ASSIGNMENT versus ALIGNMENT: what the Gaza conflict exposed

John 20:19-21 (GNB)  It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.  After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord.   Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you…as the Father sent me, so I send you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Over the past few days, we have been contemplating vices that the conflict in Gaza has exposed within the Christian community.  As Christians, we are consecrated like Christ to be impartial, full of mercy, and reconciling people with God.  If we fail to do so, we will inevitably relinquish our role as peacemakers.

Today we look at how we sometimes pursue the false spiritual duty of alignment instead of embracing our spiritual assignment as followers of Christ.

• Alignment versus assignment

Too often over the past two months I have seen these phrases on social media:  I STAND WITH ISRAEL – or for that matter: I STAND WITH GAZA.  For many, expressing an alignment publicly, has become a sense of pride, voicing conviction and fulfilling a spiritual duty.  This alignment will inevitably result in alienation and subsequently abandoning our assignment.

• Alignment speaks of choosing sides.
• Assignment speaks of fulfilling a role.
• Alignment reflects bias.
• Assignment seeks servanthood.

Kingdom Assignment is our opportunity to participate with Jesus in the extension of His Kingdom.  As believers, we do not share the political agendas of this world.  We are on our Fathers business, and as representatives of Jesus, we become agents of ‘Kingdom Encounters’ for ALL – Jews, Muslims, Israel, Gaza and, yes, even Hamas fighters.

Once we embrace the Theopolitical Kingdom, we enter into a culture that is alien to the worldly culture in which we live.  Our assignment as peacemakers and reconcilers now overrule our sense of alignment and perceived duty to choose sides.  We embrace this Godly mandate of bringing people closer to God and closer to one another.  We refrain from aligning with one group only.

The Christian message according to Christ was never to align with a nation but to align with the Kingdom.  This Kingdom is not built on the principles of power, supremacy or dominance but peace, reconciliation, love, grace and forgiveness – all of which were displayed on the cross.

To fully understand our assignment, we need to travel to Nazareth, enter the synagogue, take a seat next to all the other devotees, and listen carefully to how Jesus explains His mission on earth – Luke 4:16-30.

He stood up to read the Scriptures and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.” Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.

“Who is this man?” we wonder to ourselves.  “Isn’t He the son of a carpenter?  His words are captivating, and we have never heard the words of the Isaiah scroll read with such authority and so eloquently.  We have all read this chapter many times.  It’s a scripture that we know all too well.  But this time it’s different.  His words extend beyond prophecy as He proclaims what we have been praying for—a liberator!”

Then Jesus puts the scroll away and looks at us.  A holy silence descends on the room.  “I am He,” He says. “This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read.”

“I am the assigned One”.

Could it be?

Fast forward three and a half years later.  This time we are seated in a different room, with a different audience, and with different expectations.  This time we listen differently.  We are not in the comfortable seats of the synagogue anymore.  We are behind locked doors in fear of our lives.  Our Saviour has just been crucified in the most inhumane and brutal way.  We have now been declared public enemy number one by the Roman Empire and the religious elite.

And then, out of nowhere, the scar-ridden body of a resurrected Christ appears in our midst.  “Peace be with you my friends” are His first words to us. He shows us His wounds, breathes on us, and assigns us.  Within seconds, our panic transforms to purpose.  We, and those around us, are assigned. We all rejoice.

The sentence “as the Father SENT me, so I also SEND you”, in the original Greek can be literally translated as:

“As the Father ASSIGNED me, so I DISPATCH you”.

This assignment, more than 2,000 years ago, remains the foundation of everything we proclaim, practice, and preach.  As Christ followers, we are assigned like Christ. We are commissioned like Christ.  We are dispatched in the same way the Father sent His only begotten Son.

And this is exactly what an assigned life will look like to all Christ followers in a season of uncertainties, suspicion, and fear.  We dare not be aligned outside this assignment.

Written seven centuries before the birth of Christ by the prophet Isaiah, here are the uncompromising elements of an assigned life that Jesus chose to embrace as His own. (definitions added)

Isaiah 61:1-4 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me (consecrated me—set me apart) to proclaim good news to the poor (redemption). He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted (restoration), to proclaim freedom for the captives (rescue), and release from darkness for the prisoners (release), to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God (remission), to comfort all who mourn (rejuvenation), and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair (replenish). They will be called oaks of righteousness (representation), a planting of the LORD (reproduction) for the display of his splendour (replication). They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations (reconstruction). 

These are the building stones for an assigned life as prophesied by Isaiah and embraced by Christ.

“As my Father sent me, so I send you.”

We are now assigned to lives that will fully radiate…

• Redemption
• Restoration
• Rescue
• Release
• Remission
• Rejuvenation
• Replenish
• Representation
• Reproduction
• Replication
• Reconstruction