Lenten Devotional, Day 36: #1 Gender Language, Roles Plus Poem, #2 No Marriage, But The Marriage, #3 Poem: The Reluctant Enemy
Dear Saints,
The Scriptures for Wednesday are Psalm 143; Jeremiah 32:1–9, 36–41; Matthew 22:23–33.
NO MARRIAGES, BUT THE MARRIAGE:
“For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Matthew 22:30). I consider this the hardest of the so-called “hard Verses” of the Bible. I'd like to think that Deanne & I could be perfectly, sinlessly, wholly—all of it, forever!
No marriages, but there will be The Marriage: “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:9, also Revelation 19:7–9). And to be clear: “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:31–32). So husband & wife, here & now are the metaphor or allusion pointing to the eternal reality of “Christ and the Church.” From ‘til death do we part to: “I will betroth you to Me forever. I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.” (Hosea 2:19).
Mostly I don't know what to say or think about us being married to God in some ineffable way. But once in a while I force myself to try. So, ok, we'll have a oneness with Christ of some sort, and typologically even a spiritual marriage oneness? (My brain hurts).
Now a disclaimer: I AM NOT! trying to be silly, funny, cute, nor provocative, nor above all heretical! But consider this Verse: “For, as it is written, ‘The two will become one flesh [human marriage]’ But s/he who is joined to the Lord becomes ONE SPIRIT with Him [Jesus].” (1 Corinthians 6:16–17).
Just sanctified speculation, trying to think in Biblical categories: That Spirit-spirit oneness is not sameness but co-mingledness. And here the concept of now-not yet might apply. We have that oneness now perhaps in a betrothed, anticipatory sense, but we will have it “more” in an after-the-heavenly-wedding sense.
Final comment: Why comment at all? Because too many people struggle with the notion of spiritual intimacy, enjoying Jesus just for Himself. I can too. But I also touch upon it at times. Call it filled with the Spirit or active anointing or lost in worship? But for many that is rare and Heaven sounds boring: cloud, harp, toga, worship; rinse, repeat, forever. But it won't take really fast clouds for us to be happy in heaven. For one the ultimate or final heaven—The New Jerusalem—sounds like Eden restored (Revelation 21:22–22:5). Even so the physicality of final heaven will not be its ultimate good, but rather glorified capacities to fully receive the spiritual pleasures of God, i.e. His delight, perfections, holiness, power, beauty, thought, love, etc., that is: “Then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12). That is marriage language. And that will make our spirit feel really, really good.
BIBLICAL GENDER ROLES, LANGUAGE:
So this is related but different. The Matthew Passage got me thinking about gender and the way the Bible describes things. Disclaimer: Being serious here, really trying to wrestle with something, no sideways agenda.
So sometimes when I can I will use “s/he.” My point isn't non-binary, as I think they call it?? I use it when the Text is speaking personally not corporately and when the hearer can be male or female. I sometimes use “wo/man” that way too. It is a lil nod to say: I see you sis; it means you too and it means you equally.
And I am aware that Biblically daughters are sometimes sons: “For in Christ Jesus you are ALL sons of God, through faith.” (Galatians 3:26). That could be thought insensitive now-a-days. Ah, but the contextual point was a radical good: daughters are as sons, are as first-born sons, hence heirs, yea co-heirs with Christ!!! That Verse in context is emancipation, not oppression.
And of course, sisters are brothers or brethren or adelphoi (lit. from the same womb). So their “born-again-ness” is the same as a bro.
But a lil bit I wanted to say gently and graciously, some language and concepts can be crazy hard for guys too.
I've made a life and career of being pregnant, in labor, and mothering. Again, serious point, but yes! “My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” (Galatians 4:19). That Verse is pastoring 101. Tiny, playful, lil muse: When moms start swapping war stories of hours spent in labor; I'm wryly thinking—try 25 years. Sorry, please smile. And as to mothering, the most grisled, old, more-scar-than-skin dude said: “But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.” (1 Thessalonians 2:7).
Now those I soo own, and have well-worn grooves for them. But this one not so much: “Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure.” (Revelation 19:7–8). I'm poet enough to know that makes male Christians in some sense a bride in a wedding dress! O boy! (wordplay intended).
My point? Probably this: When language, role, or imagery seems an issue, think of Christ! Somehow all this stuff serves Christ's glory and our good—even if we utterly don't get it. And one more thing: A major “neighbor” category is the opposite sex. Let us be really neighborly.
Ugh, I'll do it, I'm already out on a limb. Again, serious thought but want sisters to feel gotten. I would never trifle with Father/Son. But God must have a feminine side or something. Please, please, be patient with me. One, Jesus had no trouble owning the identification and emotion of a mother hen (Matthew 23:37). There are more, but this one is strong: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness…So God created man in His Own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”’ The point: For female to be in the image of God, femaleness must image something IN! God.
So I tried a rough draft…
GENDER MYSTERY (octave)
My sisters are called brothers in the Word?
What's more they likewise are the sons of God?
Yet woman is man's glory and man's laud,
And tis a "her" that's The Great Speckled Bird.
While I in birth pangs often have engendered;
Hence pregnant have been let none dare defraud.
But leaning bride of Christ by angel's awed?
No man the mystery has e'er engird.
Notes:
An octave is an eight line stanza rhyming abba/abba. That is a chosen subtlety. The rhyme scheme (riddle if you will) is also God's term of endearment. That is, both sexes alike call on Father as Abba. And alike as children there are mysteries we cannot fathom.
Was simply thinking of gender language, roles, images in the Bible. This is NOT a sideways agenda about the larger cultural issues. I mostly wanted to say: I see you sis and know us guys have some head-scratchers too.
Yet every line above has Scriptural markers. Allusions in order of occurence: Ephesians 6:10; Psalm 133:1; Galatians 3:26, 4:6; 1 Corinthians 11:7; Jeremiah 12:9; The Great Speckled Bird (Reverend Guy Smith); Matthew 23:37; Galatians 4:19; Isaiah 53:11; Jeremiah 30:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:7; Isaiah 62:5; Song of Songs 8:5; Revelation 19:7–9, 21:9; Ephesians 5:31–32; 1 Corinthians 6:16–17; 1 Corinthians 13:12.
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s.D.g.
PSALM 143 REFLECTION
(stave of six)
O enemy wish not to call you mine,
Tho full upon me your foot presses down.
I would have gladly let you ease my mind,
If all you wanted was to wear this crown.
Too late! Our F/fathers hasten now to meet,
And mine will crush yours underneath my feet.
Notes:
Stave of six is a stanza rhyming ababcc. Often the quatrain poses a problem/tension resolved by the couplet.
Had in mind David's unwillingness to be Eliab's, Saul's, Absalom's, Ish-Bosheth's, Sheba's, Joab's, Shimei's, enemy, etc. Also had New Testament principles regarding enemies in mind.
Allusions in order: Matthew 5:44, Romans 12:14, Psalm 120:7, Micah 7:8, 2 Samuel 14–18, 2 Corinthians 11:28, Galatians 4:19, Hebrews 13:17, John 8:44, 2 Timothy 2:24–26, Romans 16:20, 1 Corinthians 15:25, Hebrews 10:13.
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s.D.g.
The Only Best in/is Christ,
tIM