Biblical view of the city
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[edit] Biblical view of the city
by J.N. Manokaran
[edit] Short comments about the city
Stuart Murray writes, “The story of humanity began in a garden but ends in a city.” “The Bible leads to the heavenly city.” The Bible records several names of cities.
Some Theologians like Jacques Ellul consider city as evil. Ellul asserts that the first mention of city is where Cain being cursed by God, goes and builds a city. The city is a symbol of evil, rebellion and independence from God. In addition, he lists several cities like Sodom, Gomorrah and Babylon to prove that the city is a place of sin and rebellion.
[edit] Babel and Jerusalem - evil and holy
Harvie M. Conn writes, “The city is both religious and secular, turning away from God and turning to Him as well.” So few theologians and missiologists consider the city as both constructive and destructive, evil and holy, and religious and secular. It seems like paradox. This is well said by Lawrence Mangalaraj, “Babylon is known as dark, a symbol of the city fully given over to Satan (Dan 3:1-7) and epitome of evil (Rom 17:5). Jerusalem is seen as the city of peace, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. The reality today is that there are pockets of Babylon and Jerusalem in all our cities, which are at constant war with each other.” Therefore, the cities are both center of rebellion and object of redemption. Sin and grace, evil and good and God and Satan are at work in the cities. “The city may be both a symbol of evil and injustice and a symbol of redemption and grace.”
The cities mentioned in the Bible have some element of good. The cities have some spark of goodness. “However, most cities mentioned in the Bible have some element of good. Even in Sodom, Lot and his family represent the good and the godly.”
[edit] Biblical perspective
It is essential to look at the city afresh from the Biblical perspective. “Bible scholars and theologians must return to city…Reaching cities for Christ takes training and special people. Until those who are our leaders, our thinkers and our interpreters take the cities seriously, there will continue to be theological and professional barriers hindering our mission.”
Cain is the first builder of the city (Genesis 4:17). Then it Nimrod who built a city (Genesis (10:10-12). These city builders demonstrated their domain or displayed self-assertion. “If Cain’s city speaks of security, Nimrod’s cities represent domination: both symbolize human achievement and self-assertion.”
In Babel the people wanted to dwell together instead of being scattered off. And the building project they began was not finished. “The unfinished building work at Babel is symbolic of the fact that no city in history has ever been finished. The city is always a goal rather than an achievement (Genesis 11).”
[edit] Abraham the son of a great city
Abraham was from the city of Ur. The city of Ur was a popular city with commerce and business interests. “Ur of the Chaldees was powerful, prosperous, colourful and busy Capital City of the second millennium B.C.” Abraham is a city-dweller when God called him. “Abraham was the citizen of a great city and inherited traditions of an old and highly organized civilization.” He was a nomad, as several bible students tend to think. “Abraham – no simple nomad, this Abraham, but son of a great city of the second millennium B.C.” And with this urban background, Abraham pleads for the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. He was the first intercessor for the city. “Abraham is the first person in the Bible to exercise any form of urban ministry.”
[edit] Cities of refuge
God commanded Moses to build cities of refuge, when the children of Israel occupy Canaan. “The setting up of the cities of Refuge is a very significant example of God’s willingness to use the city.” The cities denote God’s concern for sinners. Such cities are symbols of redemption, peace and justice. God wants the cities to demonstrate the justice and forgiveness.
[edit] Cities are objects of redemption
Roger S. Greenway approaches cities in a positive manner in his book Apostles to the city. Cities are objects of redemption. The cities are places of plenty of opportunities. Where sin abounds, there grace also abounds. The gospel light can penetrate into the cities of darkness. Greenway calls for the Apostles to reach the cities with compassion and vision.
God wishes to use the cities to fulfill his divine purposes. “God also uses cities to carry out his plans. God chose a city, Jerusalem, for his earthly dwelling place, his sign to the nations.”
“Cities are the places where the destinies of nations are determined. Cities are center of communication and commerce, cultural life and government.” So city offers opportunity for transformation of nations. God’s concern for cities is evident in the call of Jonah. He was sent as a missionary to Nineveh a Gentile city. “But Nineveh has more that a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from the left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” “Yet in spite of Jonah’s reluctance and bad attitude, in spite of the inadequate message, the city repented and was spared.” Even today God is concerned about the cities like Nineveh. Certainly Nineveh was a city of harlotries and blood. People in cities are living like Nineveh citizens without the knowledge of good and evil. And they deserve the right to know the true God. “God still speaks through Jonah about the nature of urban mission, God’s mercy towards city dwellers, and his desire that they hear his word. The Jonah story reminds us also of the rebellious spirit that refuses to recognize cities as strategic places of missions.”
[edit] Seek the peace and prosperity of the city
Jeremiah admonishes the captive Israelites, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Christians cannot be unconcerned about the cities in which they are living. Their prosperity, security, progress, survival and blessings are dependent on the prosperity, security, progress, survival and blessings of the city. The city and citizens cannot be divorced. To be unconcerned and uninvolved shall be suicidal. “The people were not to escape the city or sit in sullen rebellion. Though the city was wicked they must not seek to destroy it.”
[edit] Jesus Christ went to cities
In the New Testament, also we see the importance of cities. Jesus Christ went to cities of that time. John Dawson writes, “Christians must get Jesus’ view of the cities. Cities are simply huge clusters of people, and Jesus goes where the people are.” Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small city. “Jesus was born in a city which had no political, economic or military significance. Bethlehem was famous as family home of David but nothing much had happened there since…Jesus came into our urban situation but chose to do so in a place that only just qualified as a city.” And in Bethlehem also the Messiah was refused a place. “And even in Bethlehem there was no room for Him. Through out history the city had made no room for God, eager to exclude Him from this place of human sufficiency.” He was brought up in a city, Nazareth. He went around preaching in cities and towns . The crowds of people came to listen to him from every city. Jesus chose disciples and sent him to every city. He died in the outskirts of the city of Jerusalem, the Holy City of the Jews. “Jesus demostrated both love and judgment toward the city.”
[edit] The beginning of the church was in Jerusalem
The beginning of the church was in Jerusalem. The Pentecost is the anti-thesis of the Babel. ”Babel warns us that the city of men and women will never be finished; Pentecost assures us that the city of God is being built and will be completed.”
[edit] Apostel Paul also considered cities as strategic
St. Paul also considered cities as strategic for the expansion of the kingdom of God. David J. Bosh writes, “Paul thinks regionally, not ethnically, he chooses cities that have a representative character. In each of these he lays foundation for Christian community, clearly in the hope that, from these strategic centers, the gospel will be carried out into the surrounding countryside and towns.” Cities were the lighthouses of the gospel to the surrounding regions. “Through the city church at Ephesus, the whole of Asia Minor was evangelized and the seven churches of Revelation came into being.” ”Many Christians are surprised to learn that the church in the Book of Acts was almost entirely urban.” “Atleast forty different cities are named in Acts.”
“For the church and its mission this presents a start choice-if it abandons the cities it will be pushed to the edge of society and find itself with no voice and no credibility if it returns to its biblical roots and targets the cities, it can turn the world upside down as the Early Church did” The early church is the model for modern missions. “The early church targeted the cities of the Roman Empire and commissioned its key personnel to work there.”
[edit] The Bible ends with a city
The Book of Revelation also speaks about the city. “Revelation begins with a vision of Jesus and ends with a vision of New Jerusalem.” The heaven is not a rural place. “Heaven is not a rural paradise: at its heart is a wonderful city.” From the book of Revelation we derive an urban eschatology. “The urban eschatology is important for urban mission. It is a powerful incentive not to abandon the city.”
[edit] The target in the city
Urban missiologists tend to be poor biased. “Urban missiologists often focus on Jesus’ concern for the poor. We need that emphasis. But the New Testament does not ignore the rich.” Jesus considered both rich and poor as people who need love of Jesus. “Jesus felt equal concern for a rich tax collector, Matthew, whom he asked to be his disciple (Matthew 9:9)” Paul also was eager to reach the rich and elite. “Paul also targeted an influential elite of Roman society.”
[edit] God is also God of the cities
The Bible clearly teaches that God is also God of the cities. Though the cities may have traces of depravity and fall, there is hope for the city. The cities are the expression of the gift of creativity endowed upon human beings by God. God loves any city and he is concerned about cities as he was for Nineveh. God is indeed pleased with city and seeks to reconcile the sinners who indwell in the cities. He will prefer to give an opportunity for the city to repent rather than destroy it. God looks upon the city church who shall be light in the dark world. Like Abraham the church should play the role of intercessor on behalf of the city. The church should be the channel of God’s communications for those who live not knowing the good and evil as in Nineveh. God calls Jonahs from the churches to proclaim the good news today. Christians have a territorial responsibility of seeking the welfare, prosperity and peace of the city where they dwell. As city is a strategic location for gospel to have head start, like Paul, city churches should plan missions strategically. So city, is a place where God is active and expects his disciples to be active. Cities should not be seen as monsters or mountains but communities of people with need, who can hope in the gospel.
