Devo Week 9

Walking with Him - A Visitor with History

A part-Jewish friend wanted to travel with me to the Akeu village to observe the Village Gate ritual. I explained to him why I thought it was a significant event for both the Akha and Akeu. My friend commented that what you are describing is like a "cultural cross." I sensed the Holy Spirit highlight that word to me, and I've used it since that time.

Key Concept: Cultural Cross℠

The history of the cross originated from ancient times among the Carthaginians, Persians, and Macedonians, then later in Rome during the time of Jesus. Many cultures (specifically oral cultures) would have no way of accessing this information. Like with the Akha and Akeu, the cross had no history within their cultures, but their Village Gate ritual functioned as a cultural parallel to the Jewish Passover and the Cross. A cultural cross℠ gives the local people a redemptive lens into the life of Jesus within their context.

What if God -- in His great love for all nations -- has also put rituals of parallel meaning among Gentile cultures? Rituals like the Peace Child or Village Gate are what I believe the Apostle Paul was referring to as the ‘many-sided wisdom of God.’ (Eph. 3:10-11, see Devotional 4) The Apostle Paul references this idea in Acts 17:26-28, saying that God is not far from any people group.

As Victor Turner has written, "A symbol, then, is a blaze or landmark, something that connects the unknown with the known."* In other words, symbols can help bring the unseen into the seen realm. The Village Gate is a symbol for both the Akha and Akeu that helps unveil the meaning of redemption within their cultural context. It is, for them, a cultural cross℠, so to speak.

Such discoveries make our cross-cultural work much more exciting, like a ‘treasure hunt.’ (see Devotional 7) God is already working where you are. Our mission is to simply join Him in what He is already doing — a constant theme throughout this Devotional series. Will you join in with Him?

Key Word Definition: cultural cross℠ (noun)

"A cultural cross℠ is a ritual or symbol given by God within the indigenous culture that is a foreshadowing of redemption. It reveals the meaning of the Cross in a way the indigenous people can understand within their context." – Blake Staton

Excerpt from Devotional 9 with highlighted word:

“I recalled how the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorpost had protected the Jews from the angel of death -- a foreshadowing of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. The Cross was simply the fulfillment of that Passover ritual … What if the mystery of the Gospel is that Jesus not only fulfills the story of the Jews but also the story of the Gentiles? What if the ritual of the Akha and Akeu Gate was simply their cultural cross℠, so to speak?”

Scripture: Luke 24:27

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (NIV)

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Works Cited:

Turner, V. (1967). The Forest of Symbols: Aspects of Ndembu Ritual. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.