...he who does not gather with me, scatters (Luke 11:23).
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28)
In the beginning, there was one man, a man who "walked with God in the cool of the evening." Out of him, God took the woman. At first, she was "bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh," until sin and division entered the world. But at first, the man and the woman were one, and they were one with God and with the entire earth. There was no division at first. There was harmony and peace.
With separation from the Divine Presence, there was division and blame between the man and the woman, and that showed up not only in them, but was manifested in their children, Cain and Abel. The lack of harmony, the separation from God, was also manifested in the earth itself, that now grew thorns and thistles along with the fruits of the field. Cain's cry in Genesis 4 is heart-rendering as he expresses utter desolation -- separation from God, from his fellow man, and from the earth itself:
The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is more than I can bear.Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from Your Presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
And the lack of harmony, peace, between man and God, man and man, and man and the earth grew even greater with the next generations. One of Cain's descendants announced that he would kill a man for injuring him and take vengeance 77 times (Gen. 4:23-24). Chapter 6 of Genesis (the flood) is an "uncreation" story, where the corruption/division/ lack of harmony on the earth is so great that the earth is returning to its original watery chaos -- the abyss. Even with starting over, sin reigns on the earth such that men can no longer understand one another at all (The Tower of Babel).
Onto the stage comes Abraham, one man through whom God will restore harmony between Himself and mankind, between man and man, and between man and the earth itself. Through Abraham, "all nations will bless themselves," there will be a special relationship with God, and his descendants will be led to a land "flowing with milk and honey" -- fruitfulness rather than barrenness. A new creation emerging from one man walking with God and establishing peace upon the earth.
Fast forward through 2000 years of salvation history to Jesus Christ. Through one Man's faithfulness to God, the earth is re-born to fruitfulness and mankind once again "walks with God." Now there is no division, no "Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female," but all are one in Christ Jesus. Now, whoever comes to Him is given the power to become children of God, restoring peace and harmony in a chaotic world.
And to the church, the family of God, is given this same task -- to gather in, with Jesus Christ, the lost and forsaken, the separated, the divided, and to make them One: one with God, one with one another, one with the earth itself. "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to Myself," said Jesus. By His death, He destroyed death and separation and by His resurrection created one "new earth."
We are called to be "gatherers" with Christ Jesus. Where there is separation and enmity, there is still sin and corruption. In the church, when we are "gathered together," there is no slave nor free, Jew nor Greek, male nor female," but we are all one with God and with one another and with the earth. In the present age of "#MeToo" and rage against "old white men" and injury between blacks and whites and between police and public; in the age of injustice against our air, our water, our soil, we need those who with Jesus Christ, would "gather us in" to the one family of God on the one earth.
Only the church, the Body of the Lord, can hold us together. If the church fails in its mission, the earth and all in it are doomed.
