The Isolation Story: Us Away From Them
January 26, 2025
Proverbs 18:1-2 (NRSV), Matthew 5:13-16
Series based on The Seventh Story, by Brian McLaren & Gareth Higgins
Then the Lord God said, “It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him.”
Genesis 2:18
You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
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The Isolation Story is one of separation, often driven by the belief that the world is too corrupt to engage with. It is a form of escapism, where we simply want to disconnect from the evils of the world and isolate ourselves in a perfect little “Christian” community.
The Essenes were a Jewish sect in the first century who embodied this story, retreating from society to form isolated communities in the wilderness. John the Baptizer is among the most well known of this group. They believed that the world had become so impure that the only way to maintain faithfulness was through complete withdrawal.
Jesus, however, rejected this path of isolation. He declared, "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden... let your light shine before others”. Rather than retreating from the world, Jesus calls His followers to transform it through their presence. He modeled a life of engagement, healing, and teaching, calling His disciples to be agents of change in the world, not isolated from it.
Our times are filled with escapist theology that treats the earth as dispensable because we are just biding our time until we get to some other worldly heaven. While we await this final destination somewhere else, many seek to live out the Isolation Story by creating “Christian” subcultures that choose separation from the world in the name of purity or faithfulness. We want our own music, our own movies, our own coffee shops, our own schools, our own neighborhoods, and on and on it goes. It’s ironic that we seem to want all the things the world offers, but just in a uniquely “Christian” version so we can pretend we are separate from it all.
We are to be in the world, not of it. Too often, however, we live as people of the world, but not in it. Studies show that the everyday lives of self-proclaimed Christians don’t look that much different than any other group, but our determination to separate ourselves allows us to turn a blind eye to the needs around us. Jesus' call challenges us to step into the world, bringing His light into even the darkest corners. Our light does no good in a well lit isolated room. If we are to be agents of transformation, bringing God’s kingdom to earth, we must be fully engaged in this broken world God so dearly loves.
Are there areas of your life where you withdraw from the world to maintain purity?
How can you engage more fully with your community, bringing God’s light into dark places?