CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
May 23, 2010
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373
www.blakehart.com/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR:
God’s will for our congregation Various relatives, friends and co-workers
Our nation, military and leaders The spread of the good news
LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS
“At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals and angels attended him” (Mark 1:12).
The above is an interesting text. There is much in it that many have looked at but one part might have been overlooked. We are familiar with the Spirit, the wilderness, forty days, Satan, and angels but have you thought about what being with the wild animals means? There are several ways we could look at it. Mark could be saying that Jesus was in the wilderness where there are wild animals, along the lines of the song from The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man are walking on the yellow brick road and come to the realization that there are wild animals singing, “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.” Wild animals are in the wilderness and it is possible one might come across them. We know from scripture that bears and lions roamed the land in Biblical times (1). The other gospel accounts state that Jesus fasted during this period so they might not have been there for food, or were a temptation as food. Let’s take a look at another idea (2).
In order to understand this context, we have to look both backward and forward. In the Garden of Eden, we find Adam and Eve walking in the Garden with the animals that Adam had named. The picture is that of peace where there is no fear of animals. Sin had not entered the world so there was no enmity or war between humans and animals. It is probably, though not conclusive, that they lived on a vegetarian diet. When the humans sinned, it affected this peaceful situation. Some animal died to provide clothes for the human couple. Now chaos had entered creation and it became a hostile place to live, which it still is to this day.
Looking forward, creation groans awaiting its redemption (see Romans 8:15-25). In my mind, God is going to restore creation to its original intent where He will be in fellowship with His entire creation, human and animal, in the new heavens and new earth (3). We can get a glimpse of this from a text or two in scripture.
Isaiah 11 opens up with a description of a “stump of Jesse” and a Branch, referring to the coming King, the Messiah in particular. His would be an ideal rule. As part of that rule, we see the wolf living with the lamb, the leopard lying down with the goat, the calf and lion and yearling together, all being led by a child. We see the cow feeding with the bear and the lion eating straw. Infants and young children will play with snakes. “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (vs. 6-9). While there are a number of interpretations of this text, one can definitely see a reconciliation of the human world with the animal kingdom, reconciliation being a major theme of God’s atoning work at the cross.
Part of Jesus’ mission was of course, to free humanity from sin. There are however, more indications of reconciling more than just humanity. We often speak of the miracles of Jesus as proof of who He is and of the things He said. For instance, to the paralyzed man laying on a pallet in from of Him, He stated that his sins were forgiven. Those who heard this were shocked. Jesus responded by asking which would be easier, to state that sins were forgiven or to tell the man to get up and walk? The answer is obvious. But Jesus told the man to get up and walk, which he did. It is proof of what He said…and more. Jesus was restoring intended life to that man, and to many others, giving them what God had intended; no disease, no pain, etc. When Jesus came announcing that the kingdom of God was at hand, He was stating that the rule of God was coming to begin the process of reconciliation (4). The same could be said of the natural creation. Jesus calmed the storm, walked on water, and talked about faith that could move mountains. Death likewise was defeated in the resurrection, showing that death no longer controls us. The resurrection of the saints after Jesus’ death, as well as Lazarus and some children in the gospel accounts, show that God’s intent is to restore His creation to its original state through redemptive, reconciled fellowship.
When we look at Jesus with the wild animals in the wilderness, there is another way of seeing this. Jesus was literally walking with them. We know that Satan opposed Him and so was in conflict with Him. The angels were allies and comfort Him (5). Then there were those wild animals. What role did they play? Friend or foe? Keeping the Messianic Isaiah text in mind, I think that Jesus found companionship with the wild animals in His wilderness testing. I can see them keeping Him warm and being a companion, much like our cats and dogs are for us. In fact, as we enjoy our pets, so Jesus might have enjoyed this aspect of His creation.
Sin did more than just separate us from God, though that is its major effect. But sin also separated us from what some call the peaceable kingdom. Jesus came to show us what it means to rule over and subdue in the earthly creation (see Genesis 1:28). At least it is something to think about.
George B. Mearns
(1) David and one of his mighty men had killed both and lions were sent among the transplanted foreigners in the northern kingdom after the Assyrian invasion.
(2) Some thoughts for this comes from Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Renewal of Nature: Reading Isaiah and the Gospels ecologically,” a lecture given at St Tikhon’s Orthodox Seminary, Moscow, October 2009, copied from www.richardbauckham.com
(3) See John Mark Hicks and Bobby Valentine, Kingdom Come, Leafwood. Also see books and articles by N.T. Wright, Christopher J. H. Wright and Jim McGuiggan to name a few who hold this position.
(4) Jesus spoke about the kingdom without defining it presumably because His listeners understood the meaning. Our view in churches of Christ that the kingdom is the church has missed the mission and purpose of what Jesus intended. Kingdom means rule not church. While the church lives under the rule of God, it is NOT the rule of God. This has affected our understanding of any number of texts. For a definition of kingdom, see any Bible dictionary as well as any number of commentators.
(5) Mark has them in the wilderness with Jesus and Matthew has angels attending Him after the three temptations of the devil in Matthew 4.