"The New World Order is coming!"
If you are a conspiracy junkie like me, you have heard (or read) those words before. The New World Order is thought to be a sinister new age of one-world government oppression and unprecedented evil, probably ushered in behind the scenes by evil, shadowy organizations. You can read the Wikipedia article about the conspiracy here.There are all kinds of theories as to when and how the New World Order will arrive. Perhaps it will be a result of the evil forces behind the U.N. or the E.U., or another one of those short, sinister acronyms. Or maybe it will be President Obama who will usher it in. Maybe the Illuminati or the Masons are going to start the New World Order (using their surrogates in government). Or, if we are not careful, maybe it will be the "Vast, Right-Wing Conspiracy" who will finally do us in.
It is all too easy to sneer at these predictions, to dismiss their adherents as lunatics, and to move on with your life. But what if I told you that the New World Order is real? What if it is nothing like what you expect? What if it has already started?
What if the New World Order, rather than being something to be feared, is something amazingly beautiful--something to be greatly desired?
Keep reading.
The New World Order is Here
Right off the bat, let me define my terms. I am not talking about the New World Order everyone is so afraid of. Really think about it: the New World Order of conspiracy sites and radio shows is what? A time of government oppression, in which human rights are trampled upon, and evil reigns. Here is my question: how is this different than the era we are currently in?It does not take much thought to realize that humanity has always been oppressing itself. Those in power have always been hurting those under their authority. And those under authority have always been rising up (when they could) and rebelling. Then, as the Bolshevik and French Revolutions teach us, the formerly oppressed ones institute fresh new oppression on everyone who disagrees with them (in the name of progress, of course!).
So if the New World Order is a time of great human evil, then it is going to be nothing more than a change in degree, not in type. Despite the utopian dreams of the last century, most of us can now agree that human beings are basically bad.
So let's put those dystopian fears aside and talk about a different kind of New World Order.
Read Luke 5:17-39 with me, and let's get into it. If you keep reading this article without clicking on that link, you will miss a lot of my references.
The Nature of the New Order
In this passage, Jesus is healing folks and forgiving their sins. His opponents, those infamous Pharisees, confront Jesus about his claims to forgive sins--a right reserved for God alone. They also chastise him for associating with sinners and crooks.After some back and forth (during which Jesus never disagrees that only God can forgive sins), Jesus uses some very interesting metaphors to explain what is going on with his ministry.
Take a closer look at verses 33-39.
Jesus calls himself "the bridegroom." More on this in a minute.
He also makes references to a "new garment" and "new wine." He says that, "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old." Similarly, "no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed."
What does Jesus mean with all this talk about fabric and wine? What he means is this: a new era has dawned, and the old way of doing things is not going to work anymore.
The old religious practices, the separation that used to exist between so-called holy folks and so-called sinners has evaporated. It is not that everybody is declared "good" automatically now. Rather, in calling out the religious elites, Jesus is saying that everybody is a sinner.
The Members of the New Order
Everybody has done wrong, and everybody needs forgiveness. And forgiveness is now freely available to everyone. That is the new order. And it is brought about by Jesus.Since everybody has sinned against God (Romans 6:23), everybody has the same need for reconciliation with God. The Pharisees were trying to earn that reconciliation through good deeds and separation. Jesus never requires this. He grants forgiveness freely. He could do this because he was about to pay dearly for that forgiveness by dying for humanity's sins on the cross. So since he was earning it, he could give it away. Everyone who turns from their sin (this is the "repentance" Jesus calls us to in verse 32) and accepts Jesus as savior and master (as Levi did in verse 28) becomes part of Jesus' new order; they are reconciled to God.
The Hope of the New Order
So this new order has started. Right now, there are people living and working in this very town who have been forgiven, made right with God, and are being transformed by God's Holy Spirit. You may have noticed these people by the joy in their expressions, by the love they have for each other, and their hope in difficult circumstances.See, Jesus is Lord, but he is also a dear friend. In verse 34, he refers to himself as the Bridegroom. As you study Scripture, you will see this theme repeated. Jesus is the Groom, and his Church--those who love him and follow him--are his "bride."
This love Jesus has for his people is symbolized by the strongest, most powerful love we humans know about: marriage.
Jesus loves his people with an unending, unbreakable and unshakable bond. Think about that! These are sinners! Levi the tax collector, and his friends who came to his party (verse 29) were widely known to be dishonest. These are the people Jesus forgives and loves.
And there is one more aspect to the Bridegroom metaphor that you need to see. In those days, after a groom proposed to his fiancee, he would travel back to his homeland and set up their future estate. He would be gone for a long time, while the bride-to-be eagerly awaited her groom's return.
Like a groom, Jesus has gone. He predicted this in verse 35: "The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." So nowadays, followers of Jesus have joy and peace, but there is also an element of longing bound up with the Christian life. We are eagerly waiting for Jesus to come back. We are hopeful for that day to come, like a bride waiting for her groom.
The events surrounding Jesus life are indisputable. The records of his work, death, and even his resurrection stand up to the toughest literary and historical scrutiny. Multiple attempts to discredit the Gospels have all failed. So what can we conclude?
Jesus really is who he claimed to be. He is God and Man in one. He is the Savior and hope of sinners like you and me. And he has ushered in a New World Order that is radically different from how things have always gone.
If you are interested in learning more about Jesus, his claims, or what it means to be a part of this "New World Order" he began 2,000 years ago, please shoot me an email at jsettecase@gracepointe.us.
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Joel Settecase is the Associate Pastor of Evangelism and Student Ministries at Grace Pointe Plainfield, located at 143rd St. and Route 30. Sunday morning service begins at 9:00, and you are welcome to visit this Sunday as Joel's guest.
