Reflection: The Line Is Drawn (January 8, 2012)

 

2nd Sunday After Epiphany

Genesis 1:1-5; Romans 6:1-11; Mark 1:4-11  

Adversaries often make bold statements against one another. We call this verbal posturing "saber rattling," "trash talk," and "talking smack." It's prominent in sports. It's also prominent in some cultures, especially Middle Eastern cultures. The on-going bold talk of the nation of Iran is a good example of this verbal bravado. Most of the time it's harmless, even humorous. However, it can escalate and even get out of control. When it does, such talk leads to a breaking point for one or both of the parties involved. If this "line in the sand" is crossed there will be dire consequences.

When God created the world and set Adam and Eve in charge of His creation, He drew a line for them. He told them that they could not eat of a specific tree — the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He was very clear about this line and was very clear about the consequences of crossing the line. Satan, the master of posturing, convinced Eve that God was just "saber rattling." He convinced her to cross the line. When she did she ushered in the dire consequences of sinning against our holy God. In the midst of those consequences, God told Satan that He would one day crush him. As the years turned into decades, the decades into centuries, and the centuries into millennia, Satan may have been convinced that God had been "talking smack" in the garden. Satan's response over this time was to do a lot of his own "trash talking." He constantly spoke against God and even convinced many in Israel to abandon their trust in and devotion to Him. God put up with Satan's bold talk for generations. But when the time had fully come, God drew the line.

The line between the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God is drawn in the waters of the Jordan River. From there, where Jesus was baptized by John, it was "game on" between the opposing spiritual forces. As it was with Jesus, so it is with us. When we were baptized into Christ a line was drawn. Baptism set us clearly on the side of Christ and put Satan on notice that he had no claim on us. His reaction is to endlessly attack and torment us, seeking to destroy the faith that Christ has given to us. The line was drawn and it was crossed. Now we are in an actual spiritual battle, not just "trash talk." It's real. It's on-going. It's unavoidable. And it's outcome as certain as the promise God made in the garden and kept in Christ Jesus.

Audio of sermon based on this reflection