It Was the Best of Times...

On my way to one of my favorite universities to visit in Tianjin was a large housing development that was named in commemoration of a past Chinese dynasty. Every time I biked past it on my way to visit a friend, I would chuckle to myself at their promotion line. They had apparently quoted the first line of A Tale of Two Cities—but nothing more. The sign said, "It was the best of times."

Being moderately ethnocentric, I was amused by their apparent failure to read any farther in the book. Yet at the same time, I find such a decontexualized use of a catchy, seemingly pertinent phrase particularly illustrative as I consider the task, duty, and delight of missions, evangelism, and the Christian life as a whole.

A beautiful truth of the Gospel is that it is not our persuasion that wins lives over to Jesus, but the Holy Spirit's quickening ray (see, for example, 2 Cor. 4:6). The flip side of this truth, however, is that many times, our proclamation of the Gospel does not bring salvation, but is rejected. This rejection may even be part of a lifelong hardening to the Gospel—our very proclamation may in fact further justify God's righteous wrath on account of a person's sinfulness and rejection of Christ.

On a number of occasions, I have heard Isaiah 6:8 quoted as a motivation to go into ministry, service, and missions: Isaiah's call is seen as a normative call to ministry and exemplary response to God's call. But, like the sign in China, we read what conveniently fits our purpose. "Yes, Lord, I will go, and tell the Good News." 

But what if that Good News is rejected? Read further, and you see that the message Isaiah was told to bring to Israel was not one of God's favor, but of condemnation. After seeing generation after generation worshipping idols, God is handing over Israel to their own desires. Isaiah's initial  message is not one of hope, but of condemnation. 

As the Church takes the Gospel to the nations—to places such as China—we must expect that it will not always be accepted. Though the Gospel is the Good News—the Best News— it is foolishness to those who have not been called. The Great Commission calls us to go: It is our duty, but also our delight. But we cannot read Scripture and stop after what is easy to stomach: The Gospel WILL go to every people, tongue, and nation—It was the best of times. We must read on: To follow Jesus is to take up one's cross. We follow Jesus out of the city to Golgatha. It was the worst of times.

But Christ rose again. And Christ will return. It will be the best of times. Full stop.