The end of James reminds us to consider
the suffering of Job, describing him as “steadfast” (James 5:11). What may
surprise us is that the Bible’s account of Job’s story is not one without pain,
doubt, fear, or sorrow. On the contrary, much of the book of Job poetically
delivers songs of Job’s grief and anguish in the middle of his pain, words
shouted to heaven demanding that God give an answer for his condition.
If Job is James' example of
steadfastness, then we also have permission to wrestle with questions of
justice, to even boldly ask of God why we continue to suffer pain in our
resistance. If it is for mercy that God's final hand of justice is held back
from those who continue to abuse, deceive, and oppress, what of God's mercy for
us who seek to act and live rightly, and yet receive abuse, exile, even
imprisonment for our righteous, faithful resistance?
Such questions are common in the book of
Psalms. Even Jesus himself prayed through sweat and blood, asking God if his
cup of suffering could pass from him. We need not fear asking such questions as
though doing so would betray some weakness in our faith. The entire book of Job
records the suffering man's lament in the midst of his pain, and his abject
refusal to accept any answer given by his dogmatic and privileged friends that
did not fully satisfy his deepest questions. James' affirmation that Job
remained steadfast though he asked such bold questions of God reminds us of the
encouragement with which James began his letter.
James 1:2-8 (ESVUK)2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Our wrestling with our belief, faith and
action in the midst of resistance is not a sign of doubt or of weakness in our
faith. On the contrary, it is this very engagement with the struggle that God
will use to fashion us into greater instruments of Kingdom Justice.
Our lives sing the clarion call of the
Kingdom Come. The suffering of our Great King slaughtered on the Roman cross
exposed the powers and authorities of Empire (Colossians 2:15). The cross made
a show of them to be seen for exactly what they are: corrupt, violent, abusive,
and false. Our suffering in this age is a small reflection of that same
exposure. As we walk in the footsteps of our Saviour we shine like a city on a
hill the truth that the world need not be as the Empire has fashioned it
(Matthew 5:14). As we cry out "why?" to our Lord, we are not rebuked
for our questions. Just as James describes our faith as demonstrated and made
real in our actions (James 2:17), so also does our doubt not make us
"unstable" or "double minded" unless we act upon it. Though
tested, though mocked, oppressed, or imprisoned, we remain steadfast. Though we
may walk through the darkest nights of fear or pain in the midst of our
struggles, though we may raise our questions in lament, uncertainty, or even
anger to God, we remain steadfast. We do not waver in our action. God does not
require our unquestioning, dogmatic, untested belief, as Job's friends required
of him. Instead, it is in the uncertainty of the fire that our steadfast will
is forged.
We are the ambassadors of the coming
Kingdom. We are the citizens living for eternity, demonstrating the new order
now, even in the midst of the Empire's continued cruelty. We live in the
margins, in practical solidarity with the oppressed, outside of the current
order as it now is. But we do not hide.
Our alternative communities of
generosity and love, and our bold proclamation of the new order and law of
liberty point a finger boldly at the heart of Empire. We do not retreat, for
the battle belongs to the King and the victory has already been won. The
Kingdom is here. God's Spirit in us is the evidence. We continue to participate
in God's work in the world. We continue to share in communities that live in
resistance to the kings of this age, in humble submission to the true King. No
trial or sentence by these wretched rebel authorities will end our resistance.
As long as they exist, we will persevere. Our resistance will continue.
Our resistance does not stop though we
are imprisoned or exiled. Instead, we grow in the face of adversity. Within it,
our character and conviction is reinforced, the Empire within us further
removed, the Kingdom through us more clearly seen. What once may have been
doubt is converted to deeper faith more surely forged through fire. The
unmistakable injustice of the spirit of the age is revealed in its oppression
of the righteous and faithful. It is when confronted by this oppression that we
become more intimately aware of the violent, selfish, and merciless nature of
the rebel Empire and all its willing agents. Inside the prison we are brought
to our knees before the Great King who walked the path before us. As we share
his suffering, we most deeply know his sovereignty, his justice and his mercy.
We will resist. Though the rebel
oppressors of this world may hate us, we will resist. In our continued,
faithful, humble resistance, we are blessed.
Matthew 5:11-12 (ESVUK)Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Blessing is not based on a reaction to
an external circumstance. Blessing is an objective and unalterable state
derived from the approval and reward of the Almighty God. Like the prophets,
like John the Baptist and Elijah, from within the wilderness of these dying empires
we will declare the rise of living justice! We invite all to dine at the table
of the King!
We are the voice crying out in the
wilderness,
“Repent! The Kingdom of God is here!
Prepare the way of the great King!”
When the kings of this age, of
money, religion, or power, hear the news and tremble in anger or fear, some may
repent. Some may retaliate. Either way, the message cannot be stopped. Should
we be beaten, imprisoned, or killed, the Kingdom grows still.
The seed of the True Kingdom
planted in the world at the execution of the King cannot be destroyed by
martyrdom. The blood of the martyrs further scatters the seeds of the Kingdom.
We declare victory over death. We fear no lesser power. The Kingdom will come.
☠
This blog entry is an excerpt from the book Radical Religion by the Pirate Pastor, the first book of the Radical Christian trilogy. For vendor locations or how to order from the publisher, please email jesuspunks@gmail.com.
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