This is the Promised Land?

In the two previous posts about being "Strangers in a Strange Land," I noted that we find ourselves enslaved by our own sin.  I further noted that the way out of this "Egypt" and into the Promised Land is baptism into the death of Jesus.  Said differently, the way out is to heed Jesus' call to turn away from the "Pharoahs" that enslave us and to follow Him.  Yes, this call looks like and does indeed entail death.  And yet, Jesus' promise is that from this death comes life.

We reach the point, therefore, in which we have been freed from sin.  We are no longer slaves.  We have received the Holy Spirit, and "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (II Corinthians 3:17)  However, something still isn't right.  If we are to look around and honestly assess our lives in this world, surely we must admit that this cannot be the Promised Land.  If this is the Kingdom of God, then it is a disappointment.

Thankfully, this world is not the Kingdom of God.  Our Lord has said, "My kingdom is not from this world." (John 18:26)  The apostle Paul has said, "We look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal." (II Corinthians 4:18)  This last quote might seem absurd: how do we look at something that cannot be seen?  The answer: through faith.  The Promised Land is a promise, and thus all we can do is trust in it.

And so we see the invisible Kingdom of God through faith.  Yes, there will come a Day on which "we will see face to face." (I Corinthians 13:12)  That Day, however, has not yet fully arrived.  We are still flesh and blood, and "flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 15:50)

If we are no longer in "Egypt," and not yet in the Promised Land, then where are we?  It is important to recall that Israel crossed the Red Sea out of Egypt and into the wilderness.  No longer slaves of sin, we too now live in the wilderness.  It is no accident that Jesus, after his baptism, was "led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." (Matthew 4:1)  We too, baptized into Jesus, have been led into the wilderness.  Although we are free from slavery to sin, we are still "tempted by the devil."

If we are indeed living in the wilderness, then it is important to recall how Israel survived its journey through the wilderness.  Yes, there was a lot of complaining and failure on that journey (see the book of Numbers for plentiful examples).  Such complaining and failure was always due to distrust in the promise.  How, though, did Israel survive in the wilderness?  They received "bread from heaven" (Exodus 16:4), and water from a rock that Moses struck with his staff.  (cf. Numbers 20:11)

If we, like Israel, live in the wilderness, then where are we to find this "bread from heaven" and this mysterious rock from which water springs?  The New Testament Scriptures are unequivocal: Jesus himself is our bread and our rock.  As He said, "I am the bread of life." (John 6:25).  Further, "Those who drink of the water that I willl give them will never be thirsty." (John 4:14).  The apostle Paul draws the connection, describing Isreael's life in the wilderness by saying that "all ate the same spiritual food, and all ate the same spiritual drink.  For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ." (I Corinthians 10:3-4)

We survive in this wilderness,  then, not by turning back to slavery in Egypt (which is still quite tempting).  Rather, we survive this barren place by drinking from the spiritual rock and eating the bread of life: Jesus Christ.  The Promised Land remains a promise, and it is our hope to attain it on that Day.

As a final note, it is no accident that the name of our Lord is Jesus.  This name is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua.  Isreael, remember, was led from the wilderness into their promised land by the man named Joshua.  Likewise, we will be led from this wilderness into the eternal Promised Land by the true Joshua: Jesus Christ.

Addendum to "Strangers in a Strange Land"

In the previous post, I noted that we, like Moses, are "strangers in a strange land" (Exodus 2:22).  As Jesus says, we are enslaved by sin (cf. John 8:34).

If we are to be free, we must ask ourselves: What is the sin, the "Pharoah," that enslaves us?  More to the point, what is the sin that enslaves you?  Whatever it may be, it cannot be worshiped alongside the one true God:

"I the Lord your God am a jealous God..." (Exodus 20:5)

"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24)

The sin that enslaves us must be given up if true worship of the one true God is to happen.  Yes, giving up that sin looks like death and, therefore, seems to be an impossible demand.  And yet, Jesus promises otherwise:

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Strangers in a Strange Land

Moses described his life in Egypt in this way: "I have been a stranger in a strange land.” (Exodus 2:22). When he said this, he and all of the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Even though Moses was born there, he did not consider Egypt his rightful home. Indeed, he was a slave in a foreign land. He knew that he belonged elsewhere.

According to Jesus, the story of Moses' estrangement and enslavement is not merely Moses' story: it is ours too. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says that those who continue in his word will know the truth and, in turn, the truth will make them free.  A few who hear Jesus are puzzled, saying, "We are descendents of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?" (John 8:33)

This response might very well be the same thing we say to Jesus.  We were born into this world and, yes, many of us have a wonderful degree of freedom.  Nevertheless, Jesus views our condition on a far deeper level.  His statement cuts directly to our core: "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin." (John 8:34) 

If we are to reflect properly on this statement of Jesus, we must first consider what this sin is of which Jesus speaks.  At its root, our sin is due to the fact that we try (always in vain) to derive abundant joy and eternal life from the things in this world (i.e. a nice place to live, a good reputation, or even our good deeds).  Rather than receiving such joy and life from the hand of God, we have “exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” (Romans 1:25)

Because of this sin, we find ourselves enslaved in a land that is not our home. We were all made to dwell in another place, a place promised by God to his people. That place is what we call the Promised Land. It is the Kingdom of God, it is not of this world (cf. John 18:36), and it is our true home.

Now the question must be asked: How do we leave this "Egypt" and enter the Promised Land? Moses, by God's power, led Israel through the Red Sea. This passage through the Red Sea is a sign pointing to the true passage out of sin: baptism into the death of Jesus. In this baptism, God drowns our “Egyptians” and frees our “Israelites.”

Of course, we must not think that baptism is merely a one-time event that has no significance after it has occurred. As Martin Luther wrote in his Large Catechism, “a Christian life is nothing else than a daily baptism, begun once and continuing ever after. For we must keep at is without ceasing, always purging whatever pertains to the old Adam, so that whatever belongs to the new creature may come forth.”

It is worth noting here that Jesus refers to himself as “the way.” (John 14:6) Thus, baptism into the death of Jesus is our way out of this “Egypt” and into the true Promised Land. This ongoing baptism, consisting of continual and humble repentance, might look like nothing but death to us. We might rather remain in the safety of Egypt. However, the safety of Egypt is nothing but slavery in a “strange land.” Furthermore, to die the death of repentance is to die with Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead and who promises that we too will be raised. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:5)

It is true: in the face of death, the crucified Jesus promises abundant joy and eternal life. This is the sweet, sweet promise to which we cling on our way out of “Egypt” and into the “Red Sea.” Above I noted that Jesus is “the way.” Now we must recall that he is also “the truth and the life.” To die with him is to truly live. Said differently, to die with Jesus in baptism, in continual repentance, is to leave this “strange land” on our way to our true homeland. That true homeland is the Kingdom of God. It is where Jesus reigns as our Lord and, therefore, it is where we are truly free, truly alive, and truly blessed.