Interruptions
By Jonathan Mitchell

An interruption is an act, utterance or period which stops the continuous progress of an activity or a process. It is a stoppage or a hindering which breaks the continuity of something, or which obstructs someone. People ordinarily dislike interruptions. Governments dislike interruptions. Folks who are in charge of building projects dislike interruptions. Those who are on "the top," in a stratified society, dislike interruptions which might change their favored positions. But when we think about it, we realize that interruptions recur throughout our lives.

For many situations, interruptions are unfavorable: the death of a loved one; the loss of a job; a debilitating accident; a devastating storm; a war breaks out... and many other negative events. We often categorize these as disruptions.

But many interruptions, or even disruptions, seem to be neutral, or even favorable: a child starts school, ending a continuity of always being at home; a young person passes from grade school to middle school, where the days are spent differently; a high school graduate leaves home and goes off to college; a son or daughter gets married and starts a new life with a spouse; a person changes jobs or moves to a new location. Yes, life is full of interruptions.

When listening to a lecture by Walter Brueggemann, I was struck by his statement that interruption is the main theme of the Bible. While I would not agree that it is the main theme, it certainly is a central thread in the historical tapestry which the Scriptures present to us.

We tend not to like change, unless we have it bad in life. Change comes with stress and uncertainty. The familiar can often be comfortable, even if not ideal. And thus, we strive for permanence. We build monuments and towers... and yes, we want a name that will be remembered. We hope that memory of us will give us some sort of permanence.

The story of Adam and Eve contains an interruption of their cush life in the Garden of Eden: they were exiled into a hard life. They have two sons, but then one of them murders the other: Cain is then exiled, away from his family, to become a restless wanderer.

The story of Noah involves a great interruption: the land is flooded, and only he and his family survive. Later on, is the story of "the Tower of Babel," in which the whole land had one language, and "one set of words" (Robert Alter). Some decided to build a city and a tower, and thus make a name for themselves. But then, Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the people were building, and He decided to scatter them from there, and so their building projects came to an end. He "baffled their language" (Alter) so that they could not understand each other, and then He scattered them over all the land (or: earth).

Later on, Yahweh interrupted Abram's life by telling him to leave his country and his family... which Abram did. His life then became periodically interactive with Yahweh, and Yahweh made promises to Abram, eventually changing his name to Abraham, who became the patriarch of the people group that would be called Israel. His immediate descendants experienced interruption, one of his great grandsons being exemplary of this: Joseph... from being thrown into a pit, to being a slave, to ultimately being a ruler in Egypt.

A famine interrupts the life of Jacob and his sons, and they move to Egypt, and their offspring eventually are enslaved there. As a baby, Moses is rescued and then he becomes a part of the royal court. Later, he would interrupt Pharoah's slave economy by leading Israel to freedom. This also interrupted the lives of Israel, and they find themselves in a wilderness for forty years. The stories of Israel, in the OT, offer many other examples of interruptions, classic examples being the deportations of the elites... first by the Assyrians, and then by the Babylonians.

The NT picks up the story, with Judea being a vassal state of the Roman Empire. First John, the immerser, enters the scene, immersing folks into a change of mind so as to redirect their thinking to the approaching Kingdom of God. Execution interrupts his ministry, but not before announcing the presence of Israel's Messiah. The ministry of Jesus interrupts the flow of Second Temple Judaism, establishing a new manifestation of God's reign which caused the Judean elites to feel threatened. The crucifixion of Jesus interrupts His earthly ministry, but His resurrection gives birth to the new creation in Christ, and establishes the called-out communities, the "body of Christ." With the advent of the new creation, the old things (of the previous creation and its primal arrangements) "passed away" (2 Cor. 5:17).

Becoming an apprentice (disciple) of Jesus interrupted the former lives of those who followed Him. Saul of Tarsus experienced a dramatic interruption by the risen Jesus, while Saul was on his way to Damascus. This interruption produced the sent-forth representative that we know as Paul, who later authored the greater part of the NT. Paul received revelations which unveiled various aspects of the new creation, with its new arrangement (covenant). In the new economy of God, there was no longer the separation between the circumcision (the Jews) and the uncircumcision (the Gentiles), but rather the two former categories were now joined into One New Humanity (Eph.2:15). In AD 70 the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, which interrupted the cultus of animal sacrifices. This interruption followed the creation of the New Temple (the Body of Christ), and the Jerusalem which is above (Gal. 4:26), wherein we have a new mother, who is continuously giving birth to the new humanity.

So, with all this in mind, how should we greet, and accept, interruptions? We have the witness of Scripture that God regularly interrupts people, processes and governments. Heaven is habitually descending upon the earth. Should we not face each day with a sense of wonder? Furthermore, should we not be open to the possibilities of positive interruptions in the present norm of global processes? We suggest that God is still progressively making all things new (Rev. 21:5).

Jonathan

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