Gold Pavement
"Sometimes, a kid can't pay for lunch, so they get a cheese sandwich. And then...they get nothing at all. You can see the embarrassment as they get called out in front of all their friends." Tears welled up in my friend's eyes. She could pay for some of them to eat, but not all of them. We sat in silence for a moment, not sure what to say, knowing that kids in our community didn't have enough to eat.
How does God's story end? The popular understanding is that when we die, we'll go to heaven, walking on streets of gold, taking naps on clouds, and catching up with our loved ones, as angels play celestial songs. But in Revelation, John talks about two cities, Babylon and New Jerusalem, to describe the communities we belong to, both now and forever. Taking this literally causes confusion: an angel promises to show John a bride, but the vision is of a city. But both of these images are about God's people, the church. The city's measurements are symbolic, combining the 'perfect' numbers of 12 and 1000 into a picture of ultimate completion. The twelve gates have the names of Israel's tribes, and the twelve foundations have the names of God's apostles. The wall is 144 (12x12) cubits high and the sides are 12,000 (12x1000) stadia long. Twelve tribes times twelve apostles times a thousand is 144,000 people, which is a symbolic number for all the people God saves. The architectural measurements say: God will complete his plan to save all his people. But what does it mean to be saved? The city's dimensions have equal height, width, and length. The only other cube in the Bible is the Holy of Holies, the most sacred, inner room of the Temple. This city is that room, expanded to be large enough to include all of God's people in God's presence. That's why there's no Temple in the city; we're inside of it. Nor do we need the light of the sun, because the Holy of Holies is filled with the light of Jesus, who shines God's glory. Every night, our family prays, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus taught us this prayer because he intended to bring heaven to earth. We can't build this city; it's too magnificent. We don't deserve to be inside of it; no one and nothing impure can be in this holy fellowship. It comes down because it's God's gift. We're inside of it because Jesus wrote our names down on the citizenship rolls. In Revelation, Babylon is the city powered by wealth and power. It's where kids sit hungry in a cafeteria where extra food is thrown away. But in the New Jerusalem, gold is pavement and pearls are doors. The gates never shut because there are no enemies that might invade during the night. Even as we live in Babylon, John is whetting our appetite to see what's coming: one day, God brings heaven to earth. The people of Babylon like to use the imagery of heaven to consolidate their position in society. They want us to think about God making life better in the future so we don't try to do anything about the suffering all around us. But John wanted us to be confident that we're already citizens of heaven, promised a city where nobody goes hungry, so that we would gain courage to live as God's people today.
What comes to mind when you think about heaven?
What does it tell you about God that he intends to live with us in the Holy of Holies forever?
What would it look like for you and your friends to live as citizens of the New Jerusalem?
At lunch today, visit allforlunch.org and make a donation so a kid can eat lunch with you. Then text a friend and invite them to join you.