A Scarlet Thread of Redemption?

Author: Dwight A. Pryor

IS IT TRUE, as widely held in Christian circles, that the thematic unity of the Bible is to
be found in its story of redemption?

From the time of the Church Fathers to today’s televangelists a “Scarlet Thread of
Redemption” has been touted as the main storyline of biblical revelation, weaving itself
through the tapestry of Scripture in diverse images and incidents: from the blood shed to
cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve in the Garden, to the blood applied to the
doorposts of Israelite homes in Egypt, to Rahab’s scarlet thread in Jericho signaling
Joshua’s men, to the blood shed at Temple sacrifices for the sins of Israel. All these, it is
said, are precursors to the real story of the Bible, namely, Jesus and his blood shed at
Calvary for the redemption not alone of Israel but of the whole world.

As marvelous and indisputably central to God’s purposes in the earth as is the story of
redemption, I would suggest nonetheless that another theme surpasses the “Scarlet
Thread of Redemption” as the overarching meta-narrative and unifying motif of the
biblical story. We might call it the “Golden Thread of the Kingdom.”

God’s reign in and over the earth pervades the biblical account from Genesis to
Revelation. In the Garden the Almighty shared His dominion with Adam and Eve,
commissioning them as agents of His rule over the earth and all its creatures great and
small. In rebellion, however, they forsook covenant with their Creator and chose instead
to serve another god, namely Self; they chose autonomy and independence—the power to
declare for themselves what is good and what is evil—rather than humble service to the
gracious King of the Universe.

So when the Last Adam appeared, he not only redeemed those enslaved to sin by the First
Adam, he also restored his Father’s kingdom to its rightful place in human affairs. In his
preaching, teaching, parables and deeds the Messiah continually and insistently
emphasized the in-breaking reality of the Kingdom of God. And when his Messianic task
will be fully accomplished at the Last Day and death is no more, then the Son will hand
the Kingdom back to the Father, that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24, 28).

THE CONSUMMATION of the Creation will occur when every rule, authority and
power is subject to God. Then the seventh angel shall sound the great shofar and the
heavens shall rejoice because:

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and
he shall reign forever and ever. And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones
before God fell on their faces and worshiped God…” (Revelation 11:15-16).
Let us never forget that the consummation of the Kingdom of God will occur in Zion, not
in heaven. Yes, there will be a “new heaven and earth,” but a renewed Jerusalem will still
be at its center and the Jewish nation still central to the purposes of the Creator. In that
great day, the first proclamation of God’s Kingship by Israel at the Sea—“The LORD
reigns forever and ever!” (Exodus 15:18)—will find its final fruition when the God of
Abraham becomes King over all the earth: “The LORD shall be one and His name one!”
(Zechariah 14:9).

So while the “Scarlet Thread of Redemption” is at the core of God’s story, it’s not its
circumference. The “Golden Thread of the Kingdom” precedes, succeeds, and indeed
surrounds it. Redemption is an integral and essential sub-narrative to the even grander
story of God’s reign in and over the earth.

Only with such an overview can we begin to glimpse the gravitas of the Kingdom
message for Jesus of Nazareth, why he prioritized it and personalized it throughout his
life and ministry, and why it is so important—nay urgent—for the Body of Messiah to lay
hold of his teachings on this subject. We truly will become agents of redemption and
restoration in our world when we are seized by the power of the Kingdom. Then we will
live our lives in the name of the Son and to the praise of the Father’s glory.

© 2011 The Center for Judaic-Christian Studies.

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