Occupied territory

"Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage."
—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book II, Chapter 2, "The Invasion"

I'm afraid I've "let the cat out of the bag" on a number of levels.
First, the image of my copy of Mere Christianity both dates and places me in geographical context—an old mended paperback bought for "three bob six" (about 49¢) in London, 1966.

Second, as my son Jacob was once called by his Orthodox opponent in a "friendly" online debate, I may be labelled a "crypto-Protestant" for quoting C.S. Lewis and other "non-Orthodox" authors on my blog, and for (seeming to be) saying that "Orthodox Christianity" is not that important. I hope my friends, though, know me well enough to understand my meaning to be not to say what is un-important, but Who is important, thereby giving "Orthodoxy" and everything else, its true value, for nothing stands except for Him, and on Him.
"Apart from Me, all is nothing." (Isaiah 45:6 Jerusalem Bible)

Third, I also must be no less than a Christian jihadist to have quoted the above and to believe it. As a former friend and reader of my blog wrote me, "I'm glad your true colors have come out," when I publicly took a stand for the truthfulness of the Bible on who Jesus Christ is versus the Islamic concept of Jesus, some people may write me off as a bigoted hypocrite who writes about love on the one hand and on the other dogmatizes that there is a real battle going on, and real sides, right versus wrong. So I'm a sheep in wolf's clothing after all!

Well, I admit that I'm probably a bad person on a number of other levels as well, but let's turn now to the topic I wanted to write about… "occupied territory."

If you type these words into an internet search engine, I guarantee you, most of the results will be something about Palestinian issues, but this is not what C.S. Lewis is writing about, nor am I.

It's the world, that world of which Morpheus speaks when he says to Neo that the matrix is "the world pulled over your eyes," punning on "the wool pulled over your eyes."
Clever, my brothers Wachowski, worthy of your Chicago-Polishness.

I've been mulling over the events of the last few days since the Friday before Pentecost, how Brock and I went downtown thinking we were to read the Word of God publicly and instead were sent on a kind of rescue mission or rendezvous by our heavenly Father.
"Baah!" some people would say, as in the film Luther, when Martin's father abruptly leaves the church after witnessing his priested son's first mass. Luther defends himself to his angry father, "God sent me here [to the monastic life]…" and his father responds, "A bolt of lightning burns your arse, and you say that God sent you! The devil more likely!" and gallops off.

Sometimes in a lonely moment my flesh cries out to my mind for sympathy in its bewilderment over God's incredible work in the Spirit. "How can you do such things? Are you crazy? How can you start what you don't know you can finish? What will people think now? Don't you care about your family and your reputation? Get back in line! Don't be a fool! Nobody's worth that much! There now, wouldn't you rather find a comfy corner and read some nice Christian book? Or history? Or work on your hobbies? Who do you think you are? Remember, you're not worthy! Let those whom God has called do His work! That's what the priests are for! Leave well enough alone!"

My response is to get quiet, and wait it out. [Yawn…] No matter how hard or long the tempter speaks, I can always sleep.
"…and in the night my inmost self instructs me."
(Psalm 16:7 Jerusalem Bible)

Another memory rises up.
During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the family ten Boom, watchmakers in Haarlem, forgot themselves and started helping their Jewish neighbors by hiding them and using their house as a way station in a kind of underground railroad to get Jews out of Holland to safety.
When asked by an agent of the underground why they were taking the risk of helping those in danger, Betsy ten Boom replied, "No, not for excitement or adventure. I would rather just close that door, and stay inside and wait until this whole dreadful affair is over. But that is not what my Jesus wants. He wants us to open our door to all who knock and ask for help. And that's what we will do."

In my flesh, I feel the same way, I'd like to just stay comfortable and safe. But then, there's Jesus. It's not a question of "what would Jesus do" that I can play with as I sit in my favorite chair. It's "what does Jesus do," and do I dare follow Him out into the world where He is constantly seeking that which is lost? That's the question we all have to ask ourselves, today.

Holland was under Nazi occupation from May 10, 1940 to May 5, 1945.
This world has been enemy-occupied territory since the time of Adam and Eve.
The battle lines are drawn,
and though we can't always see it
with our fleshly eyes
the victory has been won.


Thank you, Lord, for Your great mercy
in revealing everything to us in Your Word.
Thank you for giving us yet one more day
to serve you "in peace and repentance."