2 Corinthians 12:2-10
The beauty of following a story
through a series of Sundays is being able to see how characters develop. You
think back to just a few weeks ago when we were reading about the boy who ran
around with a slingshot in his back pocket, following the sheep around the
pasture, running errands for his dad and his big brothers. You think about this
little boy who bragged to the soldiers of Israel, I could beat that old giant
any day! And they laughed him off. And then he did.
That cute little boy from the hick
little town of Bethlehem, ruddy and innocent – look at him now. He’s king over
all Israel, ruling from his new stronghold, the city on a hill, the city of
David.
All the tribes of Israel came out to
see him, they praised him and honored him. They made a covenant with him and
anointed him king. He was 30 years old when he began to rule. Not bad.
Not bad for the man, and not bad for
the nation. These were the glory days for Israel. David occupied the
stronghold, he became greater and greater, and Israel became greater and
greater. As their leader, he defeated enemies and increased their territory and
wealth. These were the glory days. They were on top of the world. Taking
possession of the city on a hill, the stronghold, this was a critical point in
their rise.
It wasn’t easy, of course.
David wanted this city for his
capitol because it seemed impregnable. High on a hill with good vantage points
all around, there was no way to sneak up on Jerusalem. The Jebusites, who
occupied it at the time, felt pretty confident that they were keeping it. In
fact, they were so confident they taunted their enemies saying even their blind
and lame could defend Jerusalem.
But that turned out to be wrong. David’s
army managed to surprise the Jebusites by taking the less-traveled route. They
shimmied up a water shaft and – surprise! – popped up inside the fortress. At
that point it was essentially a done deal. All they had to do was get in there,
and the city belonged to David. Occupation was all they needed.
It got me thinking about the spaces we
occupy.
In some way, the space we occupy
defines who we are. To be the occupant
of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, or 10 Downing Street – we know who you are. To
occupy these addresses is to occupy a seat of power. When David arrived in the
city of Jerusalem, I guess dubbing it the City of David was just a formality. To occupy this city was to claim power. And
it still is today, as we witness ongoing power struggles over control of this
city.
But the matter of occupation and power
impacts all of us, even those of us who are not kings, prime ministers, and
presidents. The space you occupy means something. The space you occupy says
something to the people around you. When you have the biggest house on the
block, or when you have the tall-steeple church in the center of town, it says
something about your importance.
Israel was flying high on that day
when they took the city of Jerusalem, and for many years after. And they
probably thought it would last forever, because that’s the way we tend to
think. If you’re sitting on top of the world, why wouldn’t it always stay that
way?
But, of course, it didn’t.
A few hundred years later they were
exiled from the land altogether. Some of the tribes of Israel were beaten so
severely and scattered so thoroughly that they were never reunited. They are
known as the lost tribes of Israel. Others were sent to a foreign land,
Babylon, where they lived as captives. Later,
they were permitted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild, but they were never
again the masters of their own land. They were always in the company of one
unwelcome occupier or another. By the first century CE, they were living under
Roman occupation.
And so it’s interesting to me that
Jesus, the descendant of King David, grew up in an occupied land, under the oppressive
rule of Empire. And it’s also interesting to me that Jesus claimed no space of
his own. He occupied only the space that he happened to be in at any given
moment. And what’s more, he asked the same of his disciples. An interesting 180
degree turn from the glory days of King David, isn’t it? Just what, exactly
changed?
The theology underpinning the books of
Samuel and Kings draws a strong connection between Israel’s obedience to God
and their fortunes. The covenant law holds that the foundation of the
relationship between God and the people of Israel is their obedience. As long
as they are obedient to God, God will be with them, and they will receive the
benefits of God’s presence with them. The story says that David became greater
and greater, for the Lord was with him. At other points, they tell us that
Israel suffered losses because of their failure to obey God’s laws.
This passage from Samuel is affirming
this theological point. Yes, David’s army was great; they had strength,
ingenuity, courage, and all sorts of good qualities. But they didn’t take the
city because they had good qualities. The scripture wants us to know that they
took the city because God was with them. They were successful, they prospered,
because God was with them. And God was with them because they were obedient to
God. That is the message of Samuel.
Honestly, it is a message that
probably doesn’t work for all times and places. We know full well that there
are people in the world who lack goodness and compassion and humility, yet
still occupy high places. They prosper because they are ruthless and greedy. I will
not say that their prosperity and success is due to their godliness, or even
that God has reasons for wanting them to be successful.
The story of our faith gives us more
than kings, though; it also gives us prophets. Prophets were sent to Israel, again and again,
to show them the ways they had strayed and to bring them back to their God. The
prophets told them in so many ways that their failures to care for the least
among them was a failure that would bring them great pain and suffering. Their failures
to care for the well-being of all, instead of allowing a few to prosper at the
expense of the many – this would be their great failure. But did they listen?
Jesus grieved for Jerusalem, calling
it “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it,” he
said. He said, “Your house is left to you”; they still occupied the city on a
hill. But he would not be left with them – for much longer.
How we occupy the space we occupy is
the question that matters. This is a matter of spiritual occupancy.
Paul writes to the Corinthians “I once
knew a man who was caught up into third heaven.” Whatever that is.
Ancient religions sometimes spoke
about the layers of heaven, that there were seven levels of heaven – hence, the
term seventh heaven. Apparently, there are some extra-biblical writings that
speak of these levels of heaven, although I don’t know much about it, but I
have read that some believed that God resides in the third heaven. So, to be
co-occupants with God in the third heaven, that would be a big thing.
Scholars agree that Paul is really
referring to himself, when he says, “I knew a man who went to the third heaven.”
But he probably doesn’t say so because he is preaching to the Corinthians about
humility. He is trying to steer them away from the so-called super-apostles who
boast about their credentials, back toward himself, Paul, who has said
previously that if he boasts at all he boasts only of Christ.
That if he would boast at all, he
would boast of his weakness.
He would not boast of having the
biggest house, the best address, the most powerful position. He will not boast of his education or his
evangelistic achievements – but only of his weakness and his need. This thorn
in the flesh that was given to him, whatever it was, kept him humble, always
knowing that but for the grace of God he would be nothing.
The spiritual space we occupy is what
matters. This will make the difference in how we use whatever we have been
given. Think about what we have: buildings, location, endowment, a long and
rich heritage and countless spiritual gifts amongst us.
The question we must ask ourselves is
this: How will we choose to occupy it?
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