Street theater is the man playing the saxophone between the skyscrapers in downtown Houston. It’s children tap dancing in the French Quarter with bottle caps nailed to their sneakers. It’s breakdancers turning Bourbon Street into a stage, spinning on their heads to the accompaniment of kids drumming on overturned 5-gallon buckets. There are buskers singing below ground in New York City subway stations. There are magicians, acrobats, clowns, jugglers, sword swallowers, and fire breathers on sidewalks, streets, and beaches all over the world. Street theater remains a cutting edge force for creativity.
The Bible contains street theater. Not the preachers—their role is more analogous to Roman orators. Not the priests—they are the “inside men” who run the institution of the temple.
Biblical street theater belongs to Old Testament prophets. The lives of the prophets are among the most enigmatic in the Bible. God uses not the words but the LIVES of His prophets as messages. The things that happen through these men seem outrageous—crazy outrageous—until you consider it street theater. It is a visual message requiring no translation. Everyone will understand (or not understand) equally.
Lot’s wife was turned to salt. The Nile River was turned to blood. The Earth opened and swallowed the mutineers. Balaam’s donkey talked to him. Elijah was caught up to heaven on a chariot of fire. Elisha called bears from the woods to destroy mockers. Jonah spent three days in the belly of a whale—which Jesus described as a sign He would spend three days in the tomb. Ezekiel, the master of Biblical street performers, built a model of Jerusalem—then built a siege around it. He bound himself and lay on the ground for a year to illustrate coming bondage. He cut off his hair and burned it to demonstrate the imminent destruction of the Hebrew people.
–And what about this man tossed hurriedly into Elisha’s grave and brought back to life?
“Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, they saw a raiding party, so they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. When he touched Elisha’s bones, the man revived and stood up!” 2 Kings 13:21.
God’s ways and messages are not always clear. But we can glean several truths from the street theater of Old Testament prophets: God is HOLY. God is ALL POWERFUL. God is a MIRACLE WORKER. And God LOVES HIS PEOPLE.
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