The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God” (Joshua 22:34).
After the partial conquest of Canaan, Joshua began to assign territories of inheritance to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. The people of these tribes were faithful to the covenant of Moses; they were obedient to the commands of Joshua; and they maintained the solidarity of the community. Because of their faithfulness, they now entered into the rest of the Lord.
The territory of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh was on the east side of the Jordan River. The territories of the other tribes were on the west side of the Jordan. The Jordan formed a natural boundary that separated the tribes of Israel. After settling on the east side of the Jordan River, these three tribes built “a large altar” by the Jordan (Joshua 22:10). The western tribes were suspicious of the meaning of the altar. It could have signified a return to idolatrous practices. If this was the case, the whole nation would suffer because of the sins of a few. When the other tribes of Israel saw the altar they took offense and threatened civil war (Joshua 22:12, 15-16). However, the altar at the Jordan River was not a monument to idolatry. The altar was constructed as a memorial to remind the future generations that they shared a common redemptive heritage, a common covenant, and a common future with their cousins to the west. The altar was named Witness. Its purpose was to be a symbol of the unity of the covenant community.
The Church church needs an altar of Witness. The apostle Paul warned that we should be careful to avoid religious quarrels and divisions: “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). But like the people of Israel and their tendencies toward idolatry, the Christian church has demonstrated tendencies toward division and conflict. We have often sought to justify our schisms, but the church’s divisions and conflict represent a failure to be faithful to the call of Christ. Christ is not divided; he is the union of human and divine being. All Christians are baptized into Christ. The church is the body of Christ, and as such, the church should seek to manifest His ontological unity. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
Irenaeus, a second-century bishop, prophetically warned of the coming schisms that would divide the church:
He shall also judge those who give rise to schisms, who are destitute of the love of God, and who look to their own special advantage rather than to the unity of the Church; and who for trifling reasons, or any kind of reason which occurs to them, cut in pieces and divide the great and glorious body of Christ, and so far as in them lies, [positively] destroy it,—men who prate of peace while they give rise to war, and do in truth strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel. For no reformation of so great importance can be effected by them, as will compensate for the mischief arising from their schism (Ante-Nicene Fathers I, 508).
As any student of the Reformation knows, Luther’s 95 Thesis did more than provoke the renewal of theology. The ensuing Reformation gave rise to centuries of violence and warfare throughout Europe. Since the Reformation, the church has continually lost influence in the Western world. I am a child of the Reformation, and I am grateful for the positive contributions of all the reformers – Lutheran, Calvinist, Anabaptist, Anglican, and Catholic. However, I am deeply grieved that such vitriol and violence could be sparked among the followers of Jesus Christ. Several centuries later we have become so accustomed to the various walls of division that we no longer view them as a detriment to the cause of Christ. Even so, Christians must come together and build an altar of Witness, a place where we can affirm our common faith in Jesus Christ. As we seek to build the unity of the church, we must also strive to maintain the truth of the gospel. The church cannot be the body of Christ if it is not faithful to His word.
The Jordan River separated the twelve tribes. But the altar called Witness was a monument to their shared redemptive heritage and their unity as a community in covenant with God. Christians are called to be a witness of Christ to the world. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Paul said that love represents “a still more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). James said that to “love your neighbor as yourself” is to fulfill the “royal law” (James 2:8). The altar must be a witness to Christian love. At the altar, we share the bread and cup of Holy Communion. This is a communion of love. It represents God’s love for the world, Christ’s love for his church, and our love for God and each other. At the altar, we wash the feet of our brothers and sisters in a demonstration of Christian love, service, and forgiveness.
