Columbus and Pentecost

Some history for us Christians to ponder regarding the day traditionally known as Columbus Day.

Since the 11th century, European Christians had engaged in various forms of holy wars. We call them the “crusades” today. In Spain, it took 781 years for them to regain the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim kingdom of Granada. The year that kingdom fell? 1492.

In the desire to continue to maintain Christian dominance, the Spanish Crown and Pope Alexander V1 gave the rights for conquest of new worlds, under the condition that those they conquered would be baptized Christian. This included Christopher Columbus’s expedition, and many others after him. We are still living in the European, Christian dominance of the Western world due to this period in history.

This period of history lead to the colonization of nations, extermination of cultures, languages, religions and often the enslavement or genocide of a people group under the banner of Christ’s name. All under the narrative that European culture, politics, and religion were fundamentally superior to that of those they were conquering. Can you imagine if that happened to your ancestors? Then having your history written by the victors? I cannot even imagine.

There is such a vast difference between being baptized into the faith on your own freewill, and being baptized while being conquered. This should grieve our hearts deeply.

This is in stark contrast to how the Holy Spirit advances God’s kingdom. We see on the day of Pentecost the birth of the church, that the Holy Spirit did not colonize the people for God, rather people from every nation, race, gender, and social cast were unified and understood one another. Quoting the Prophet Joel, Peter said, ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18) Their differences were not eliminated or conquered, but it was precisely in and through the inherent diversity by which God created humanity that became a bridge to better love and understand one another.

We learn this history, not to take on personal shame, but to lament the pain of the past, better understand where we are today, and how to move forward more lovingly from here.

I pray we, especially we Christians of European decent, would allow the Holy Spirit to move us in Pentecost fashion, healing the wounds of a colonized past, towards a future of understanding one another, precisely where we are, in all our beautiful complexity, in Spirit and in truth.

May we not be driven to fear by our differences, but driven to love.

Can you imagine Jesus saying “we must take this nation back for God?”

Imagine growing up in ancient Israel, hearing story after story of the great battles of Joshua, king David, and Judas Maccabeus. How there would be a messiah that would come and wage a battle to rescue Israel as these great leaders once did, only this time, he would be victorious. He would finally overthrow the powers of evil and restore Israel to its rightful power.

Then, imagine you believe you found this messiah. A teacher from Nazareth. You immediately dropped everything to follow him. Yet, instead of building a brigade, armed to the teeth, he calls fishermen, tax collectors, and women. That was kind of odd to you, but you pushed forward because you may have been a zealot with Simon or you wondered if you would take the seat of power on Christ’s right or his left after Rome was defeated, like James and John thought, the sons of thunder. But then imagine the disillusionment of hearing this would be rebellion leader say, “I’m going to die on a cross.” Imagine hearing that he would die at the hands of the very people you’re trying to overthrow. What whiplash that would be.

As you were trying to process this prediction of crucifixion, you heard Peter rebuke Jesus for ever saying such things. For what good is a dead messiah for the cause of a rebellion? “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” Peter scolded Jesus. Yet, in front of all who were following him, Jesus responded to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matt 16:22-23). Later in the gospel, Peter would take up his sword against the Roman guards who came to take Jesus, and Jesus told him to put it away, that “those who live by the sword, die by it.” Peter did just that. He put down his sword and later took up his own cross.

Jesus was serious.

Jesus would become king, but not by the way of the sword, but by the way of the cross. Jesus would be king, but not by imposing impersonal commands from a nation’s throne, but on his knees washing people’s feet. Jesus would be king, but not by advocating for the rich and powerful, but by advocating for the poor and powerless. Jesus would be king, but not by riding a war horse into Jerusalem to lead an insurrection against Rome, but by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, the symbol of peace, determined to lead a non-violent resistance by teaching his disciples to be peace makers as well, in Rome and beyond. Jesus would be king, but not by taking a nation back for God, but by teaching his followers how to take God to their neighbors, and then to all the nations of the earth. Jesus would be king, but not by destroying evil nations, but by destroying the power of evil itself.

This is how Jesus still rules as our king today. He is still calling us to follow his way of the cross rather than our way of the sword. He is still calling us to have God’s concerns in mind, rather than just the concerns of men. He is still calling us to seek first the kingdom of God, even before our own nation. He is still calling us to center the marginalized and oppressed, rather than the influential and powerful. He is still seeking to establish his kingdom in and through us and its advancement is measured by the love we show to every human being we encounter. His kingdom grows one person at a time. May we answer that call, take up our crosses, and follow our king.