Years ago, when we were first beginning to get to know this
part of Mozambique and making our initial visits to different villages, I had
two very different experiences. When we
arrived in one village, it seemed to be extremely disorganized and partially
abandoned. Many of those that we met who had chosen to remain and live there were
ill. It was depressing and everyone with me seemed
to notice a heaviness in the air. We stopped
and sat for a while, visiting with an older man and I asked him why things were
like this in the village. He replied by
saying that the chief (leader) of that village was a bad person and doing a
poor job. So, of course, this gentleman
noted, “his children,” the people of the village, would suffer.
In contrast to that gloomy visit, I remember another initial
village experience where it seemed that everyone we encountered was healthy and
happy – there was a palpable vitality in the air. Villagers in that location gave credit to
their leadership and spoke of how having a good chief set the tone for everyone
who lived there.
This comparison between two chiefs, two village heads, has
been a helpful way for me to talk about the contrast between Adam and
Christ. In Genesis 1 and 2, we see God
placing the first human beings in their beautiful garden home. God gives Adam authority over the garden – Adam
even gets to name the animals! But this sweet
paradise quickly turns sour as Adam and Eve fail to follow God’s instruction and
give in to temptation (even though they were told this disobedience would end
in death). When confronted about his
action, Adam offers a lame excuse (“that woman YOU gave me… she did it… she
gave the fruit to me!”) and a leafy outfit in an ineffective attempt to cover
his shame.
So, Adam, our chief, our leader, our captain… is a failure.
And as residents in Adam’s village we suffer the shame and
pain of aligning ourselves with Sin, Satan and Death. Interestingly, the most commonly used word in
Makua-Metto for human beings is “Asana Pinattamu” (literally- “Children of Adam”)
And as Adam’s children, we are subject to his leadership. Even Jesus, surprisingly, submits to that
status. The title that Christ most often
used to refer to himself was “Son of Man.” In Makua-Metto that is “Mwanawe Pinattamu” – Child
of Adam. Jesus willingly becomes one of
us and joins us in this village of death and despair.
But, thankfully there is more to the story. The Fall does not ultimately define us. With the Resurrection, God through Christ is
putting the world under new management.
There is a new boss, a new head of creation (Eph. 1:10).
As the apostle Paul explains, “Christ has indeed been raised
from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death
came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For
as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:20-22 NIV)
Joshua Ryan Butler puts it this way:
Jesus “is becoming the ‘new head’ of humanity. The early church had a fancy Greek word for this: recapitulation, which comes from re- (‘new’) and capito- (‘head’). Our English word captain comes from the same root capito – a captain is the ‘head,’ or authority, of a ship. Jesus is being established as the captain of creation. And his goal is to right the ship. Think of earth as a sinking ship. God placed Adam at the helm, and he steered it into the rocks. So God made Israel the new captain to set the ship aright, and they kept ramming it into the rubble as well. And this isn’t only Adam and Israel; this is us. We’ve torn the ship of creation asunder: holes have burst through the sides; water’s flooding in; we’re heading toward the rocks and a watery grave. We’ve sought to rule the earth without God, to live our lives independent of our Maker, to sever creation from Creator, and in so doing we’ve dragged creation back down into the watery abyss from which it came. So God finally says, All right! I’ll take care of it myself. The Father sends his Son to take the helm and, in the power of their Spirit, they’re out together to set creation straight. In Jesus, God is righting the ship: filling the holes, emptying the water, and steering it clear from the rocks. Through Christ’s righteousness, God is rebuilding what our rebellion had destroyed. The Captain is setting the vessel back on course. And Jesus steers us toward a destination greater than the port from which we embarked. Rather than simply return things to their original state, creation will be glorified through the indwelling presence of its Creator; humanity will be healed in union with God. The ship of life, with our great Captain at the helm is headed toward paradise – with us on deck. Captain and crew. God with us.” (The Pursuing God, 19-20)
So, while Adam was our old chief and captain, Jesus is now
the new head of humanity.
We now have a leader worth following and one who has proven
faithful to lead us through the shame of death safely to the other side. He is our King – our Captain.
As I’ve been reflecting on this idea of Christ as Captain, I’ve
been surprised to see echoes of it pop up in surprising places. Recently, Rachel and I were watching one the Captain
America movies and at one point a character asks Sam Wilson what he would do
next. Without hesitation, he pointed to
Captain America and said, “I do what he does – just slower.”
Certainly, the Church has an infinitely better Captain (!), but
I’ve been reflecting on how that response is a beautiful way to think about
Christian discipleship. When the world
asks how we will live, we point to our Captain, the Christ, and say, “We do
what he does – just slower.”
The classic hymn “A Mighty Fortress” has brought me a lot of
strength and encouragement over the past year.
So I decided to try my hand at writing a new verse that would
incorporate this idea of Christ as our new Captain. Here it goes…
A Mighty Fortress (new verse by Alan Howell)
Our Captain, Adam, did us fail, and wrecked us on the rocky shore.
We were all lost, and doomed to die, without someone to go before.
But Christ our Captain new, stands firmly at the helm.
He set the ship aright, and he will guide us through, we will arrive at his fair home.
May we be a people who follow our new Captain and King all
the way!
Grace and Peace,
Alan