Lions, Jackals, and a Bloodied Lamb

IN THESE UNCERTAIN times, I look for witnesses who will guide me to a more hopeful future. I do so because I cannot overcome my anxieties alone. I recognize the affective, spiritual, and communal dimensions of healing and recovery. When we heal and witness together, we are emboldened to witness the life-giving hope of the divine with the other more than ever.

In this month’s reflections, I see various sources of hope and witnessing. Beyond anthropocentrism, I see that nonhumans, particularly jackals and ostriches, are guiding us in our relationality with the divine and others (Isaiah 43:16-21). In responding to trauma, I seek the wisdom of women (“daughters of Jerusalem”) who have been down this road before (Luke 23:27-31). With their guidance, I hope for a peaceable kingdom that is unmitigated by false hopes and spiritual bypassing.

My last reflection engages Thomas the Twin (John 20:19-31) and the inauguration of Donald Trump for a second time. Here, I offer a weary posture of the discombobulated mind that is still trying to grasp the impact of his inauguration. I am trying to breathe amid a sense of despair. So, I hope that you will breathe as well, say a prayer or two, talk with a trusted friend, be with your animal companion, and relish your personal solitude. In all ways, I hope that you will find hope as you witness and become witnesses of social holiness.

April 6

Creatures Great and Small

Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4-14; John 12:1-8

RAISING TWO YOUNG children means that I have watched copious anthropomorphic movies. Who doesn’t like Zootopia’s bunny, who became an amazing police officer? Although not as cute as a bunny cop, anthropomorphism also happens in the Bible. The classic example is the talking snake in Genesis 3:1-13. A lesser-known example is the depiction of the wild animals honoring God in Isaiah 43:20, particularly the jackals and ostriches. Although we aren’t privy to how the wild animals honor God, biblical interpreters often pigeonhole passages such as Isaiah 43:20 as a metaphor or hyperbolic expression of God’s amazing wonders and creation’s appropriate responses. After all, the Israelites are exuberant because they are told that they will be able to return to the promised land. Such a promise would make many Israelites describe the joys of the animals as manifesting and supporting their return as well.

What if we allow ourselves to be liberated from the claws of anthropocentrism? After all, Balaam’s ass talked back (Numbers 22:21-38). The nonhumans also groan for the promised redemption (Romans 8:18-25). I cannot help but wonder if our older siblings of creation (animals, plants, and inanimate entities) know more than we think, can do more than we expect, and trust in God more than we believe. Since the nonhumans are created by God, they also must have the imprint of the divine within them. When God provides water in the watercourses of Negeb (Psalm 126:4), could we imagine that the nonhumans are also drinking with the humans? Could the nonhumans also be witnesses to God’s providence? An ecologically sound reading of biblical passages creates room for the marginalized to be uplifted in their silenced presence.

April 13

Daughters of Jerusalem

Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 23:1-49

IN OCTOBER 2024, 10,000 North Korean soldiers were forcefully sent to Russia to fight in Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine. Ten thousand North Korean mothers were beating their breasts and wailing for the impending death of their sons. In an imperial and colonial world, it seems that women without children are more blessed than those who have to see their children die for someone else’s fragile ego. In Luke 12, the “daughters of Jerusalem” were also lamenting and weeping for Jesus because he was one of their sons (verses 27-29). Jesus fought for the people: He fed, healed, taught, and saved them. And now, at the whim of the Roman Empire, Jesus is about to be crucified as a criminal.

The salvific gift of Jesus Christ cannot be contained in the spiritual alone. His death on the cross cannot be detached from the gruesome and oppressive machinations of the Roman Empire. Before chapter 23, Luke has already foretold that to believe in Jesus as the Messiah implies that the empire is to be accounted for (see 19:41-44 and 21:20-24). The first followers of Jesus had to endure the wrath of the empire every day. Their backs and cheeks are struck, their beards are pulled out. They often face insults and spitting (Isaiah 50:6). Their years are spent in sorrow; their bodies feel like broken vessels (Psalm 31:9-13).

And then there are those of us who feel like Theophilus, the “most excellent” Roman high official who is apparently the recipient of the gospel of Luke (1:3). Living in the United States while my North Korean siblings are conscripted to fight and die for an irrational cause does not sit well with me. Like Theophilus, we have received the gospel in the midst of the empire’s atrocities. How then do we who are part of the American Empire live out Christ’s gospel in a way that stops atrocities in Ukraine and other parts of the world?

April 20

A Peaceable Kingdom

Isaiah 65:17-25; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; John 20:1-18

HOW I WISH we lived in (or at least could imagine) a peaceable kingdom in the year 2025. Isaiah 65 contains the famous passage that describes a peaceable kingdom of all creation, including the wolf and the lamb feeding together. Edward Hicks’ famous painting “The Peaceable Kingdom” is based on this passage and others. The composition portrays a lion sitting beside an ox, a child hugging a lion without any fear, and more.

I do wonder, though, if a peaceable kingdom such as Isaiah 65:17-25 portrays can be fulfilled. Perhaps my realism stems from writing this piece amid the wreckage caused by the new Trump administration in the United States. I choose to be realistic because to hope that the lion will not eat the ox requires the defanging of carnivorous animals so that we humans can fit them into our definition of peace.

My definition of the peaceable kingdom also does not involve living until 100 years old, as Isaiah 65:20 declares. I have come to a point in my life where I am at peace with death; I have done so with the decision to trust that Jesus Christ has conquered death for all of us (1 Corinthians 15:26). After all, today is Easter, the day we remember the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The peace that Christ gives is an opportunity to let go of the fear of death and the unquenchable desire to achieve a so-called “peaceable lifestyle.” And so, I look forward to a restful sleep tonight, waking up tomorrow, and keeping on doing the work of the divine until I find the peace of God within myself.

April 27

Witnessing Like Thomas

Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 150; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31

AS A CHRISTIAN in the U.S. today, I feel like Thomas the Twin, who needs a sign in order to believe again. I do not want to hear any spiritual bypassing or gaslighting right now. I do not want to hear that “God is in control” or that “it is God’s will,” that “God has a plan,” or “everything has a reason.” I empathize with Thomas the Twin more than ever. Thomas and I are dwelling in this space that seeks the bloodied marks on Jesus’ hands and his side. We do so because we are embracing our frailties, confusion, and unwillingness to just let go of what has happened to us. Perhaps Thomas the Twin also did not want to just let go of what happened to Jesus. How can he? Jesus of Nazareth was supposed to be the Messiah. How can the Messiah be crucified as a common criminal?

In my grieving and longing for a better world, I still hope to witness the divine signs that will show me that God is with us. John’s gospel tells us, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples.” The Greek word semeion means “sign,” not “miracle” (John 20:30). In other words, John declares that the works of Jesus are signs of his messianic identity; they are never out-of-this-world events. They are meant to help us believe because we can witness them. They are meant to invite us into the loving fold of the divine because we know that the signs are achievable.

In my desire to witness the signs to come, I will wait patiently and breathe first. After all, Jesus showed up to Thomas the Twin a week after his resurrection (John 20:26). It might take a bit longer than a week. In any case, I will dwell in this space. This time, I will dwell by reading books such as Black Liturgies, by Cole Arthur Riley. I need to channel her prayers, poems, and meditations in these tumultuous times.