Living in a Land of Exile

As a teenager, one of my favorite bible verses was Jeremiah 29:11: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (NIV). What a wonderful verse! God actually has a plan for me, and that plan is good, full of prosperity and hope.

As the years went by, however, two things happened. First, I learned to read the Bible in context, seeking first to understand the meaning of texts as they were originally intended. Second, I realized that life for Christians often, if not always, included quite a bit of suffering and loss – a far cry from prosperity.

A contextual reading of this passage, along with life experience, however, do not in any way make this passage irrelevant – far from it.

Jeremiah was writing to the residents of Jerusalem at the turn of the sixth century BC. They had disobeyed God’s commandments, falling far short of God’s intention for them as a means of blessing the nations around them. Jeremiah, often known as the weeping prophet, consistently called the people to repent, lest they be judged by God. The people rejected Jeremiah’s pleas, however, and the leaders opted instead for prophets who gave them positive news. They also believed that, because the temple – the location of God’s manifest presence – was in Jerusalem, God surely would spare them.

Meanwhile, Jeremiah continued to speak of God’s immanent judgment, predicting the destruction of Jerusalem and exile in Babylon. Even as Jeremiah speaks judgment, though, he speaks hope. This is where Jeremiah 29:11 comes into the picture. Jeremiah is speaking to a group of people on verge of judgment and exile. Yet even as judgment and exile come, he leaves them with a word of hope. Judgment and exile are not the end of the story. God’s power and love are strong, so the last word is hope.

Writing some 600 years after Jeremiah, a generation after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter, in his first epistle, identifies his readers as “the exiles of the dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1). The Christian life is something like the experience of exile. In the resurrection of Jesus, and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we get glimpses of God’s kingdom – “first fruits,” in Paul’s language (Romans 8:23). Until the day in which God’s kingdom comes “on earth as in heaven,” however, we’re not quite home. As sin, evil, and death run rampant around us, we experience life as exiles, longing for home. Psalm 137, then, becomes a song of the church: “By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered you, O Zion” (BCP).

While we continue to grow in our knowledge and experience of Jesus and his kingdom, longing for our eternal home, what should our posture be toward our Babylon, the land of our exile? This question is incredibly relevant today, as so many Christians in America increasingly feel like exiles (maybe we always were, and are just now realizing it . . .). As a result, some are suggesting complete withdrawal from mainstream culture, while others advocate doubling-down, seeking to “take back” power and influence through confrontation. Biblically, neither of these seem like great options. Does the Bible give us guidance on this crucial question?

I believe that Jeremiah 29 actually gives us important insight as we seek to live faithfully as exiles today, and next week I’ll write on what this might look like.

Peace,

Chris