On May 25, 1977, the movie Star Wars was released. Written and directed by George Lucas, Star Wars is an imaginative tale which transpired “a long time ago” in a galaxy “far, far away.” The story revolves around a young orphan named Luke Skywalker. Luke is swept up in a grand conflict between the evil galactic Empire and a band of freedom fighters striving to overthrow the Empire and restore justice and peace to the galaxy. Prior to the rise of the Empire, the galaxy had enjoyed freedom and prosperity under the the Galactic Republic. For many centuries, the rule of the Republic had been upheld by the Jedi knights, elite warriors armed with elegant light sabers who possessed marvelous abilities derived from the power of the Force. Tragically, the Republic had been overthrown by evil agents known as Sith Lords – essentially Jedi knights who had turned to the dark side of the Force. These Sith Lords had seized power and murdered the Jedi almost to extinction.
Unbeknownst to young Luke Skywalker, he is a very special figure in this struggle, for he is the son of a great Jedi knight and the power of the Force runs strong in his veins. Ever since he was born, Luke has been secretly watched over by Obi Wan Kenobi – one of the last of the Jedi. Kenobi knows that when Luke comes of age, he must be trained in the ways of the Force and become a Jedi knight. Skywalker’s unique abilities will allow him to confront the evil Emperor and his brutal underling Darth Vader.
During the next installment of the Star Wars films – entitled The Empire Strikes Back – fans were shocked to discover that Darth Vader is in fact Luke’s father. Vader had been a powerful Jedi knight named Anakin Skywalker before he was corrupted. This history makes Luke the key figure in the whole drama. He alone can reverse the disastrous consequences of his father’s actions and restore justice and flourishing to the galaxy. Skywalker himself is the new hope, which later became the subtitle of the original Star Wars movie.
Of course Star Wars became an instant sensation, raking in $775 million and thereby becoming – at that time – the highest grossing film of all time. When adjusted for inflation, Star Wars remains the second highest grossing film of all time, behind only Gone With the Wind. George Lucas had created a compelling story line along with a vast array of memorable characters. Not only that, Star Wars dazzled audiences with all manner of special effects. And thanks to composer John Williams, moviegoers were delighted by perhaps the most recognizable musical score of all time.
Like all great stories, Star Wars: A New Hope shares many features with the greatest story of all – the story of the Bible. Just as the Star Wars galaxy faced the evil and oppression of the Empire, so God’s world had been corrupted by evil. As much as any part of the Bible, the book of Jeremiah shows us how God reacts in the face of flagrant wickedness and villainy. The people of Israel had become so intractably depraved that they had lost the love and blessing of their God. God was instead working to bring about their destruction. The revelation of God’s anger is quite difficult to face. Yet we must remind ourselves again that God’s wrath is a vital manifestation of his character. If we’re able to step back and look at the bigger picture, we discover that God’s wrath is an essential part of his love and goodness. It is precisely because of God’s love and goodness that he must condemn all that corrupts and destroys his creation.
While most of Jeremiah’s material is by necessity dark and distressing, there are several points which remind us that evil is not allowed to have the last word. Just as Luke Skywalker provided hope that the galaxy would be restored, so there are clear signs in the book of Jeremiah that, despite Israel’s current failure, God was still at work to restore and redeem his creation. One passage of Jeremiah in particular, shows us that God is not simply resigned to bringing destructive judgment upon humans who have turned to evil. Rather, God above all else desires to rescue those who have been ensnared by darkness and bring them back into the light.
“‘The time is coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD. ‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the LORD. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'” Jeremiah 31:31-34
From the very beginning, God had fashioned human beings so that they might exercise his authority over the created order, thereby allowing the world to flourish in the way that God intended. Tragically, humankind rebelled against God’s good purposes. They refused to offer God the worship he deserves. They rejected God’s wisdom and choose instead to pursue their own notion of right and wrong. The results of humanity’s rebellion we see all around us today – corruption, alienation, misery and death.
God’s covenant with Israel was intended to reverse the catastrophic effects of sin. The people of Israel were called to fulfill the key role marked out for humanity from the beginning. Through proper worship and obedience, Israel would become God’s image bearers, reflecting his love and goodness. And by acknowledging God’s wisdom, Israel would exercise proper governance over the world so that all creation could thrive.
Yet the first covenant was a failure. Why? Certainly not because of any deficiency on God’s part. Indeed, as Jeremiah says, God was a husband to Israel. In other words, God was a faithful covenant partner. He made his covenant requirements very clear to the people of Israel. The covenant law – given to Israel through Moses on Mt. Sinai – showed Israel exactly what it meant to offer God proper worship and obedience. The problem (of course) was the people of Israel themselves. The pervasive effects of sin had gone deep, deep down into their hearts, so that even thought they knew God’s righteous requirements, they still failed to obey them.
Yet hope is not lost, Jeremiah writes. God will never give up on his creation, nor will he abandon his plan to rescue his creation through Israel. But in order for this to happen, the people of Israel need a heart transplant. All of the detailed instructions of the law mean nothing if people still harbor darkness and rebellion in their hearts. Thus, Jeremiah writes of a time when God will “put my law in their hearts.” This crucial phrase can only mean one thing: the people of Israel will at last be given the power and desire to worship God and live in obedience to his commandments.
Please note that this is very different from the scheme of salvation offered by many churches. How often have you heard that we can never live up to God’s standards? Human beings must come to a point where they recognize that all our efforts are fruitless. Only then can we cast ourselves upon the Jesus for forgiveness.
This line of thinking is in many ways a powerful and attractive presentation of Christianity. Unfortunately, it is not what Jeremiah says! Rather, the law remains central to the new covenant of which Jeremiah speaks. The difference is that the people of Israel will have the law inscribed upon their very hearts. In other words, the law will no longer be an external standard towards which they strive. Rather, the power and passion to worship and obey the one true God will spring from the depths of their being.
Many centuries after the time of Jeremiah, Jesus of Nazareth came to Jerusalem. There in the upper room he shared one last Passover meal with his disciples. Jesus knew that his time had come; he would shortly face the agony of suffering and death. Yet he also had entrusted his life to the Father, believing that he would be vindicated and raised to new life on the third day. In order to explain the deepest meaning of these events, Jesus makes reference to the very passage we’ve just been considering. “This cup,’ Jesus declared, ” is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
Evangelical churches reliably correlate Jesus’ words with Jeremiah’s promise of forgiveness: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” This is entirely appropriate. However, what is too often forgotten is God’s forgiveness goes hand-in-hand with the writing of the law upon our hearts. With the benefit of Biblical hindsight, we can now see the full scope of God’s plan. Having the law written upon our hearts refers to the transformation of human behavior – yet in a way that leaves Torah behind. Certainly not because the Torah was a bad thing. Rather, the Torah has finally found its fulfillment in the person of Jesus the Messiah. We who have the Holy Spirit – none other than the Spirit of Jesus himself! – are able to offer God the worship he deserves and the obedience which will allow God’s world to flourish.
So is God’s standard of behavior an impossibility which humans can never hope to achieve? For those apart from Jesus – yes. Such people can never become the human beings God created them to become. But for those of us in Christ – heavens no! We now have the power to “live a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way.” (Colossians 1:10)
