What's Easter Gotta Do With It?
A Lot. Without Easter, There Is No Mission.
Welcome to “Global Witness, Globally Reimagined,” where we dream about mission in a postcolonial world. Every Thursday, I share one thought that has spoken to me in the week, some resources that I trust will be helpful to you, and three exciting quotes about mission to give you something to think about. I pray one of these will energise you in the coming week.
1. Thought I Can’t Shake Off
Easter, for me, is about a lot of things. I find its strange connection with migration quite fascinating. It was in the context of the Festival of Firstfruits on the morning of what we call Easter Sunday when the priest had the congregation recite that “My father was a wandering Aramean.” The assurance of great harvest in the Promised Land ought to cause them to remember that their fathers were once foreigners in a strange land. Paul calls Jesus the firstfruits of the dead. His resurrection must remind us that our father was a wandering migrant. Unfortunately, that is not what I have wrestled with this week. What has been on my mind is the significance of the crucifixion, especially that Jesus had to shed his blood to redeem us from damnation.
Many religious cultures around the world understand the spiritual power of the blood. It is almost a given fact that the shedding of blood touches the spirits in the unseen world (and moves them to affect the material world in ways that only spirits can). That is why in African religion, for example, people bring animals to their spiritual healers and mediums; chicken, goats, cows, etc. That is also why there is a lot of animal sacrifice in the Old Testament. The blood of animals can move the spirits to answer their prayers. Hearing the story of Cain and Abel (Gen. 4) for the first time, an older gentleman I knew from Malawi laughed and said, “How come Cain did not know that the spirits always prefer blood sacrifice?”
The writer of Hebrews puts this into perspective for us. Blood sacrifice was necessary for “without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sin (Heb. 9:22). However, the blood of the animals only covered the sins for a while. But for us, as followers of Christ, God has not only shed God’s own blood. God has also mediated the entire sacrifice for us—Jesus presented his own blood before the throne on our behalf, and being God, he also received the blood (for the remission of our sins). Through this, not only are our sins covered, they are forever washed away. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, the lamb without blemish that was slain so we can touch the Spirit of God, to have not only our sins cleansed but also our sicknesses healed, our broken hearts mended, and the captives set free. The Spirit of Jesus has all the power to do this and a lot more. There is no more need for any other blood sacrifice. In Jesus, we have the real deal. This is the good news that we share with the world.
2. Resources I am Enjoying
Book: Kwame Bediako, Jesus in Africa: The Christian Gospel in African History and Experience, Regnum Studies in Mission, (Regnum Books, 2000).
In this olden goodie, the late African theologian Kwame Bediako explores how Africans understand Jesus and the Gospel, especially as the Christian faith continues to come in contact with indigenous peoples and various cultures beyond the West and around the world. He makes a compelling effort to demonstrate that the understanding of Jesus from an African lens, as with other non-Western worldviews, can indeed enrich the universal church, just like the dominant Western perspective has done. Bediako insists that the theology brewed in daily life experiences must antedate every academic reflection, pointing to the validity of every community’s perception of Christ, as the Gospel continues to interact with the cultures it comes across. Of course, the book speaks to both Western and non-Western Christians, as we strive to better engage in cross-cultural mission in this age of multicultural societies and polycentric Christianity.
3. Quotes I am Pondering
The mission of the church is to make disciples of every people group … It would be ironic, then, that we should be happy to go, to send our resources or even to support others in their going, and yet resent it when potential converts arrive on our doorstep. — Mark Sturge
God’s Kingdom can exist and operate within human cultures, but it cannot be controlled by human regulations, prohibitions and taboos. — Olivia Nassaka
… evangelism and Christian mission are basically a spiritual battle. — Kalemba Mwambazambi.
I pray you have a wonderful Easter.
Hi, Harvey. I hope you will run more with your first thought. As a secularised westerner my mind-set doesn't easily take on board that the shedding of blood can be anything more than a medical fact. But it is clear in scripture, in most of the non-western world, and indeed with earlier generations in the West - 'there is power in the blood'. Yet to most of my contemporaries it is offensive or ridiculous. How would you take it forward.
May we be amazed by the Cross & amazed by the resurrection this Easter. John.