Heaven & Earth
Jesus bridged the gap between heaven and earth. He commissions us to go and promises us His eternal presence as we do.
“Now a troublemaker named Sheba…shouted, “We have no share in David, no part in Jesse’s son! So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba…But the men of Judah stayed by their king…All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him. We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?…A man named Sheba…has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city…the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.” 2 Samuel 20:1-22
The story contrasts a character Sheba with a faithful army who serve the king. Sheba divides the people with a rallying cry that certain people were not getting what they should have gotten. There is a deficit mindset of entitlement that each of us can have that leads to division. Sheba’s rebellion does not last long and the people of the city decide it would be wise to come together for the greater good and in doing so they save the city.
There is an unnamed character in the city who helps bring peace. She is known simply as the wise woman. Rather than sit back and see her city destroyed, she sought out how to make peace. Without her, the people in the city would not have been saved. They would’ve continued to go on rebelling and perished. Why is she not mentioned by name? Perhaps people forgot her name, but not her impact. The truth is we all will eventually have our names forgotten, but we can make an impact. You might not realize it, but you have a part to play. You are called to bring peace and serve the King. How will you serve Jesus today? How can you bring peace to others?
“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, tear it down to its foundations” Psalms 137:1-7
Have you ever considered that we are all foreigners living in a foreign place? The earth is our home now, but not our forever home. Heaven is our home and one day we will return there. In a way we are all foreigners. David asked how people could sing well in a foreign land. Some days it can be hard to sing. Some days you don’t see the light nor feel the joy. Being a foreigner can make you feel unwanted or unsettled. Have you ever felt like a foreigner? It is hard to sing when you feel like a foreigner.
The enemies mocked the faithful people and said tear down the dwelling place of God’s people to its foundations. Ironically, when everything is stripped away and only the foundation remains that can be the best time to build a house. What is your foundation of faith? Is it that we serve a resurrected King who reigns on the throne of Heaven? At the foundation of our faith is our call not to go make disciples and share the good news that He is Risen?
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 1:2-14
Solomon could be seen as quite the buzz kill. He may have been wise, but he was not going to win any awards for being uplifting. At first glance he does not seem to be sharing any good news. He offers a reminder that our time on earth is temporary and we will not be remembered. How many people remember their great great great grandparents on both sides? Truth tells us our time on earth is temporary. The word meaningless in Hebrew is better translated as vapor than meaningless. Solomon is contrasting how time on heaven and earth.
When he says under the sun, he is describing life on earth. It is the same pattern of thinking that David had when thinking of life as a foreigner. Have you thought about how little time you will spend on earth compared with eternity in heaven? Perhaps if we took a longer view of where we will spend more time we might reshape our priorities. How much of what you are doing each day is lasting or meaningful? How much of your life feels like chasing after the wind? What can bring us meaning?
“In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: “ ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’” Isaiah 36:1-15
There will be a time you have to make a decision about who to follow. We live in a world with competing voices and many opinions. The people were under attack and surrounded by the army of Sennacherib. That name might not mean much to you but consider how often your life can feel like it’s under attack. Every one of us will feel pressure and experience problems during their time on earth.
The question is to reflect on is which voice you will listen to. Will you listen to the voice that tells you to be afraid? The people in the story had every reason to be afraid. There was an army and it was attacking them. But there is another voice telling them not to be afraid. There is a voice that says to trust in God, for He is with us, for us, and will deliver us. Which voice do you listen to most? Why? Do you trust in the promise of God that He is with you?
“After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb…an angel of the Lord came down from heaven…Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said…Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid…the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:1-20
Jesus bridged the gap between heaven and earth. He made a way where there was no way. He overcame death and rose from the grave. This is the foundation of our faith and truth that will never fade. He is risen! Why do we wait for Easter to celebrate this truth? Should these not be the first words we proclaim each day?
Jesus stepped into each of our stories so that we could understand that everything is about His story. He met his disciples where they were and said do not be afraid. Go make disciples, baptize others, teach them my ways, share the good news and stand on this promise that I am with you always. What would happen if we declared He is risen every day and held onto the promise that Jesus is with us? How would that change how we live during our time on earth? Would our faith not multiply and our fears not evaporate?
Solomon saw how temporary life was and was troubled. Even with all his wisdom, he saw that most of his time was a waste. It is in deciding how to use our time that the great commission can clarify how we can build a legacy and help bring the eternal to our earth. Do you want to know what will last beyond yourself? Share Jesus with others and help them have the hope of heaven.
Jesus said in my father‘s house there are many rooms, but He also said the workers in the field are few. For many people, the great commission becomes the great omission. It is white noise and they waive the white flag. We conveniently ignore the call to make disciples and instead pursue collecting earthly things. Then we wonder why we don’t feel satisfaction in our souls. Perhaps we feel the way we do because we have not consistently done the work that will give us meaning and make a difference.
How are you fulfilling the great commission to make disciples? Jesus never made it optional nor did He say that it was only for paid professionals. We all have a part to play while we are on this planet. We should be excited about sharing the good news. We are not selling moldy sandwiches. We are offering unconditional love and endless hope.
There is a limited amount of time that your voice will be heard on this earth so use it to share your story and how Jesus has changed your life. Connect people to Christ and teach His ways. Like the wise woman in David’s day, we all would love to live in a peaceful place. This world will be transformed when each heart is transformed by the love of Christ. So play your part and remember His promise. You are never on your own nor going at it alone. Jesus is with you. He is risen and one day you will rise to your heavenly home with Him where you belong. Until then tell everyone you can about the Risen King, Heavenly Father, and Holy Spirit.