Healing the land
24 Man is given the task at the very beginning, as a creature, of keeping the relationships within creation intact. However, because man did not put his trust in God in the Garden of Eden, the whole creation is affected. Now the whole creation groans and waits longingly for redemption. The Kingdom of God that has dawned with Jesus will bring restoration to all creation.
In my family of origin, we are six siblings. When my parents were out of the house in the evening, we older siblings took responsibility for the younger ones. We had to make sure that they did their chores and went to bed on time. In the same way, God instructed humans – the youngest siblings of creation – to care for the older siblings of creation. It is the responsibility of the human being to keep the relationships intact.
Creation is badly affected
Meanwhile we know it: God described the well-being of all the relationships he had created in the beginning as very good. This also includes the relationship between human beings and the rest of creation. Nature serves humanity by providing sustenance for them. The stars told people when to sleep, when to get up, when to sow and when to harvest. Plants served the animals by offering themselves for them to eat. We see how man protects and serves the earth. God called man to cultivate and preserve the earth (Genesis 2:15) and to serve the animals (Genesis 2:19–20). As long as human beings served, protected and cultivated their brothers and sisters in creation, there was justice and peace, truth and grace, honour and humility among human beings.
There are only two ways of being: creation and creator. And we humans are – creation. God is God. Therefore, we cannot deal with creation as we please. Our reign must be under God’s will. And if it is to be in the image of God, it must be founded in love. Love binds all creation together. God set a single boundary for human beings in the Garden of Eden that had a connection with nature: He was not allowed to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16f). The people were given the chance to show their love for God by trusting God’s word and his intentions. They decided otherwise and listened to the serpent who whispered to them: «Trust yourselves and find your own way to peace!» The consequence was that any relationship that God could see as a very good had designated, was shattered, also the relationship between man and the rest of creation.
Then God said to the serpent: «From now on I put enmity between you and the woman and your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bite his heel.»(Genesis 3:15 NLB). This verse is usually interpreted to refer to Jesus» victory over Satan at His resurrection. But specifically, it is the first time that an animal attacks a human being.
To Adam, God says: «Because you listened to your wife and ate of the forbidden fruitLet the soil be cursed because of you.. All your life you will toil to feed on it. Thorns and thistles will grow on it, but you must feed on the growth of the field.» (Genesis 3:17f NLB). The soil was cursed because man did not trust God. Because we chose our own peace and did not heed that above all creation. When we see earthquakes and bloated bellies today, we know someone has sinned on this earth. The damage to creation is a testimony to our rebellion.
After people made the choice not to trust God, they tried to hide from God in response to their shame. As a result, the first animal had to die: «And the Lord God made Adam and his wife clothes of animal skins and put them on them» (Genesis 3:21 NLB). God killed his own creature to cover the shame of man. Death came into the world. Sin separated us from God, from the rest of creation and from life itself. Man’s sinful and selfish motto is: Our own peace at the expense of the peace of the older brothers and sisters.
Creation sighs
«For we know that all of creation groans with us until this moment, as under the pain of childbirth»(Romans 8:22 NLB). Where do we see this groaning?
A newspaper report shows black people in torn and dirty clothes. They are searching for something in a desolate landscape. The caption reads: «People look for food in a rubbish dump in Port-au-Prince.» It was 2008, two years before the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Why did people have to look for their food in a landfill? The reason is severe soil erosion, the cause of which is devastating deforestation and mass monocultures during colonisation. The colonialists cut down huge forests to have more arable land for crops. After Haiti achieved independence from France, France demanded compensation in the form of timber. In the end, less than 4% of the forest remained. In addition, the impact of climate change made farming difficult. The rich nations brought subsidised food to Haiti at a price that excluded local farmers from competing. This made the country more and more dependent on food imports. During the 2008 global economic crisis, the global food market saw a significant increase in the price of food imports from rich countries. This increase triggered unrest in developing countries around the world. To get some food, the poorest of the poor ate mud. Mud patties, oil and sugar soothed the stomachs of starving people.
Creation sighs. From 2006 to 2009, Syria is experiencing the greatest drought in centuries, triggered by a century-long rise in temperature and drought in the region. Scientists say that this climate change is caused by human activities. Studies show that this extreme drought, along with other factors such as misguided agricultural and water policies, caused large crop failures. This led to a migration of over 1.5 million people from rural areas to cities. This in turn fostered social stress, which was the reason for or caused the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011. They tried to overthrow al-Assad and found themselves in a war that lasted several years. This triggered the largest wave of refugees in Europe since World War 2. All these movements paved the way for the rise of ISIS in this region.
Creation waits eagerly
«For all creation waits eagerly for that day when God will reveal who truly belongs to his children» (Romans 8:19 NLB). The whole creation is eagerly waiting for the real children of God. This refers to people who place their trust completely in God and humbly fulfil their basic mission of protecting, preserving and administering the earth.. We are called to exercise dominion over the rest of creation, not over other human beings. Humanity is destined to be the protector, cultivator and servant of the earth, not its exploiter.
«Everything on earth was subjected to transience. This happened against their will by the one who subjected them. But all creation hopes for the day when it will be freed from death and corruption to the glorious freedom of God’s children.»(Romans 8:20f NLB). The Kingdom of God will bring restoration to all creation. In the person of Jesus Christ, this Kingdom has dawned in the world. This Jesus, the creator of trees, was nailed to a tree. The first sin of humanity was committed in relation to a tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now the redemption of humanity and the reversal of the fall also happens in relation to a tree. Then Jesus conquered death by opening his own tomb. In the end there will be only one tree, the tree of life. The leaves of this tree will heal the nations (Revelation 21:1–2).
How can people reveal themselves as the real children of God in this groaning world?
Through humility: «If I close the heavens so that no rain falls, or send locusts that devour the crops, or send pestilences to my people, and my people who bear my name then repent, if the people pray to me and seek my nearness and return to me, I will hear them in heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land» (2 Chronicles 7:13f NLB). The spiritual condition of the people is the root of all evil. Lack of humility shows itself in the way we treat others. The first requirement for the restoration of the earth is humility.
There is an unreflective Western pride. We act as if the world can be fixed by adopting Western culture. This approach is doomed to failure. Humility helps us to acknowledge that God has placed wisdom in the minds and hearts of all cultures – and we need all of them to survive. Western influence on different civilisations has ushered in colonisation, monoculture, deforestation and much injustice. Our behaviour betrays that we believe ourselves to be God over creation. We must confess this sinful behaviour and repent. True humility understands that the fact that we are creatures is very good. Humility acknowledges God as Creator and human beings as creatures. We belong to the family of creation with a special responsibility: to bring the rest of creation to flower, to nurture and to protect it. We walk through nature in the awareness that the plants, trees and animals are our older brothers and sisters. This may sound a little strange, but it is immensely helpful for our attitude towards co-creation.
Besides humility, we have another lever: We can advocate for just systems and structures through just policies. Especially we Swiss with a pronounced democracy are always given the opportunity to take responsibility for our older brothers and sisters in creation.
But the key in the healing of the land is the children of God who will reveal themselves. Many of us call ourselves a child of God. «But to all those who received him and believed in his name, he gave the right to become God’s children.»(John 1:12 NLB). Are we aware that we have a pioneering role in the restoration of creation? As creatures made in the likeness of God, we learn of His kind of rule, that of a good shepherd caring for His sheep. Close to Jesus, we have to take off this tone and play in this world.
Questions for the small groups
Read the Bible text: John 20:1–29
- What is the vocation of human beings in relation to the whole of creation? What is the role of human beings in creation?
- Why does the whole of creation suffer? What responsibility does man bear who did not put his trust in God?
- What is the solution for the redemption of creation? What does it mean to be a child of God in this context?
- What does humility mean? What possibilities do we have as individuals regarding just structures in this world?
- What are your learnings?
