“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”
Hebrews 11:13-16 (emphasis mine)
Have you seen the movie The Warriors? I’m a bit hesitant to recommend it, but if you’re a fan of 80s action movies and aren’t the squeamish type, it’s definitely worth a watch. The basic premise is that a gang (The Warriors) in a dystopian New York City are framed for the murder of a rival gang leader and must make a 30 mile journey from the north end of the Bronx to their home turf in Brooklyn.
The movie is actually based on an ancient story called the Anabasis written by a man named Xenophon in the early 3rd century BCE. In it, Greek soldiers have to fight their way through almost 300 miles of Persian occupied Asia Minor back to their homeland after their army is decimated by the opposing forces. It’s one of the greatest adventure stories in human history.
There’s just something captivating about characters trapped behind enemy lines.
I think stories like this speak to the human experience on a deeply spiritual level (and yes, I did just call The Warriors deeply spiritual). They reveal a cultural belief that is buried in our psyche, something the psychologist Carl Jung would call the “collective unconscious”. That belief or memory says this:
“I live a life behind enemy lines.”
“This world is not my home.”
“I am a stranger and an exile on this earth.”
I believe this is one of those times that the narrative offered by Christianity provides an unparalleled answer to a cultural question. If the question is “why do I not feel at home in my life, body, relationships, job, etc.”, the answer that Christianity gives is:
“Because you were made for a better country.”
“Because you actually do live behind enemy lines.”
Crash course in Biblical narrative:
God creates everything, and it is capital G Good, but human beings decide to indulge in the one thing he has set apart, showing their disobedience and bringing sin into the world. Sin is the corruption of God’s capital G Good creation, and it spins out of control until murder, rape, violence, warfare, and all kinds of injustice are everywhere.
God is not content to just sit aside and let his creation destroy itself though, so he makes a covenant with a man named Abraham. He tells Abraham that he will restore the world through Abraham’s descendants, bringing back the shalom (a Hebrew word for peace that envisions a world where everything functions correctly and there is no sin) that once existed before sin came in to the world.
Eventually, way, waaaaaaaaaaaay down the line, a man named Jesus is born to a descendant of Abraham. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, Jesus is how God is going to restore the shalom, Jesus is how God is going to solve the problem of sin. Jesus (who is also God, Christianity is full of these mysteries) lives a sinless life. He never once brings corruption into the world, he always follows the will of God.
Jesus is killed because of his radical teachings on God, life, women, sex, money, politics, justice, non-violence, and the list goes on and on. You name it, Jesus had something radical to say about it. As he is dying, God pours out all of his wrath for every act of sin that has ever been committed or ever will be committed by human beings onto this perfect man, onto himself, so there is no more wrath left for human beings.
So that humans can be friends with God.
So that there can be shalom once again.
Also Jesus comes back from the dead, proving his power over all things and abolishing the fear of death for everyone who follows him as the ultimate authority in their life.
phew.
The rest of the New Testament (Acts-Revelation) is just various authors writing about and expounding on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and how it changes absolutely everything, but one thing they keep running up against is this idea of “Already/Not Yet”.
Jesus already saved the world, right?
So why does all this bad stuff keep happening?
They affirm the work of Jesus and the saving power of his death and resurrection, but they’re quick to remind us that even now, things are not yet how they are supposed to be, because God left us work to do.
That’s right, God wants us to be his partners.
We are still living behind enemy lines in a world sick with sin because God has entrusted us with the antidote and set us loose in the trenches to do some healing. I’m talking Civil War, bite-the-bullet, pour some whiskey in the wound, spiritual field medicine. Could God have done it another way? Sure, but what we’re left with is this:
Jesus is the founder and the finisher of our faith. He set the pace, he gave us everything we need, and now we have the privilege of acting as God’s representatives here on earth. The flourishing and healing of the world is our responsibility, and God has gifted us with his spirit and his power to do the same work that Jesus did.
We live behind enemy lines, but the enemy just doesn’t know he’s lost yet. Our victory is assured because of the one who tasted death to make us alive.
So if you don’t feel at home in this world, you’re in good company, and what you feel is true and wise. It’s time to join the resistance, the men and women working deep in the enemy’s territory to bring light to the darkness, healing to the sick, shelter to the poor, and life to the dead.
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