“10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. The Parable of the Sower Explained 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” The Parable of the Weeds 24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”” (Mt 13:10–30 ESV)

Probably any stoic analysis of the ground features, the present distress, the contretemps lived into, realizes weird and wonderful ways Entities become, fall into place, serve as placeholders for this one spirit or that spirit. So it isn’t so simple as Identify Friend or Foe. Vast swathes of land… who at the helm has a manic judicious bald-faced Discernment: so-and-such is the Enemy! So-and-such are the benign. So-and-such are Friends!

Because people have tried to make it a man’s, a woman’s Creed that is the deciding Feature: what side will you fall on? When the music stops? And those “of the book”, these might be the ones not “Left Behind”. Because it is assumed, a je ne sais quoi: some Morality, a Decalogue, or rather would it be a Love, a Forgiving Spirit, a Jealous-for-the-family Vibe? Still, idolatrous faith prescribes some Facet, Denouement, Outcome not in fact observed in practice, were the scouts to tell the truth.

It only “makes sense” that the Personage equipped with Morality and a “Christ” would—sigh, so it is, let it be—lamp mode and light up when the Hour comes. Yet to those warring factions, the musical chairs, the dance number when the scene is Stolen in a moment, by a fearless Warrior called the New Christ. Like the original, the first Coming, He borrowed His way and abruptly Stole His way into the laggard priest’s inheritance and purposes. He Became the Temple, the Sacrificial Lamb, the Body and Blood. So, too, we look from a vantage point “Christian”—submitted, experiential, witnessing—to the Righteous Outcome of strange larks of men, of women, becoming in that Hour Everything.

Because we are those not uptight. We are those who haven’t compromised their Mission on the false promises of some Peace or personal Salvation. We are those who work out their own salvation with fear and trembling: prayer is called for, a call to prayer indeed.

Because who and what will prove to have been the Loyalists, who and what the Family, who and where the Skirmishes most decisive and evocative, emblematic of the entire War… it will be in a stable in Nazareth, or in your own back yard, that the tents are for a brief moment Set Up, and Life Springs abundant, eternal, Determined, but with ambiguous banner on the sleeve, on the flag pole, soaring in the calm, clear skies.