Reflection - Cistern-based Faith

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072116.cfm

Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
Matthew 13:10-17

     "They have forsaken me, the source of living waters;

      They have dug themselves cisterns,

      broken cisterns, that hold no water."

The house in which I grew up had two stories, a small city lot and a wonderfully large front porch. It was built in the late 1800's. Looking back, I'm certain it had some amenities which were considered modern in their day. Among other things, it had its own cistern. No one else that I knew had their own cistern. I have no idea why a Kansas house with city water would even have been built with a cistern; quite possibly it just supplied water for a garden during a dry spell.

The cistern was covered with a wooden lid and was partially hidden under the back porch. On occasion I had the opportunity to look into it; but my father seldom had reason to remove the cover. I assume it contained a significant amount of water, it sounded that way from the splash; but it's depth and other dimensions were hard to gauge. It seemed like there were a thousand feet between the top of the cistern and the still, silent water below. In any case, the water remained hidden inside this immense hole.  The dark surroundings made it difficult to see much of anything. 

We moved to the house when I was five. As a young child, the cistern was something of an exotic mystery to me. For the most part I was glad it was covered except on those rare times when dad would open it. There was an adult around then; and who knows what might have risen from the deep if no one had been there to protect me. 

I lived in Topeka, a modest town in eastern Kansas. The Kansas river, also known as the Kaw, flowed from west to east through the city on its way to merge with the mighty Missouri, sixty miles away. As a young resident, I had to cross the river twice each day to get to and from school. I recall the river occasionally appearing as little more than a stream as it meandered through exposed sandbars. And I also remember times, usually in late spring or early summer when it was a torrent of dark, tumultuous water raging through its brim full channel. For the most part, that latter image is an uncommon one today. The army corps of engineers has tamed the river and its tributaries with reservoirs scattered across the state.

The Kaw was never one of those rivers with which you would associate images of joy, excitement or life. It moved lazily when the water level was low.  It churned angrily when the level was high. But whether the water level was high or low made no difference in the aspect of its temper. The waters were laden with Kansas silt, a beautifully dark soil that would encourage the hopeful heart of any farmer. But when suspended in water, that same soil gave the water a darker, menacing mood. It was somberly opaque. 

Small streams and even the local reservoirs were equally muddy in appearance. They too were loaded with silt from Kansas farms and fields. To me, this muddy river that flowed through the city where I grew up was representative of all rivers, streams and lakes throughout the country. Clear, free flowing water was not part of my youthful experience. I had to come to Colorado to experience that. Now it's true that not all of Colorado's rivers lakes and stream are crystal clear. In fact, most become a bit cloudy for a day or two after a heavy rain even though that is not their natural state. Still, most mountain lakes and streams, both the large and the small, sparkle in the sun, as they dance over the rocks and tumble about as playful puppies. Icy cold in the dry mountain air, they scintillate as veritable visions of life.

In this morning's text, the one taken from the book of Jeremiah, the Lord uses a broken cistern and living water when talking about the shattered relationship between himself and his people, Israel. 

Cisterns are not uncommon in many parts of the world, particularly in those regions that are arid or semi-arid like so much of the east shore of the Mediterranean. Normally, the rainfall is adequate for making it a productive land, but there is only one river and few streams in Palestine; and, as in all regions of earth, there are times when the rainfall is below, or even well below normal. Consequently, cisterns are used as a common way to store rainwater.

As I reflected on the text  the symbolism became pronounced. A cistern is used to store for future use. The expectation is that sooner or later the rainfall will be inadequate or absent when it is needed. To put that another way, a cistern is a form of insurance against periods of low rainfall or drought. In a way, it is indicative of the manner in which we deal with so much of life. We stock the pantry, not with food for the day, but with food for one, two or three weeks. Some even stock it with enough food for a year or more.  During the gas shortages of the seventies, many kept their gas tanks constantly topped off lest they be caught short of what they needed. A severe storm threatens and we empty the store shelves of everything from bread to generators. We insure our health our lives our homes our cars and our behavior. We stash money in banks, in stocks, in bonds, in land, in art, in old things and in new things. We collect whatever we are told is collectible. The cistern is an image for it all.

Indeed, the broken cistern is indicative of it all. Everything grows old, deteriorates, or loses its value. And even if, by chance the value holds steady or still better, increases, it's only because another generation is trying to emulate what we did and provide for their own present or determine their own future. It's like a national Ponzi scheme and, from time to time, we are given a glimpse of the consequences. Eventually 'bubbles' burst, whether that bubble is in housing, tech stocks or Florida land. Economic bubbles have developed and burst for such unusual things as tulip bulbs and seashells. Nevertheless, we persist in placing faith in a broken cistern. 

In Jeremiah's text the Lord laments the situation.

            "They have forsaken me, the source of living waters;

            They have dug themselves cisterns,

            broken cisterns, that hold no water."

Not that He objects to the use of our intelligence to make reasonable plans both for the present and for the future. Rather, His objection is to our readiness to place our trust in things of this world instead of in Him. In the book of Ezekiel there is a remarkable passage about what is promised and it is reiterated in the book of Revelation. 

"Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the right side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 

"Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate, that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the right side. "

"Going on eastward with a line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the loins. Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.

"And he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he led me back along the bank of the river. As I went back, I saw upon the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other.

"And he said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Ar'abah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. Fishermen will stand beside the sea; from En-ge'di to En-eg'laim it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing." (Ezekiel 47:1-12)

     "everything will live where the river goes"

This is the living water which flows from the throne of our God, it's source; and everything will live where this river, this living water flows.

Expectation.

We are resigned to draw from the depths of those cisterns we have dug for ourselves; and we trust our lives to these underground storehouses we have built. We do not have confidence that God will continue in His love. We expect that his blessings will disappear in the mist of our sinfulness. We fear that tomorrow which might find our pantries, our grocery stores, our gas stations, our bank accounts and portfolios empty. We fear these things, and rightly so when we see them as our source of life. We are anxious while the river of living water flows all around us. We dip into cisterns when clear, sparkling, living water is so readily available.

"Do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

"Do not be anxious about tomorrow." 

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."

(Matthew 6:31, 33-34)