In Part 1 of this topic, we explored how the theological concept of exile resonates closely within the Asian context. We saw that exile unfolds through the experience of homelessness, alienation, and oppression evident in biblical narratives such as those of Adam and Eve, and the Israelites. We also briefly touched upon the potential significance of exile as a theological framework for understanding some of the everyday challenges of Asian societies. Harsh living conditions, identity crises, and rampant injustice all embody an exiled condition of humanity because of sin.

To fully grasp how the theme of exile intertwines with the story of God’s redemptive work, we will now examine how Jesus Christ experienced exile, thereby offering a way for humanity to find its way back to God.

Without God in the World

In the story of Cain’s killing of his brother Abel (Gen 4), we encounter the earliest instance of human oppression. Soon thereafter, wickedness reached unprecedented levels, prompting God’s decision to eradicate all but one family from the face of the earth (Gen 6-7). Following this, groups of people sought autonomy, affluence, and fame using their own technological innovations (Gen 11). God intervened to stop the history of wickedness from repeating itself by disrupting their ability to communicate effectively, thus scattering them amid confusion.¹

In the New Testament, the consequences of the fall are consistently depicted through elements reminiscent of the exilic experience. Those who are not in Christ are separated and alienated from God and oppressed by spiritual forces of evil. The Colossian believers, for example, were once “alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds” (1:21, NASB). This parallels the former lives of Gentile believers (Eph 2:1-3). Because of their sins, they were alienated, enslaved by sinful passions, and walking in conformity with the course of this world. They were subjected to oppressive forces that sought to thwart God’s rule (see also Col 1:13; Eph 6:12). Because of their status as “children of disobedience,” they became “children of wrath” instead of being counted as part of God’s household (cf. Eph 2:19). The Apostle Paul further emphasizes the relationship between alienation from God and its profound impact on individuals’ ethical choices and behavior:

They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. (Eph 4:18-19)

It should be noted that while his primary focus is on the Gentiles, Paul readily admits that such a sense of estrangement characterizes the condition of all humanity, including the Jews.² The inclusion of the Gentiles in the unfolding story of God’s redemptive plan reflects wider implications for the theme of exile.³ The spiritual and ethical aspect of such estrangement from God reaches beyond the world of the Scripture to the ends of the earth. Apart from God’s reconciling work, we stand as “having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12).

Sin causes alienation, corrupting the divine image in us and conforming us to fabricated images of divine life. It obscures our ability to envision a flourishing life with God, instead, steering us to momentary gratifications of the flesh (Rom 1:18–31). This, according to Brad Vaughn, is treating God “as though He were not infinitely valuable… [or] like publicly spitting in our father’s face… Because people do not acknowledge God, they themselves become shameful.”⁴

Given this condition, how can God restore his honor and, at the same time, demonstrate his compassion by drawing us near to himself? How can we be reconciled with God, given our inability to expunge the shame of our sins?

Who shall bear the shame?

Across Asia, there are various ways to restore familial relationships after individuals are exiled for bringing dishonor to their families. One approach involves the person at fault expressing remorse and a sincere desire for reconciliation. This might entail kneeling before the ancestors’ shrine and offering prayers for forgiveness. Some reach out to influential community members for mediation and settlements. Others reaffirm their commitment to the family’s religion. In all such steps, there is an acknowledgment of one’s wrongdoing and a willingness to submit to the mercy of the family. This echoes the sentiment of the prodigal son: I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants’ (Luke 15:19).

Yet what about the disgrace of the family? Some acts—such as criminal and scandalous behavior—are so dishonoring that they cannot be easily dismissed, even by affectionate family members. Thus, when the repentant individual is accepted back into the fold, the burden of shame is shouldered by the entire family, particularly the weight of social stigma.

In the Philippines, a family in this situation might say, Ano pa bang magagawa natin? Nangyari na yan kaya tanggapin na lang natin? (“What else can we do? It already happened so let us bear with it”). For the offended party to be willing to bear the shame by welcoming back an offender demonstrates unconditional love. Yet embracing someone back into the fold should not be construed as condoning their misbehavior. Alongside repentance, it is also imperative for individuals to realign themselves with the values and rules of the family.

At-one-ment

This cultural gesture of forgiveness, even when it comes at the cost of the aggrieved, serves as a poignant metaphor for understanding the concept of atonement. The doctrine of atonement addresses how Christ’s death on the cross deals with the tension between aspects of God’s justice (e.g., protecting his honor) and mercy (e.g., bearing our shame). Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is how God’s justice is satisfied through his atoning blood shed for sin. At the same time, Christ demonstrated his unfathomable mercy by bearing the weight of humanity’s shame and offering the possibility of reconciliation and redemption. For Vaughn,

God’s own honor is bound up in the cross. In that sense, Jesus saves God’s “face” … [T]his is true in two ways. On the one hand, sin raises the need for God’s own vindication. This requires that He manifest his supreme worth in all the earth. God’s character is far more than a foil that exposes our sin. God’s honor is an end in itself. The cross saves God’s “face” from the shame of His people. On the other hand, the cross protects God from the shame of breaking his covenant promises.⁵

In the previous article, Exiled in Shame, we saw that humanity’s banishment from God constitutes the experience of homelessness, alienation, and oppression. Now, we will delve deeper into how Christ’s suffering on the cross addresses such separation. Beyond the physical torment, his crucifixion embodies the depths of human affliction, echoing the plight of the homeless, alienated, and oppressed. Jesus Christ carried the weight of shame by willingly enduring banishment from God’s presence in behalf of all humanity.

A foreshadow of the Son’s exile

We can begin by examining an Old Testament sacrificial rite which pre-figures the exile of Christ (Heb 10:1 cf. Col 2:17). Consider the sacrifices for the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16:1-22. Here, Yahweh instructs Moses on how Aaron approaches the sanctuary to atone for the nation’s sins. Aaron is to select “two male goats for a sin offering” (5). By casting lots, one goat is chosen to shed its blood to clean the sanctuary (9, 15-19), while the other goat is designated for a different mode of sacrifice. This goat is sent into the wilderness to carry away the community’s guilt.

This mode of sacrifice emphasizes that the second goat is meant to offer its life not through shedding blood but by enduring banishment. By bearing the people’s sins, it forfeited its covenantal claim to dwell in the land where God’s presence should abide. The specified destination—the wilderness, a place of solitude and deprivation (10, 21-22)—further supports this emphasis.⁶

Homelessness. How did Christ embody this mode of sacrifice, thus enduring a life of forsakenness? We might at first be tempted to suggest that Christ became homeless when he descended from heaven at the incarnation. Yet Scripture never suggests that Christ was expelled from heaven.

Instead, the biblical picture of homelessness best fits with Jesus’s experience on the cross. In his anguish, the Son cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46). Christ became homeless when his Father responded with nothing but silence. Reflecting on this forsakenness of Christ, Kelly M. Kapic writes,

Not only is Jesus feeling a sense of abandonment, loneliness, and despair, but he is also carrying the reality of sin, death, and the curse of exile. No matter what else we say, let us not take away from the genuine struggle he faces as he bleeds and weeps amid the mockery and violence. These words mean more, but never less than a real cry of dereliction. Jesus is not acting here, he really knows the ache of forsakenness; this is his reality and nothing less.⁷

In exchange for the Son’s forsakenness, a permanent dwelling⎯the kingdom of God⎯is made accessible to those who put their faith in him. Christ endured God’s silence toward his pain to render sinners deserving of the place he prepared for them (John 14:3).

Alienation. The alienation experienced by Christ finds its culmination at the cross. In 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, the apostle Paul articulates the transformation believers undergo as they become a new creation. Human estrangement is expunged because God “reconciled us to Himself through Christ.” The arbitrary impulse of divine emotion does not drive such reconciliation. Verse 21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (NASB). On the cross, a perfectly holy being is identified with sin; the judge becomes the scapegoat.

The transformative power of Christ’s sacrifice is further realized when believers are adopted into God’s family and bestowed the status of heirs. They are also given the privilege of addressing God as “Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15). This reinstatement of intimacy and familial relationship with God is made possible through the Spirit’s recognition of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice on behalf of humanity.

Oppression. Part of Christ’s exile is his suffering from injustice, beginning with the injustice inflicted upon him by those who arrested and crucified him. In fulfillment of Isaiah 52:13–53:12, he was despised, forsaken, stricken, smitten, afflicted, crushed, and chastened. The substitutionary and atoning purpose of this harrowing experience is evident in the text’s focus on the benefit to us as the people of God: he has “borne our griefs,” “carried our sorrows,” “pierced for our transgressions,” and “crushed for our iniquities.”⁸ Thus, for Augustine,

Christ’s deformity is what gives form to you. If he had been unwilling to be deformed, you would never have got back the form you lost. So he hung on the cross, deformed; but his deformity was our beauty.⁹

The ultimate form of oppression endured by Jesus Christ was being subjected to death. Death was not merely a tragic consequence but a crucial component of his earthly mission. Christ’s purpose was to lay down his life and “to take it up again” (John 10:18) so that sinners will “die to sins and live for righteousness” (1 Pet 2:24). Alongside this, both in the physical and spiritual realm, Christ’s triumph over death brings defeat to the enemy. Throughout Scripture, God’s retribution upon those who oppress his people is part of the story of redemption.

The reversal of exile constitutes not only the reunion with God but also the defeat of hostile powers.¹⁰ Jesus Christ shared the same “flesh and blood” with humanity in order to experience suffering and death (Heb 2:14).¹¹ Then, through his resurrection, he nullifies death which renders the enemy powerless. This paves the way for humanity to attain eternal life, breaking free from the oppression of death.

A Gospel of Hope

The theological significance of the theme of ‘exile’ becomes more apparent as we try to understand the challenges of our modern societies. Even in today’s world of rapid globalization and technological advancements, we encounter various forms of exile. When we see our neighbors struggling in poverty, social alienation, or oppressive social injustice, we see sin producing a kind of exile—that is, a removal from the fullness of God’s loving care and protection. We can find in these experiences could serve a vivid metaphor to illustrate important facets of Christ’s atoning death, and in some cases, we will find that these images connect far better than other metaphors for the doctrine of atonement. Consider, for example, the following scenario.

I recently witnessed a Christian who shared the gospel with a homeless man begging near a popular park in our city. Surprisingly, this man seemed to grasp all the theological concepts without hesitation. Without a hint of self-righteousness or denial of his own sins, he openly embraced the shame and blameworthiness for his condition. And yet, the hardships of his life had made him indifferent to the fear of divine judgment. Like many others in his circumstances, the shame of being an outcast had become part and parcel of his existence. He already felt the judgment of God palpably, and did not need a complex gospel presentation to help him see his brokenness.

I am convinced that the biblical motif of exile resonates in situations like this, where people already know that their miserable conditions reflect a universal experience of homelessness, alienation, and oppression that has existed since the fall of humanity. Their suffering is not solely due to their poor life choices, but also because of the corrosion and corruption of sinful social structures. Seeing their story within the context of God’s redemption could offer them a sense of belonging, dignity, and hope. Of particular significance is the realization that our suffering finds resonance in Christ’s own exilic experience on the cross, a sacrifice made to afford us the chance of an eternal home in the presence of God.