Holiness creates global aliveness
Series: Holy – Holy – Holy | Bible text: Revelation 22:1–2; Ezekiel 47:1–12; John 7:37–39
The prophet Ezekiel describes a vision of a river whose source is in the Holy of Holies of the Temple. From there the water flows through the land into the Dead Sea. Everywhere it passes, health, food and life emerge. One day this vision will be fully and globally fulfilled. Until that day comes, the followers are entrusted with the task of wetting their surroundings with the life-giving water and thus promoting life.
Later in this service we will take Martin to a distant land as a Friend in the field send out. For me, this raises the question of whether this is still necessary and economically justifiable in a digitalised world. This much can already be revealed: This topic is also directly related to the holiness of God. C.S. Lewis: «How little do people know who think that holiness is boring. Once one has experienced the one true thing.… It is irresistible! If only ten percent of the world’s population understood it, wouldn’t the whole world be converted and happy in no time?»
Source: Holiness of God
We know from various stories that God’s holiness is life-threatening. Nadab, Abihu, Uzzah, Hananias and Sapphira lost their lives when they came into contact with God’s holiness. In early Israel, the temple was the central place where God was present with his holiness. The rearmost room was called the «Holy of Holies». It was the centre of God’s presence. People were only allowed to approach this room with the greatest caution. The solution in the Bible is that one must become «pure», morally and ritually. Ritual purity is a state of staying away from anything that has to do with death, e.g. touching things like diseased skin, dead bodies or even certain bodily fluids. All these things make us «impure». Becoming ritually impure is not necessarily sinful. But it is wrong to come into God’s presence in an impure state. Therefore, God gave the Israelites clear instructions so that they would know when they were unclean and how they could become clean in order to be allowed to enter the temple again.
The prophet Isaiah knew the rules very well when he finds himself in a vision in the temple, right in God’s presence. Fearing that he will be destroyed, his blood freezes in his veins. But then a strange being, a seraphim, appears and touches Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal. This burning coal makes Isaiah pure. This is remarkable, because when we touch something unclean, usually the uncleanness is transferred to us. Here we find a completely new idea: The coal – this holy and pure object – transfers its purity to Isaiah when it touches him. Isaiah is not killed by God’s holiness, but changed.
Jesus is the fulfilment of this vision. He touched people who were unclean: People with diseased skin, a woman with chronic bleeding or even dead people. And actually their impurity should be transferred to Jesus when he touches them. But instead, Jesus» purity is transferred to them and their bodies are healed. Jesus is like the holy coal in Isaiah’s vision, He is the embodiment of God’s holiness.
For many years, the recipe for success in international football was possession of the ball. But at the last World Cup, the most successful teams like Argentina and France practised a new strategy: Pressing and quick switching play. After winning the ball, the offensive forces immediately swarm out, so that only a few seconds pass until the conclusion. Through Jesus, a shift from the defensive to the offensive has taken place with regard to holiness. It is no longer a matter of carefully defending oneself from harm, but of aggressively bringing life-enhancing holiness to the outside world. The holiness of God wants to change the unclean, the unworthy.
A good hundred years after Isaiah, Ezekiel has a vision in which he stands in front of the temple and sees water dripping out of it. The water becomes a stream that grows into a deep river and flows through the desert. It leaves a trail of green trees and flows into the Dead Sea. On the way, everything becomes fresh and alive. So instead of becoming pure and flowing into the temple, God’s holiness comes out of the temple and makes everything pure and brings it to life.
The vision: whole world
The final fulfilment of this vision is described in Revelation: «And the angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, as clear as crystal, springing from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing down the middle of the main road. On each side of the river is a tree of life that bears twelve different fruits and produces a new fruit every month. The leaves are used for the healing of the nations»(Revelation 22:1–2 NLB). In this future scenario, we see our world made completely new. The whole earth has become God’s temple. And Ezekiel’s river is there. It flows from God’s presence and waters all creation. It washes away all impurity and brings everything back to life. One day the whole earth will be flooded with God’s holiness. It will be indescribably, unbelievably great.
We are not there yet. There is a most interesting pre-fulfilment of this vision that relates directly to you and me. Paul sums it up when he describes the followers of Jesus as Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). In modern times, there is not one central temple where God’s holiness dwells, but many mobile temples. A person becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit when he entrusts his life to Jesus Christ. The most shocking thing is that water also flows out of these temples. Jesus says to his followers: «If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink! Whoever believes in me, from within him will flow rivers of living water […] By the «living water» he meant the Spirit, which was to be given to everyone who believed in him.» (John 7:37–39 NLB).
This bestowal of the Spirit happened at Pentecost. It was the initial spark for the mission to spread the message of Jesus «In Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, even to the ends of the earth.»(Acts 1:8 NLB). Pentecost has turned the followers of Jesus into swarming Temples of the Holy Spirit made. And as such, we have the privilege of directing streams of living water into our environment. From the defensive to the offensive! It is remarkable, however, that only the person who comes to Jesus and drinks can give water. From intimacy with Jesus we become the source for our parched environment.
The impact: Food and life
The water flowing from the sanctuary has striking effects: «When I went back, I suddenly saw that trees were growing on both sides of the river bank. Then he said to me: This water flows eastwards into the Araba (Jordan Valley) and there it flows into the Dead Sea. When it flows in, it heals the water of the Dead Sea. Everything that stirs and moves where the water comes will live. There will be a great many fish, because this water comes there and makes the salt water healthy. Where this water will flow, there everything will live» (Ezekiel 47:7–9 NLB).
The water flows from the Holy of Holies of the temple, from God’s presence. The reason is very simple: God is the powerful creator behind the whole universe. HE is the only being who has the power to create a world full of beauty and life. HE is perfect, the source of all life. All these abilities make HIM unique and that is the meaning of «holy»..
- Living water brings nourishment: The Revelation text says that the trees produce a new fruit every month, twelve times more often than our apple tree in front of the house. This means that food is abundant. People’s hunger is satisfied in all facets – not only the physiological. No, also the hunger for belonging, for meaning, for security, for love, etc.
- Living water creates health: Salvation and healing are closely related to God’s holiness. The water from the Holy of Holies has healing power and makes healthy what it wets.
- Living water creates lifeThe water from the sanctuary overrides the levers of natural science and creates life in places where it is actually not possible. Only anaerobic micro-organisms can live in the Dead Sea. Wherever this water flows, it creates life. This does not only mean biological life, but primarily divine, eternal life.
All this becomes possible when the walking temples swarm out on the offensive. When you have expressed your attachment to Jesus Christ through baptism, streams of living water also flow out of you. This water brings nourishment, health and life to your family, your neighbourhood, your classroom, your workplace. Switch from the defensive to the offensive, swarm and let it flow! Your everyday life offers you exclusive opportunities that others don’t have. That is your responsibility. Let us remember: we do not have to produce the water, but we are allowed to drink it in the encounter with the completely different.
Living water cannot be transmitted digitally. It would be like putting only plastic flowers in your garden instead of real ones. These flowers do not produce seeds to multiply, do not smell and do not provide pollen for bees or bumblebees to process. Therefore, it is with great conviction that we send Martin to a spiritually, as well as scenically, dry land. Like us here, he becomes the implementer of the vision of Ezekiel and John there. Through our joint swarming and watering we promote the global final fulfilment of the vision. When Jesus comes again, he creates a new heaven and a new earth full of life, food and health. Until that happens, we need Friends in the field.
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Ezekiel 47:1–12; Revelation 22:1–2
- The water flows from the holy of holies of the temple. Why from there of all places?
- What are the natural and symbolic effects of this water?
- Are you already a temple of the Holy Spirit? What task is connected with it? What is the condition for you to be able to fulfil it?
- When will the vision of Ezekiel be fully fulfilled? What has to happen before that?
- Why is it still necessary today Friends in the fieldlike Martin is?
