Wicked - A Revelation

There is a Different Way

I saw Wicked last week. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing. I knew it was connected to the Wizard of Oz. Was it supposed to be what happened before The Wizard of Oz? Was it supposed to be what happened after The Wizard of Oz? My daughter had to explain it was like a “Fractured Fairy Tail.” I realized it was also similar to Jewish Midrash…the stories told inside the stories of the Bible. They are stories that fill in gaps to teach an updated moral lesson. Midrash responds to contemporary problems by telling new stories that connect to the unchanging Biblical text. Christians tell midrash, too. Wilda Gafney, a Hebrew biblical scholar, professor, and Episcopal priest, wrote a book entitled “Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne.”

Womanist Midrash is an in-depth and creative exploration of the well- and lesser-known women of the Hebrew Scriptures. Using her own translations, Gafney offers a midrashic interpretation of the biblical text that is rooted in the African American preaching tradition to tell the stories of a variety of female characters, many of whom are often overlooked and nameless. Gafney employs a solid understanding of womanist and feminist approaches to biblical interpretation and the sociohistorical culture of the ancient Near East. This unique and imaginative work is grounded in serious scholarship and will expand conversations about feminist and womanist biblical interpretation.

At the beginning of Wicked, the entire town celebrates the death of the Wicked Witch. The Wizard of Oz paints the portrait of a solidly evil witch who everyone wanted dead. The subversive current of Wicked pushes back on that simplistic view of humanity and, instead, invites viewers to consider a necessary question: Is the Wicked Witch ENTIRELY evil? The movie rests upon the question: “Is it true you were her friend?”

@lm52324💔😢 #wickedmovie #wicked #arianagrande #foryoupage #galinda #foryou #fyp #viral

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The colors and fantastical elements in the movie reminded me of the sensory-rich Book of Revelation in the Bible. Angels blowing trumpets, monsters rising from the deep, lakes of fire, rivers of blood, dragons, giant bugs, airborne horses, buildings and furniture made of gems, locusts wearing armor like horses, horses with serpents for tails, and a sea creature that is part leopard, part bear, and part lion.

Revelation is a literary genre called “Apocalyptic Literature.” Apocalyptic literature is a highly political literary genre that was a form of resistance literature for oppressed people. And for American Christians to engage with Revelation in a healthy way, we need to understand how and why those early Christians were oppressed.

Once upon a time…

Early Christians did not think they were following a new religion. They actually believed that since the Messianic age had begun, they were even better Jews than they were before. When Christianity entered the scene, Jewish people saw it as simply another Jewish sect, albeit a heretical one! In a book entitled “The Story of Christianity Vol 1,” Justo Gonzalez writes:

The attitude of those Jews toward Christianity is best understood by placing ourselves in their situation, and seeing Christianity from their perspective, as a new heresy going from town to town tempting good Jews to become heretics. Furthermore, many Jews believed, with some biblical foundation, that the reason why they had lost their independence and been made subjects of the Roman Empire was that the people had not been sufficiently faithful to the traditions of their ancestors. Nationalistic and patriotic sentiment was aroused by the fear that these new heretics could once more bring the wrath of God upon Israel.

For these reasons, in most of the New Testament it is the Jews who persecute Christians, who in turn seek refuge under the wing of the Roman authorities…Thus, Romans, Jews, and Christians agreed that what was taking place was a conflict among Jews. As long as things were relatively orderly, Romans preferred to stay out of such matters. But when there was a riot or any disorderly conduct, they intervened to restore order, and sometimes to punish the disorderly.

But the distinction between Christians and Jews became clearer as the church gained more converts from the Gentile population, and the ratio of Jews in its ranks diminished. There are also indications that, as Jewish nationalism increased and eventually led to rebellion against Rome, Christians - particularly the gentiles among them - sought to put as much distance as possible between themselves and that movement. The result was that Roman authorities began to become cognizant of Christianity as a religion quite different from Judaism.

This new consciousness of Christianity as a separate religion was at the root of two and a half centuries of persecution by the Roman Empire, from the time of Nero to the conversion of Constantine. Roman authorities had dealt with Judaism long enough to understand that for most Jews their refusal to worship the emperor or the Gods was not an act of rebellion against established authorities, and that such rebellion would only take place when those authorities sought to impose their gods on the Jews. As a result, Jews were normally exempt from the expectation that they worship the emperor. Thus, as long as Christianity was considered a variant of Judaism, its adherents would not normally be required to worship the emperor, and their refusal to do so would not be considered an act of rebellion or disobedience, but a matter of religious conviction. Once it became clear that not all Christians were Jews, and that this new religion was spreading throughout the empire, authorities would demand that Christians, like any other subjects of the empire, show that their loyalty by worshiping the emporer.

[When Christianity later became the religion of the majority/empire, there were those who on the basis of what the New Testament says about the opposition of Judaism to Christianity, and without any regard for the different historical circumstances, declared the Jews to be a rejected race, persecuted them, and even massacred them. Such an attitude would have been abhorrent to Paul who claimed that he was being persecuted ‘for the hope of Israel.’]

Thanks to his mother’s intrigues, Nero reached the Roman throne in October of 54. At first he was a reasonable ruler, not entirely unpopular, whose laws in favor of the dispossessed were well received by the Roman populace. But he became increasingly infatuated with his dreams of grandeur and his lust for pleasure, and surrounded himself with a court where all vied to satisfy his every whim. Ten years after his accession to the throne, he was despised by the general population as well as by the poets and artists, who were offended by the emperor’s claim that he was one of them. Soon the rumor began circulating that he was mad.

Such was the state of affairs when, on the night of June 18, 64 CE, a great fire broke out in Rome. It appears that Nero was several miles away, in his palace at Antium, and that as soon as he heard the news he hurried to Rome, where he tried to organize the fight against the fire. He opened to the homeless the gardens of his palace, as well as other public buildings. In spite of this, there were those who suspected the emperor, whom many believed was mad, of having ordered that certain sections of the city be put to the torch. The fire lasted six days and seven nights, and then flared up sporadically for three more days. Ten of the fourteen sections of the city were destroyed. In the midst of their sufferings, the peple clamored for justice. Soon the rumor arose - and persists to this day in many history books - that Nero had ordered the city destoyed so he could rebuild it according to his fancy.

More and more, the people began to suspect the emperor. A rumor circulated that he had spent most of the time during the fire atop a tower on the Palatine, dressed as an actor, playing his lyre and singing about the destruction of Troy. Then the story was that, in his presumptuousness as a poet, he had ordered the city destroyed so that the fire would inspire in him a gret epic poem. Nero tried to allay such suspicions, but it soon became clear that he would not succeed in this as long as there was no one else to blame. Two of the areas that had not burned had many Jewish and Christian residents. Therefore, the emperor decided to blame the Christians. Tacitus tells the story:

‘In spite of every human effort, of the emperor’s largesse, and of the sacrifices made to the gods, nothing sufficed to allay suspicion nor to destroy the opinion that the fire had been ordered, Therefore, in order to destroy this rumor, Nero blamed the Christians, who are hated for their abominations, and punished them with refined cruelty. Christ, from whom they take their name, was executed by Pontious Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. Stopped for a moment, this evil superstition reappeared, not only in Judea, where was the root of the evil, but also in Rome, where all things sordid and abominable from every corner of the world come together. Thus, first those who confessed [that they were Christians] were arrested, and on the basis of their testimony a great number were condemned, although not so much for the fire itself as for their hatred of humankind.’

These words from Tacitus are of great value, for they are one of the most ancient extant indications of how pagans viewed Christians. Reading these lines, it is clear that Tacitus did not believe that the fire in Rome was set by Christians. Furthermore, he did not approve of Nero’s ‘refined cruelty.’ But, all the same, this good and cultured Roman believed a great deal of what was being said about the ‘abominations’ of Christians and their ‘hatred of humankind.' Tacitus, and other authors writing contemporaneously, do not detail these supposed ‘abominations.’ Second-century authors would be more explicit. But, in any case, Tacitus believed the rumors and thought that Christians hated huamnkind. This last charge makes sense if one remembers that all social activities - the theater, the army, classic literature, sports- were so entwined with pagan worship that Christians often felt the need to abstain from them. Therefore, to the eyes of a Roman such as Tacitus, who loved his culture and society, Christians appeared as haters of humankind. But Tacitus goes on:

‘Before killing the Christians, Nero used them to amuse the people. Some were dressed in furs, to be killed by dogs. Others were crucified. Still others were set on fire early in the night, so that they might illumine it. Nero opened his own gardens for these shows, and in the circus he himself became a spectacle, for he mingled with the people dressed as a charioteer, or he rode around in his chariot. All of this aroused the mercy of the people, even against these culprits who deserved an exemplary punishment, for it was clear that they were not being destroyed for the common good, but rather to satisfy the cruelty of one person.’

Once again the pagan historian, while showing no love for Christians, indicates that the reason for this persecution was not justice, but the whim of the emperor. These lines are also one of the few surviving pagan tetsimonies of the cruel tortures to which those early martyrs were subjected.

Although at first Christians were charged with arson, soon they were persecuted for merely being Christian - and for all the supposed abominations connected with that name.

In 68 CE, Nero was deposed by a rebellion that gained the support of the Roman senate, and killed himself. The persecution ceased, although nothing was done to rescind whatever laws Nero had passed against Christians.

The year 69 was so tumultuous that it became known as the year of four emperors, the fourth being Domitian, who eventually turned against Christians for another severe regime, this time for both Christians and Jews.

You need to know all that to understand the Book of Revelation and how it functions as apocalyptic literature. Most scholars believe that Revelation was composed during the bloody reign of either Nero or Domitian. Both were vicious, paranoid, and insane rulers.

Many modern Christians understand Revelation as a codebook for the end times. Many have used this book as a hammer. “Fix yourself so you’re not left behind in the rapture.” Believing that Revelation describes a rapture like this is a belief that Jesus will one day swoop down and rescue some people from Earth, providing an escape to heaven.

A friend of mine described a childhood memory. She came home from school one day, but her family was not home. She believed she was left behind in The Rapture. Her family would enter the pearly gates, but she would not. This is the stuff of nightmares. Do you remember the Disney movie “The Flight of the Navigator?” This movie gave me nightmares as a kid! A boy who has traveled eight years into the future returns to his home and finds a family, not his own, living in it! Being left behind is terrifying. Watch the clip here.

@shapeshiftersystem#FlightoftheNavigator Please! Where's my mom and dad?

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Note: Did you notice all the bookshelves in that house?!

The Book of Revelation was not a terrifying codebook of the end times. It was a book that offered hope by addressing the crisis at hand. In his book We Make the Road by Walking, Brian McLaren writes:

“Even if the emperor is mad, Revelation claimed, it’s not the end of the world. Even if peace-loving disciples face martyrdom, it’s not the end of the world. Even if the world as we know it comes to an end, that ending is also a new beginning. Whatever happens, God will be faithful and the way of Christ - a way of love, non-violence, compassion, and sustained fervency - will triumph. Revelation provided early disciples with a clever way of giving voice to truth - when freedom of speech was dangerous in one way, and remaining silent was dangerous in another. Instead of saying, ‘The Emperor is a fraud and his violent regime cannot stand,’ which would get them arrested, Revelation tells a strange story about a monster who comes out of the sea and is defeated. Instead of saying, ‘The establishment is corrupt,’ it tells a story about a whore. Instead of naming today’s Roman empire as being doomed, they talk about a past empire - Babylon - that collapsed in failure.”

Belief in the rapture is not only wrong, it is dangerous. This roadmap to the end-times interpretation leads to an ideology called “Dispensationalism.” The danger with this ideology is that we can become so consumed with the end times that we neglect the here and now. We can become so consumed with making sure we will not be left behind that we have no time or interest in compassion and justice in this world. It is antithetical to the life-affirming theology of Christ.

Instead of predicting the return of a killer Messiah who ends the world as we know it, Revelation recalls a day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Rather than carrying a sword in hand, Jesus carries it by mouth. Jesus’ humble words of peace, love, and justice will prove more powerful than the bloody swords of violent emperors. Jesus’ robe is bloodstained. But the battle had not begun. Is it possible that the blood on his robe was not the blood of enemies but the blood from his own body?

Revelation does not describe an evacuation from Earth. It describes a God descending to dwell among us, answering our prayer: “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It describes a new heaven descending to create a new earth. This New Earth is what Jesus proclaimed as the Kingdom of God - a kingdom unlike anything anyone had ever experienced. In her book Inspired, Rachel Held Evans wrote:

“This kingdom belongs to the poor, to the peacemakers, the merciful, and those who hunger and thirst for God. In this kingdom, the people from the margins and the bottom rungs will be lifted up to places of honor, seated at the best spots at the table. This kingdom knows no geographic boundaries, no political parties, no single language or culture. It advances not through power and might, but through acts of love and joy and peace, missions of mercy and kindness and humility.”

Many of us think of “eternal life” as something that begins after death. However, a more modern translation of this phrase could be “life to the full” or “true aliveness.” The point of the Christian life is not to tolerate life until we can escape. The point of the Christian life is life to the full. It is to participate with God in making this a world where more people can experience what it is to be truly alive. Partnering with God to make that a reality for all of creation is the point of the Christian life.

In his book, McLaren writes:

“What was true for Revelation’s original audience is true for us today. Whatever madman is in power, whatever chaos is breaking out, whatever danger threatens, the river of life is flowing now. The Tree of Life is bearing fruit now. True aliveness is available now. That’s why Revelation ends with the sound of a single word echoing through the universe - a word of invitation, welcome, reception, hospitality, and possibility. It is a word not of ending but of new beginning. Come!”

Wicked is not the Bible, obviously. But it does explore the complexity of good and evil. It invites us to step outside the simplicity of binary thinking. It describes a reality where no one is all good, and no one is all evil. The scared and threatening characters in the movie represent our human nature. We are desperate for power because it makes us feel safe. We insist on neat and easy categories of black and white, good and evil, male and female, night and day, right and wrong. If something doesn’t fit inside this simple way of thinking and believing, we insist on it. If they fail to comply, we will abuse them or use the fear of differences and complexity to turn others against them. It is our human nature. But if the Wicked Witch was only bad, how could someone so beautiful, pure, and popular like Glinda ever be her friend? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out…

(more to say, but…I don’t want to spoil the movie!)

Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s a sermon I preached one Thanksgiving Sunday during the Covid-19 pandemic: