WHY DID JESUS COME TO EARTH?
Why did Jesus come to earth? Most Christians have a ready answer to this question. However, there are actually nuanced differences in how Christians think about this most basic issue, and those small differences can have dramatic consequences for all endeavors, including how the church responds to the plight of the poor. Let’s examine how Jesus Himself understood His mission.
Jesus’ earthly ministry began on Sabbath day in a synagogue in Nazareth. Week in and week out, Jews gathered in this synagogue to worship under the chafing yoke of the Roman Empire. Aware of Old Testament prophecy, these worshippers were longing for God to send the promised Messiah who would restore the kingdom to Israel, reigning on David’s throne forever. But centuries had gone by with no Messiah, and the Romans were running the show. Hope was probably in short supply. It is in this context that the son of a carpenter from that very town stood up and was handed a scroll from the prophet Isaiah.
Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” ... the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:17-21)
A shiver must have gone down the spine of the worshippers that day, Isaiah had prophesied that a King was coming who would usher in a kingdom unlike anything the world had ever seen. Could it be that Isaiah’s prophecies were really about to come true? Could it really be that a kingdom whose domain would increase without end was about to begin (Isa. 9:7)? Was it really possible that justice, peace, and righteousness were about to be established forever? Would this King really bring healing to the parched oil, the feeble hands, the shaky knees, the fearful hearts, the blind, the deaf, the lame, the mute, the brokenhearted, the captives, and the sinful souls, and would proclaim the year of jubilee for the poor (Isa. 35:1-6; 53:5; 61:1-2)? Jesus’ answer to all these questions was a resounding “yes,” declaring, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
In the same chapter Jesus summarized His ministry as follows, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). The mission of Jesus was and is to the preach the good news of the kingdom of God, to say to one and all, “ I am the King of kings and Lord of lords, and I am using My power to fix everything that sin has ruined.” As pastor and theologian Tim Keller states, “The kingdom is the renewal of the whole world through the entrance of supernatural forces. As things are brought back under Christ’s rule and authority, they are restored to health, beauty, and freedom.”
Of course these is both a “now” and a “not yet” to the kingdom. The full manifestation of the kingdom will not occur until there is a new heaven and new earth. Only then will every tear be wiped from our eyes (Rev. 21:4). But two thousand years ago, Jesus clearly stated that there is a “now” to the kingdom, saying, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
A FULLER ANSWER TO THE QUESTION
We have asked thousands of evangelical Christians in numerous contexts the most basic question--why did Jesus come to earth?-- and fewer than 1 percent of respondents say anything remotely close to the answer that Jesus Himself gave. Instead, the vast majority of people say something like “Jesus came to die on the cross to save us from our sins so that we can go to heaven.” While this answer is true, saving souls is only a subset of the comprehensive healing of the entire cosmos that Jesus’ kingdom brings and that was the centerpiece of His message.
Contrast the response of most evangelicals with the following passage concerning the nature and work of Jesus Christ:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And his is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Col. 1:15-20)
In this passage Jesus Christ is described as the Creator, Sustainer, and Reconciler of everything. Yes, Jesus died for our souls, but He also died to reconcile-- that is, to put into right relationship--all that He created. .... The curse is cosmic in scope, bringing decay, brokenness, and death to every speck of the universe. But as King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus is making all things new! This is the good news of the gospel.
What is the Task of the Church?
The task of the God’s people is rooted in Christ’s mission. Simply stated, Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom in word and in deed so the church must do the same. And as we have seen, Jesus particularly delighted in spreading the good news among the hurting, the weak, and the poor. Hence, it is not surprising that throughout history God’s people have been commanded to follow their King’s footsteps into places of brokenness.
In the Old Testament, God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel, were to point forward to the coming King by foreshadowing what He would be like (Matt. 5:17; John 5:37-39,45-46; Col. 2:16-17). Israel was to be a sneak preview of the coming attraction: King Jesus. Like any sneak preview, Israel was to give viewers an idea of what the main even would be like and to make viewers want to see the main event. When people looked at Israel, they were supposed to say to themselves, “Wow! These people are really different. I can’t wait to meet their King. He must really be something special.” Hence, since King Jesus would bring good news for the poor, it is not surprising the God wanted Israel to care for the poor as well.
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Unfortunately, Israel did not fulfill its task. She was a lousy sneak preview of the coming attraction, and God sent His chosen people into exile as a result. For what specific sins was Israel sent into captivity? Consider the following excerpts from passages in isaiah in which God is indicting Israel for her sins and promising to send her into exile. What do you notice as you read these passages?
Here the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! “The multitude of your sacrifices--what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, or rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations-- I cannot bear your evil assemblies... Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. (Isa. 1:10-13, 16b-17)
Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek my out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. “Why have we fasted,” they say, “ and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?”.... Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is it what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the king of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. (Isa. 58:1-3,5-10).
Why was Israel sent into captivity? Many of us have a picture in our minds of the Israelites getting out of bed every morning and running off to the nearest shrine to worship idols. Indeed, numerous passages in the Old Testament indicate that idolatry was a problem in Israel. But these passages give a broader picture. Here Israel appears to be characterized by personal piety and the outward expressions of formal religion: worshipping, offering sacrifices, celebrating religious holidays, fasting, and praying. Translate this into the modern era, and we might say these folks were faithfully going to church each Sunday, attending midweek prayer meeting, going on the annual church retreat, and singing contemporary praise music. But God was disgusted with them, going so far as to call them “Sodom and Gomorrah”!
Why was God so displeased? Both passages emphasized that God was furious over Israel’s failure to care for the poor and the oppressed. He wanted His people to “loose the chains of injustice,” and not just go to church on Sunday. He wanted His people to “clothe the naked,” and not just attend midweek prayer meeting. He wanted His people to “spend themselves on behalf of the hungry,” and not just sing praise music.
Personal piety and formal worship are essential to the Christian life, but they must lead to lives that “act justly and love mercy” (Mic. 6:8).
In the New Testament, God’s people, the church, are more than just a sneak preview of King Jesus. The church is the body, bride, and very fullness of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:18-23; 4:7-13; 5:32). When people look at the church, they should see the very embodiment of Jesus! When people look at the church, they should see the One who declared--in word and in deed to the leper, the lame and the poor--that His kingdom is bringing healing to every speck of the universe.
In fact, we see this from the very start of the church's ministry. when Jesus sent out His twelve disciples for the first time, we read, “He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:2). Later, Jesus sent out seventy -two others, commanding them “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you’” (Luke 10:9). The message was the kingdom of God, and it was to be communicated in both word and deed.
And in the very first passage concerning the gathering of the church, we read, “There were no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:34)... Luke is indicating that while Israel had failed to care for the poor and was sent into captivity, God’s people have been restored and are now embodying King Jesus and his kingdom, a kingdom in which there is no poverty (Rev. 21:1-4). Indeed, throughout the New Testament care of the poor is a central concern of the church (Matt. 25:31-46; Acts 6:1-7; cal. 2:1-10; 6:10; James 1:27). Perhaps no passage states is more succinctly than 1 John 3:16-18:
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for out brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
The Bible’s teachings should cut to the heart of North American Christians. By any measure, we are the richest people ever to walk on planet Earth. Furthermore, at no time in history has there ever been greater economic disparity in the world than at present.
Economic historians have found that for most human history there was little economic growth and relatively low economic inequality. As a result, but the year 1820, after thousands of years of human development, the average income per person in the richest countries was only about four times higher than the average income per person in the poorest countries. Then the Industrial Revolution hit, causing unprecedented economic growth in a handful of countries but leaving the rest of the world behind. As a result, while the average American lives on more than 90 dollars per day, approximately one billion people live on less than one dollar per day and 2.6 billion-- 40 percent of the world’s population-- live on less than two dollars per day. If God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments were to have concern for the poor during eras of relative economic equality, what are we to conclude about God’d desire for the North American church today? “If anyone has material possession and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
What is the task of the church? We are to embody Jesus Christ by doing what He did and what He continues to do through us: declare--using both words and deeds--that Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords who is bringing in a kingdom of righteousness, justice, and peace. And the church need to do this where Jesus did it, among the blind, the lame, the sick and outcast, and the poor. (pages: 31-34, 38-42)
A brief update.
Moments I never expected- but am thrilled to have experienced
I feel a breeze. There is something about THIS wind though that catches my attention. It is cool air.
I look out the dark window, seeing nothing, but thinking: ‘looks like rain.’ It even sounds and smells like rain. Good rain. Rain that will leave me refreshed. Not hot and humid.
I sit curiously wondering if the rain will reach us here in Ouagadougou or if it will go around us in the north.
Oh. It’s coming.
It’s raining.
It is not just a few sprinkles here, a few sprinkles there. It’s not, ‘oh, I might need an umbrella or I may need some rain boots.’
It is: water. pouring. from the sky.
I am sitting at the dining room table laughing. Smiling. The rain is so powerful and scary, but also so exciting. The lights flicker on the walls. The house echos with the sounds of rain and thunder. My whole body shakes with the noise. I get goosebumps. I see lightning flash across the dark night sky.
I feel giddy, but calm. Anxious, but relieved.
I feel God.
I feel His power and majesty.
I’m in awe.
God reigns.
So. I’m in Africa.
Burkina Faso.
Ouagadougou.
For the next few weeks I have the chance/privilege/opportunity to intern for a C&MA missionary family (the Wolters) here in Ouagadougou! It’s kind of awesome; it’s okay to be jealous.
For all those who have ever been on a short term mission trip somewhere and worked alongside full-time missionaries, have you ever wondered what it is like before your team arrived, or even after they left? Well, I get to see a glimpse into what it means to truly minister to the community here in Africa.
Being an intern, I get to basically do what ever is needed. When ever it is needed.
The intern program here with ENvision in Burkina Faso is relatively new. The Wolters have recently purchased two houses (one for guys/one for girls) for current and future interns working with them. Over the next week or so, I will be helping prepare the girls house so we can move in soon.
I have only been here a few days (after a lot of traveling- PRAISE God everything went smoothly) but I already love it. Some things are truly too hard to put into words. And even sometimes pictures can not seem to capture all that I see. But I see God. He is at work. And it is exciting.
Today I bought some African fabric. A tailer also came and is going to make me some skirts! Yay, patterns and colors; I have missed you.
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Prayer:
Love you.
I’m in Mexico.
I love it here. The people. The sounds. The smells.
Back in the States I have always been super punctual and valued time. Here though, ‘ish’ time is great. I feel like it is one of the keys in being relational. It is not about rushing an event or finishing a task. It’s about people. I love it. I’m not always the best at it. But I love it.
I’m here with 28 people from all over the United States, preparing to go to 8 different countries. Kind of awesome. I am excited for my generation
Analynn. Quite possibly one of the most adorable little girls. Ever. As a group, we went to one of the local churches (that the missionaries we are staying with, are partnered with). We helped put on a VBS. There were songs, hand motions, Bible stories, candy, crafts, snacks, and games. Analynn was this tiny little girl who wouldn’t say anything. Even if you asked her what her name was. This did not stop her from hiding under the church pews from me, allowing me to help her put stickers on her craft, or dragging me around wherever she wanted to go. She even gave me a few of her goldfish. I have never considered myself a mushy-fluffy-word-using person, but this girl was precious. It was sad to say good-bye.
We then went to the ocean. Many of the people here with me have never seen the Pacific Ocean before. I told them if they looked hard enough they could see Japan.
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Prayer:
Love you.
I wake to the sound of water pounding the awning outside my window. My stomach churns. My exhausted body wanting so badly to hold on to sleep, but my mind won’t let it. Restless, I lay in bed trying to calm my frantic mind, knowing if I wait long enough my mother will come wake me up.
I leave for Africa in 5 days. I leave for training tomorrow.
I feel nauseous. I have that feeling I usually get before I go on a roller coaster for the first time. My body tense with anxiety. I’m starving. But the thought of food makes my stomach flip.
I used to think about this moment a lot. Now though, I am not sure if I ever truly believed it would actually happen. When I was young I would tell people I wanted to live in Africa when I grew up. I don’t think they believed me either.
God has been doing great and little and big things in my life. I can honestly say I have been blessed. God has given me a heart for the poor. The marginalized. The disenfranchised. The oppressed. And I could not be more excited. The opportunities in this world are endless and I can not wait to see progress. Hope. Joy.
I don’t know what my future looks like. I don’t know how God will use me this summer. I don’t know a lot of things. And yeah, the uncertainty terrifies me. But I know that God is good. And that I want to live my life to glorify Him. (In whatever capacity that may be).
So for now, I go. I say yes. I trust.
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I talked to my sister this morning. She asked if I was terrified.
(pause)
‘Yeah.’
‘You’re ready.’
I smiled.
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I witnessed a miracle today.
Everything I wanted to bring fit in my suitcase. One suitcase.
The song ‘Our God’ by Chris Tomlin is all that comes to mind. As silly as it seems, it’s the little moments like this that I live for.
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I would LOVE if you would join me on this adventure and journey, and partner with me through prayer.
I hope to update this blog often with stories of my adventures and with prayer requests.
Prayer:
Love you.
“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” -Ephesians 6:19-20
