African Violet: "We're only pilgrims here"

Is there a difference between written scripture and the oral tradition? In answering this questions, it is important to remember that it was originally a story to a particular people that became a story for all people. Terry Callier’s “African Violet” tells this story and reminds us why it important to tell the story, as he does, from the right perspective.

Brian Zahnd writes in Postcards from Babylon of the importance of reading scripture from the proper perspective. As in “African Violet”, the stories are not told from the vantage point of the powerful, but from that of “the poor, the oppressed, the enslaved, the conquered, the occupied, the defeated.” It is the meek and humble people of Matthew 5 to whom Jesus chooses to give His Kingdom. It’s the poor and uneducated that inherit the land of Judah when Babylon hauls off the rich and powerful.

Reading the scripture as if it were for the rulers of the age, the powerful, leads you to dangerous conclusions. This is, perhaps, the downside of the written scripture replacing the oral tradition. The narrative is disjointed. The writing becomes a coda from which to govern and manipulate. “The Book of Eli”, starring Denzel Washington, serves as modern parable of those who would weaponize scripture. The Crusades, atrocities of colonialism, slavery, segregation, the Nazi Holocaust, Apartheid, mistreatment of immigrants, and so on happen from reading entitlement into a story about redeeming and restoring people subjugated to beastly rulers.

The Hebrew Bible was largely complete by the time the Jews returned from exile. The word '“torah” , meant “teaching, instruction” initially. At this time, the text became more prominent and the “torah” referred to the written text in the Second Temple period. Which is authoritative, written or oral, the teacher or the text? The elites and priestly aristocracy were in control of the text; the layman, like the Pharisees, held to the idea of the teacher. The Author is the authority. It is the voice of the Teacher, the Shepherd, that is the authority. It is the story that we must pay attention to as we look to scripture. Jesus is the voice of scripture and it is He who tells its purpose and its story. What is the story He tells?

In Luke 4, Jesus reads the texts, but tells the story, gives it voice and meaning. He reads from Isaiah 6:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to liberate the oppressed,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Then Jesus says that today, this is happening. He got off script. The text was supposed to be the final word. When debating the law, He would often say “you’ve heard it said…, but I say…” What does He say in John 10? “My sheep hear my voice.” He is the Teacher, the Shepherd. Our following of Christ is in the oral tradition of story and narrative in response to the mission of Christ. The written word keeps us on track, but it is not in authority over Jesus. It is to easy to abuse scripture if we divorce ourselves from Jesus, if we only read the text without the story.

In America, no other people group better exemplified the story than those that were taken from their homeland and made to be slaves. They lived the story and adopted the oral tradition. Those in power used the text to justify their oppression and violence. Rachel Held Evans writes in Inspired, “Anytime the Bible is used to justify the oppression and exploitation of others, we have strayed far from the God who brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, ‘out of the land of slavery’ (Exodus 20:2). The words of Terry Callier indict those in power with his cry:

African violet
You never will regret
When all these trials are done
You'll see the rising sun

Afroamerican
I'll tell you once again
Try to remember my dear
We're only pilgrims here

Had the Christians of the time understood the Story, they would would have acted with mercy and love rather than pride and self-interest. The Good Samaritan story exemplifies this idea. In it, we face the question of why the priest and the Levite did not stop. What story were they part of? "I imagine that the first question the priest and Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But by the very nature of his concern, the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him (Martin Luther King Jr, Strength to Love)?” This is the heart of the Story, someone is alone and in pain. How can I restore them?

To followers of Christ, Paul reminds us that we are pilgrims and exiles in this world. Our allegiance is to Jesus, and it is His voice to whom we listen. There are hurting people everywhere. And there are beastly powers that crush all in their path. They may even use the written text to justify their actions. How do we know which is right? We must listen to the voice of the Teacher who tells us the Story He authored. We look to Him and bear His image to the poor, the prisoner, the blind, and the oppressed.

Kingdoms that rule with violence, oppression, and injustice rule as beasts. This theme courses throughout the Story. Those that tolerate and give allegiance to this rule fare no better. The Good Samaritan, not the priest or Levite, joins God’s Story of Restoration. God searches to deliver, redeem, and restore people to be His image bearers, to cultivate His good world with wisdom. He will remove all Pharaohs, emperors, and powers that treat people as they see fit. Jesus, the Author of the Story, commands us in Luke 10 to love all people compassionately. The cry of the oppressed longs for the sons of God to do this, to ask themselves “what will happen to these if I do nothing?” This is the command of Jesus. This is the Story the Voice sings over His people in Zephaniah 3:17: He will comfort, He will quiet your fears, He will rejoice over you, …the pilgrim has found his home.

For a cool song with a similar theme, see “Somebody’s Coming” on the Gallery page.