Barinthus [said], “Think not anything but what is unquestionably good, for your converse is good, and your dwelling is hard by Paradise, and near to you is the island which is called The Promised Land of the Saints. There is never any night, and the day never ends.”
– The Life of Brendan of Clonfert
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
– Hebrews 12.22-24
A visit to the homeland
As part of his report to the assembled brethren at Clonard, Barinthus related how he had told others of his journey and what he had learned. Our excerpt for today is most important, both for understanding Barinthus’ tale and for glimpsing how Irish hagiography works.
What did Barinthus learn about Paradise and The Promised Land of the Saints? He reported that, during the space of an hour on that island, “we saw the island in resplendent beauty, full of fragrant apples in blossom; and there was no single herb or tree among them which was not laden with fruit…And the stones of the island were all jewels.” In other words, it was a beautiful, bright, bounteous, blessèd place where only good was to be known.
Sounds a lot like our understanding of heaven and of the new heavens and new earth, no?
And this is precisely the intent. Barinthus, using images and themes familiar to Irish believers, reported that he and his son, while on their journey in the Lord, had experienced a glimpse of the glory of the unseen and coming world—of our homeland. The anonymous story-teller intended to use Barinthus’ account of his experience to entice Brendan on his own voyage to discover The Promised Land of the Saints, in turn, to encourage us to believe that we could know something of that blessèd then and there, right here and now. For as Barinthus said to the Clonard company and to us, the primary lesson of his journey was that the Paradise of God is “near to you”.
Blind or unwilling?=
This is just what the writer of Hebrews contends. He says we “have come” to that glorious City which is to be our eternal home, where saints and angels gather in general assembly before God and Jesus. That verb, “have come”, is important. It’s tense, in the Greek, is the perfect, which indicates an action completed in the past. When the writer therefore says, “you have come”, he means it’s a done deal, not just something to be realized in the far there and then. Here and now, you and I who believe in Jesus have come to the glorious and eternal City of God, described in various places in Scripture as the final dwelling place of the saints of God.
So, why don’t we, like Barinthus, have stories to tell about our journeys there? When was the last time, in your “converse” with fellow Christians, you charmed and challenged one another with the glimpses of eternal glory, of never-ending day and indescribable beauty, of radiant brilliance and bounty of every kind, which you have experienced in your journey of faith?
It can’t be because we’re blind. Jesus has opened our eyes to see and believe in Him, as we frequently sing: “I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind, but now I see.” We have, Paul wrote, “eyes of the heart” with which to peer into the glories of the throne room of Christ, to gaze upon His beauty and experience the glory in His face (Eph. 2.15-23; Ps. 27.4; 2 Cor. 4.6). As believers in Jesus Christ, we aren’t blind, we are not incapable of seeing into The Promised Land of the Saints.
So why don’t we? There are only two answers.
First, we don’t know how. How to engage the “eyes of the heart.” How to “set your mind on the things that are above, where Christ is seated in glory” (Col. 3.1-3). We don’t know what we’re supposed to be looking for or where to look for it. And because of this, we’re not sure we would recognize the place, even if we were to receive the slightest, most momentary glimpse of it.
The Life of Breandan of Clonfert will help us deal with these problems. Along the way, as we sail with Brendan and his company, we’ll have many opportunities to learn the secrets of parting the veil that separates our everyday experience with that glorious there and then which, as Barinthus explained, “is near to you” wherever you are. And this will help to train us for more opportunities to visit the then and there, here and now.
The second answer is more problematic: We simply will not go there. We’re not sufficiently enthralled with the vision of Christ exalted in glory to take the time and make the effort it takes to experience that place to which we have come by grace through faith in more of its grandeur and glory.
That’s not good thinking, is it? Barinthus urged us to think good thoughts and talk about good things. What could be better to contemplate or discuss than a visit to The Promised Land of the Saints.
After all, you have come there. Why not learn to delight in its glories, even if you have to sail in a leather boat on the vast western sea to do so?
For Reflection
1. Have you ever glimpsed The Promised Land of the Saints? What was that like? Have you shared this with anyone?
2. Begin praying that God will show you more of the glory of that City to which you have come. What might you expect to “see” with the eyes of your heart?
Psalm 110.1-4
(Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation)
“Sit by Me at My right hand,” the LORD says to my Lord,
“until I make Your foot stand on all who hate Your Word.”
The LORD sends strength from Zion: “Rule all Your enemies.”
While those who Him rely on go forth their LORD to please.
Your people in Your power, arrayed in holiness,
like dew of morning’s hour shall serve like youth refreshed.
The LORD has sworn and never will He His promise check:
“You are a priest forever after Melchizedek.”
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast takes up the book Understanding the Times to help us in knowing how to live and proclaim the Kingdom. Our ReVision series, “The Kingdom Economy”, features the first three installments this week. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
