes back to the first moments of human existence. Long before any prophet, priest, or king was actually anointed, the necessity and promise of one whose life could serve as a channel for flourishing, and thus a stopgap for all that opposes life, was the fuel of our faith's story. 

As we discussed on Sunday, it all begins in the Garden. Having entangled themselves with the Serpent, deceived by its lies and their own desires, humanity finds itself on the outs. Naked, ashamed, not elevated. And while the consequences of their collusion will have grave ramifications for all of history to follow, there is a promise amid the curse, a hope that looks forward to the end of the enemies of life. Here we have what has been called the "Protoeuangelion" or first gospel:    
 

"The LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise [cover/overwhelm] your head, and you shall bruise his heel.'" (Genesis 3:14-15)


 
Humanity, not just "Christians," has, from our beginnings, needed and awaited a figure who could master the forces that master us—sin, the deceiver, and death. The stories that follow in Genesis 4-11 reveal how desperately we need help if we are not to be overcome by the enemies of life. From Cain being mastered by murderous thoughts, to Lamach's declaration that taking what he wanted was his right, to the union of rebellious beings that led to depraved violence, through a dramatic yet merciful flood, followed by repeated offenses and alliances, and after a gracious scattering, we finally arrive at the calling of one (Abram), from whom a people of promise, blessed to bless the world through covenants and kings, would emerge. 
 

 "Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 'Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.'" (Genesis 17:3-7)


 

This promise of an ever-expanding family and the development of not just one nation but many encouraged a vision of a universal, eternal Kingdom from which all nations are part, flourishing because of one who would lead them to an abundant life and thus put an end to the enemies of flourishing. At least, that is the vision Jacob has for his fourth-oldest son, Judah. A vision he shares as his last blessing and breath.
 

"Then Jacob called his sons and said, 'Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the days to come…The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs (Shiloh); and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.'" (Genesis 49:1,10-11)

From Judah's line, the line of kings, would arrive the one "to whom it belongs," the one to whom this kingdom of abundance and peace belongs. While the title for this king is still years away, and the family of Jacob at this time were mere sojourners in Egypt, living under the grace of the Pharaoh; nevertheless, this vision of a king from Judah who would bring flourishing and thus an end to that which keeps life from flourishing, became ingrained in our faith's imagination and stories, and the fueling hope for their future.  
 
Of course, we all know what happens next, right? Soon, both the people and Pharaoh forget the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And, while the family of Israel grows in number, they are no longer seen as blessed to be a blessing but as a resource to take from. Enslaved and oppressed, the people cry out in remembrance of their hope, and God responds by sending Moses to lead God's redemptive actions. Having left the land of their sojourn, they then make their way to the land of promise, but that journey is also filled with opposition. The land is not vacant, and those who claim it are not interested in giving it up.

After Israel defeated Og, the king of the Amorites, it headed toward Moab. Their king, Balak, realized that Israel's victories are not merely by the might of their army; in fact, their forces should not be able to overcome the current possessors. There must be a greater power at work here. So, Balak hires Balaam, a prophet of sorts, to curse Israel. But the funny thing is, as much as he tries and desires to, Balaam cannot speak a curse against Israel. Instead, four times, he blesses them! 
 
So, lest God's people forget that their destiny of blessing was not just for themselves but for the good of all, and that it was not something they could achieve but something that would be accomplished for them, they are reminded by their opposition of their need and sure hope for an anointed King who would both promote flourishing and be the end of the enemies of life. And there is the irony! The inevitable arrival of this need and hope of humanity—this vision of the awaited King—also bound their adversaries! Even the adversaries of life cannot escape awaiting the anointed! Here are Balaam's final two "blessings": 
 
 

"How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like ceder trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed (offspring) shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
 
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush (overwhelm) the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed…And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of the cities!'"
(Num. 24:5-7, 17-19).

 
 
In the years that follow, as the people of Israel become the nation of Israel, the need and hope for a specially "anointed" King, different from his companions (Ps. 45:7), becomes more precise and more defined. Still, it is evident from our story that humanity, whether through flood, scattering, or curses reversed to blessings, cannot escape the arrival of the anointed one, an arriving to bless and bring about life abundant and overflowing (Gen. 49:10-11), and to overcome all that is united against life good, true, and beautiful (Num. 22-24).

What was true of the anointed all those yesterdays ago, remains the same today and forever: His arrival brings flourishing to life and an end to life's enemies. May our inclusion into this story of *Jesus Awaited, fuel our faith and faithfulness today, even as we await forever: 

"So CHRIST, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly awaiting him." (Hebrews 9:28)

Love you, faith family. God bless!