But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
Summary: Paul’s reference to a “Jerusalem that is above” is a bit obscure. To understand what he is talking about we have to explore the rest of God’s Word.
Paul has just shown us the connection between the slave of Sarah, Hagar, and the spiritual slavery of those who are under the law. Now he makes another connection between the seen and the unseen.
What we can see is the physical city of Jerusalem. If we were to travel there, we could walk the streets of a place whose history reaches back to a time before King David. Jerusalem is the city Paul uses to symbolize slavery. Now, Paul tells us that there is another city named Jerusalem that is “above.”
What is he talking about?
When a magician is on stage and does his “magic” to entertain us, he (or she) divides the magic show into two parts; the “seen” and the “unseen.” The audience only sees what the magician wants them to see. What is unseen by the audience is what makes the trick seem magical.
It is important to understand that what a magician does involves deception. “Magic” requires “tricks” to be effective. Unusual skills called “slight of hand” help the magician create the illusion of something happening. If the trick is done well, the audience sees the “effect” without understanding or perceiving the “cause.”
The spiritual realm is similar except for one thing. Where magic relies on deception, the spiritual realm is reality. Like magic, the spiritual realm involves things we cannot see or perceive directly. Unless God takes us behind the curtain and shows us how things are done, we will never know. In many ways, the Bible does just that; it explains spiritual basics so we can understand how things really work.
When Paul talks about the “Jerusalem that is above,” he is explaining something that God has shown him in the spiritual realm. The Bible does not tell us much about this other Jerusalem, but it is mentioned in three other places.
One is in the book of Hebrews. The text refers to “Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22). The second reference is in the book of Revelation, where it says, “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The third reference is indirect.
In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet is taken to “the land of Israel” in “visions of God” (Ezekiel 40:2). In this vision, he is shown God’s Temple and given measurements for every part of the Temple and the surrounding property. At this time in Israel’s history, the Temple that could be seen had been destroyed. It would not be rebuilt until after the exile was complete. It would appear that Ezekiel had been taken to the “heavenly Jerusalem,” to the place of the unseen.
The Jerusalem Paul mentions is real. From a certain point of view, it is more real than anything we have here on earth. As Paul says, this heavenly Jerusalem is “free, and she is our mother.”
Application: Always be mindful that the spiritual realm is more real that the world we can see.
Food for Thought: Why is it important that our spiritual “mother” is free and not a slave?
I think it is important that our eternal destiny is not to be enslaved by sin, death or Satan. These are our spiritual enemies that enslave us. In Jesus we are free from these oppressive enemies. Currently they are defeated enemies in Christ, but still wreak havoc even in defeat. But someday they will be completely eradicated from our lives. We have freedom in Christ. We are no longer slaves but children of God. 1 John 3: 1 – 3; John 8: 31 – 36. Romans 6: 1 – 14.
Rich,
Thank you for the excellent words this morning! The passages you reference make your point well. I especially appreciated John 8:36–
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.“
I think it is important to look back at verse 24 where Paul writes that Hagar (the old covenant) was “bearing children for slavery.” In verse 25 Paul writes “she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.” In verse 26 Paul then writes “But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.” When I read verses 24, 25 and 26 together, it leads me to conclude that the Jerusalem above is not only “bearing children in freedom” but also “is not in slavery with her children.”
Looking at this reminds me of what Jesus said in John 3:1-6
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
When I think about all of this, I get an image in my mind of a Kingdom above the earth shining it’s light down, and the children of God within the light, although still on Earth. It is important that “the spiritual mother” is free and not a slave because it demonstrates that God is greater than our sin. Sometimes we say that Christ overcame sin, but I think the context is more that Christ overcomes sin within us, but that the truth is, sin cannot overcome Christ. The Living Christ has shown us that He is greater than sin, free from it, and in that He shines down upon us, and provides a way that we too can live free from it.
Chris,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this! Our minds seem to run along similar paths. I, too, get images in my head as I read your comment.
What comes to mind as I read your words is a disturbing tale often told by our dear brother Pastor Rich. It has to do with his younger days, staying as a guest in a room down south. When the lights went out at night, things started to move. When they turned the lights back on, a sea of cockroaches scurried for the baseboards.
Sin is a cockroach. God is the light. When we allow God’s light into our lives, the sinful cockroaches scurry for the dark places.