Noah Part 4 - Fresh Takes on the Old Story

The story of the Great Flood is powerful and timeless. Every generation hears its echoes in the upheavals, urgencies and opportunities of their own day.

I wonder how its ancient melodies sound in our 21st Century ears?

According to Peter, Jesus’ apostle and water-walking protégé, the climactic event of human history was the coming to earth of Jesus to save his doomed creation. He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan, but he spoke cryptically of another ‘baptism’, when he was engulfed by the flood of God’s judgment against sin. On the cross, he embraced that deadly torrent as God’s truly Righteous One, suffering to rescue the unrighteous ones and rising from death to give us living hope!


The letter that comes to us in Peter's name shows how Noah’s flood vividly fore-shadowed that watershed Jesus event - and how every Christian baptism is a symbolic re-telling of that story.

The story of Noah’s flood and Jesus’ death and resurrection are stories we embrace and echo in Christian baptism. We have been preserved from the torrents of sin and delivered onto dry land with an opportunity to live in newness of life.

In his day in 1523, Martin Luther helped to recover Christian baptism from superstitious ritual. In his famous Flood Prayer, reflecting on Peter’s symbolism, Luther called baptism 'a blessed flood and a lavish washing away of sin’. Because of God’s ‘boundless mercy’ baptism can be ‘a saving flood that drowns all our sins’ and sets us free for a creative and repentant life. 

We show that life when we faithfully exhibit the mercy and love of God, and as we pray and work daily for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. A life-style that reveals God’s reign and rule has many expressions, but Noah models for us a particular virtue that is especially vital in our day.

We live in a time of ecological crisis in which a distinct species of plant or animal becomes extinct every 20 minutes. In building the ark Noah stood tall as a champion of the earth-keeping role God assigned to us for the preserving, protecting and enhancing of the rest of creation.

Isaiah in his day grasped that vision and described a day when God's shalom will flood the earth 'as the waters cover the sea.'  Instead of violence, 'the wolf will live with the lamb'. Isaiah 11:6-9

Isaiah's vision in turn inspired 19th century Quaker painter Edward Hicks to paint 61 paintings of the Peaceable Kingdom.  As a Quaker, Hicks saw a direct link between the teachings of Jesus, the vision of Isaiah and the example of Noah.

This is not just an eco-friendly option for the environmentally-inclined.  It is non-negotiable obedience for promoting God’s glory in the created world in our day. When we ignore this calling we mirror the people of Noah’s day who, as Jesus noted, were entirely wrapped up in self-indulgence 'until the flood came and took them all away.' Sadly, Jesus said, 'that is just how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man'. Matthew 24:37-39

Jesus, Peter, Luther, Isaiah, Hicks - together they urge us to attend to God's creation mandate.  Each of them sings Noah's story from their day to ours.  If we have ears to hear, we need to listen.  And if we really listen, we'll want to sing - and act.

Photo Credits:
Both Edward Hicks paintings above, Noah's Ark (1846) and Peaceable Kingdom (1834)  are in the public domain. Martin Luther painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder