MANDELA
AS MESSIAH
Isaiah 40:1-5
Luke 3:1-16
"All
were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the
Messiah."
The world seemed very different when I
awoke last Friday morning and heard the news "Mandela is dead." I first heard about it in an e-mail from a
friend in Canada who, so he told me, saw the headline while reading an article
I had written in 1994 at the time Mandela was inaugurated as President of the
new South Africa. He
reminded me of what I had said at the time:
At the centre of it all was the national icon—a prisoner
become president, a man of stature and humility who, like few contemporary
world leaders, including those who had come to pay him homage, commanded the
respect of all and the love of many.
It is now almost twenty years later, twenty
years after apartheid was officially consigned to the dustbin of history, twenty
years of living as if on a roller coaster, with high moments of great
excitement and achievement, and low moments when we feared that all our hopes were
being dashed. But always somewhere at
the centre though increasingly in the background was the prisoner who became
president, the towering figure of the man who had, for too brief a time, led
our country out of the wilderness into a land full of promise. Now he is dead and the world that came to pay
him homage when he became president, has returned in even greater numbers to
pay their last respects. His death came as no surprise but
it was still a shock to the system, for it signalled the end of an era, but
much more, the end of a life that has become an icon or symbol of true
greatness, of humble leadership, of justice and reconciliation. Some
are even referring to Mandela as a messiah sent by God to deliver us from
bondage! In fact, I think this is what President Obama
was telling us at the Memorial Service on Tuesday.Today, as we
listen again to the story of John the Baptist preparing us to celebrate the
coming of Jesus into the world as the true Messiah, I want to ask whether it is
appropriate to talk of Mandela also in
these terms.
The term Messiah is for us Christians so exclusively associated with
Jesus that it is difficult to think of anyone else in these terms. So we cannot use the world lightly or thoughtlessly
when when we speak of him in this way. In the Bible the word
"Messiah" means "the
Lord's anointed." In the Old
Testament it is often used to describe those chosen by God to fulfil his
purpose of liberation and redemption --like Moses who led the slaves out of the
bondage of Egypt to the new land of promise.
But many others in the Old Testament are referred to as those anointed
by God, whether prophets like Elijah or Kings like David, and even Cyrus, the
pagan Persian king who allowed the Jewish exiles to return from captivity and
rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, was called the Lord's anointed or
messiah. So I do not think it is
inappropriate to refer to Nelson Mandela as a messianic figure whom God raised
up to lead our country from the bondage of apartheid into a new day of freedom.
But it is also dangerous to speak of any
leader as a messiah, especially
those who make such pretentious claims. Adolf Hitler immediately comes to mind as
the great false messiah of the twentieth century, though he is only one of many
others who have been instrumental in crimes against humanity. There are too many
would-be messiahs active in the
world today!
Jesus warned his followers about "false Messiahs," leaders who
claim to be God's anointed ones, but who actually lead peoples and nations along
paths of destruction. "Beware that
no one leads you astray," Jesus said,
"for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah!' and
will lead many stray." (Matthew 24:1-8) Jesus himself was even cautious in being
heralded as the Messiah. So we should
beware of leaders whether political or religious who make boastful claims to be
the servants of God but who in the end take us and the world down paths that
lead us away from the truth, away from justice, and too often into destruction.
But
that was not Mandela's way, and therein lies his greatness. He would never have claimed the title of Messiah for
himself, or thought of himself in
that way. He lived and acted with the kind of humility, compassion and self-service that
allows us to refer to him as a messianic figure, a true liberator, an
agent of God's justice, peace and reconciliation, someone who, through his life, words and deeds, points towards Jesus and not to himself as the true Messiah.
During Advent
we are reminded of the words of the prophets like John the Baptist who foretold
the coming of the true Messiah and in doing so described the character of such
a Messiah and what he would do. And then
in the fullness of time the shepherds heard the sound of the angels: "Do
not be afraid; for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the
people; to you is born this day in the city of David a saviour, who is the
Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)
The birth of the true Messiah brings great joy to people, it takes away
their fears and gives them fresh hope and courage, pointing to a future that
will usher in justice and peace for all.
This
is what Mandela has done for us and in doing so he helps us understand better
what it means to proclaim Jesus as Messiah and Lord. For Jesus came that we might be set free and
come to know life in all the fullness God wants to give us. This is
why we celebrate and give thanks today for Mandela's life and legacy, the
father of our nation and express such joy amid our sadness..
John de Gruchy
Volmoed 12 December 2013
Advent 2
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