Those of us who aspire to be communicators of the 2,000-year old (and older) biblical message face some (perhaps) insurmountable challenges. Biblical everyday pictures and not-so-everyday symbols do not translate smoothly into contemporary cultures. Ships, sheaves, soldiers, seraphim, shepherds, sheep ….
As a boy I remember chanting “Onward Christian Solders,” but growing up in southeastern Saskatchewan didn’t give me much of an idea of what a soldier looked like or did. War was only for the movies (which were out-of-bounds for us)! However, after spending many years on the other side of the globe, I have become all too familiar with both soldiers and war!
Last week, I visited the delightful, tiny Indian state of Tripura. Its history outstrips its current status just like first century meanings must exceed today’s casual usages. The State of Tripura has a long history. The Kingdom of Tripura in its peak included the whole eastern region of Bengal (Bangladesh) from the Brahmaputra river in the north and west, the Bay of Bengal in the south and Burma to the east during the 14th and 15th centuries AD. The last King of Tripura was Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur who reigned from Agartala died (at the age of 39) in 1947 and after whom the Kingdom of Tripura was merged with India in 1949.
As I observing the extravagance and contemplated the self-centeredness of this king, I pondered the difficulty of considering Jesus as King. What do Jesus’ kingdom parables mean to those who understand “king” in terms of this egotistic despot? His extravagant Neermahal (one of several retreat castles), 50 kilometers south of his main castle in Agartala, lies in deserted ruins. It is less than 100 years old! It reminded me of standing in front of Shajahan’s Tajmahal and trying to comprehend how one person could conclude that he deserved that much of human and natural resources.
No wonder that Jesus insisted while on trial before the Roman Governor, “My kingdom is not of this world.” But, what do we mean when we sing songs like “King Jesus,” “come and reign over us”? And, even if we think we know, how do we clearly communicate kingdom-ness?
As a boy I remember chanting “Onward Christian Solders,” but growing up in southeastern Saskatchewan didn’t give me much of an idea of what a soldier looked like or did. War was only for the movies (which were out-of-bounds for us)! However, after spending many years on the other side of the globe, I have become all too familiar with both soldiers and war!
Last week, I visited the delightful, tiny Indian state of Tripura. Its history outstrips its current status just like first century meanings must exceed today’s casual usages. The State of Tripura has a long history. The Kingdom of Tripura in its peak included the whole eastern region of Bengal (Bangladesh) from the Brahmaputra river in the north and west, the Bay of Bengal in the south and Burma to the east during the 14th and 15th centuries AD. The last King of Tripura was Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur who reigned from Agartala died (at the age of 39) in 1947 and after whom the Kingdom of Tripura was merged with India in 1949.
As I observing the extravagance and contemplated the self-centeredness of this king, I pondered the difficulty of considering Jesus as King. What do Jesus’ kingdom parables mean to those who understand “king” in terms of this egotistic despot? His extravagant Neermahal (one of several retreat castles), 50 kilometers south of his main castle in Agartala, lies in deserted ruins. It is less than 100 years old! It reminded me of standing in front of Shajahan’s Tajmahal and trying to comprehend how one person could conclude that he deserved that much of human and natural resources.
No wonder that Jesus insisted while on trial before the Roman Governor, “My kingdom is not of this world.” But, what do we mean when we sing songs like “King Jesus,” “come and reign over us”? And, even if we think we know, how do we clearly communicate kingdom-ness?
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