Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together . . . ? —Job 38:1–7
Throughout the Hebrew Scripture, there are numerous references that the land itself is deserving of respect, for it is from God. Leviticus 25:4 states:
. . . but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord; you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.
The practical reason for resting the land is that it will be more productive. However, when placed in the context of the Lord’s sabbath it is a sign that all creation is to be treated with value and respect as part of God’s creation.
Creation Celebrates and Mourns
Through Hebrew Scripture we also learn that human attributes, such as the ability to praise and to mourn, are shared by other parts of creation. Creation is seen as having equality with humans with the similar capacity to recognize the Creator. The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that the land itself will grieve when it and humankind are mistreated, and when the land is unwell other parts of creation suffer also.
How long will the land mourn, and the grass of every field wither? —Jeremiah 12:4
The prophet Hosea reminds the Israelites that separation from God and God’s expectations will cause not only the land but also the rest of creation to grieve. Again, we are reminded that the relationships between land, nature, and people are deeply intertwined. When one aspect of the creation is degraded, another part suffers.
Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish; together with the wild animals and the birds of the air, even the fish of the sea are perishing. —Hosea 4:3
Scripture tells us that while not only can the land mourn, all creation can be in harmony rejoicing in God’s abundance as an interconnected, dependent community. When all is well with nature and balance is achieved with the blessing of God, nature responds like humankind with joy, happiness, and even singing:
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
—Psalm 65:12–13
Not only does the land rejoice but the entire cosmos celebrates God:
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy . . . .
—Psalm 96:11–12
The New Testament
The New Testament is steeped in reminders of the centrality of nature from agricultural references to reminders that Jesus’ ministry was set in various landscapes. In fact the backdrop of many of the gospel stories include numerous stories of Jesus outside in nature. Remember, the very first introduction of Jesus is his birth in a manger, presumably surrounded by animals. The first people to greet Jesus were shepherds who lived out under the sky (Luke 2:8–20).
As Jesus grows into adulthood, we can almost imagine him walking down through the grass and brush alongside the riverbed, wading into the Jordan River as he is immersed in the life-giving water when baptized by John. Looking up to the blue skies, the clouds open up to reveal God. All of nature is present for the baptism of Jesus.
His disciples, all who came to hear him preach and sought healing, met him in fields, mountains, or near the sea. We can almost see Jesus strolling on dusty trails to give the sermon on the plain or, walking beside the vastness of the Sea of Galilee, inviting his disciples to give up their work of fishing to follow him. He rested in the mountains, meeting people at water wells and street corners as he journeyed through villages and towns. Jesus’ disciples were in the fields picking grain on the sabbath.
However, the gospel writers not only placed Jesus ministering outside, they also equated Jesus and his ministry with nature. In the imagery of John’s gospel, the reader is invited to consider that Jesus is actually part of nature.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. —John 15:5
Jesus is compared to a vine, part of a growing living tree or bush that stretches and bends as it thrives with sun and water. Humans are described as part of the branches that come out from nature, an imaginative sign of our connection to Jesus and to nature.
The parables of Jesus are full of references to nature, farming, vineyards, water, and the land. The intention is clear that the first listeners of the gospel stories understood the relationship humans have with nature. As farmers and fishermen, they knew the cycles of life were dependent on nature. While some lived in urban settings, they still lived close enough to the land to be reliant on good weather for food. Consider the parable of the sower who plants seeds in the field with mixed results; birds take the seeds when they are not buried, rocks prevent some of the soil from being fertile (Luke 8:4–8). In Matthew 13:8 are the seeds used to full fruition:
Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
It’s not only the parables that accent the relationship between Christian faith and the natural world. Particularly important from an eco-theological perspective, Jesus urges the disciples to “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). From these words, we are reminded that the early followers of Jesus understood that the promise of redemption and new life in the gospel message was not only about human renewal, but also about the flourishing and re-creation of all that God creates. In our time, we should also hear this as the promise of the Good News is for all creation, not just humans.
Exploring further in the New Testament, Romans 8:22–23 is often read from an eco-theological perspective:
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
In this short passage, eco-theologians suggest that “creation groaning in labor pains” can be seen as the widespread pollution of the earth. We are invited to reflect that all of creation awaited Jesus for the fulfillment of the promise of redemption.
In a remarkable bookend to the opening of the goodness of all created things in Genesis, the Bible concludes with the Revelation to John which reveals God’s hope for all creation. John the Divine is given the vision from God of a new Jerusalem where the two rivers join for a world that lives in harmony, where all the world is healed and renewed, with bright flowing clear water, and trees that support and sustain all creation.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves are for the healing of the nations.
—Revelation 22:1–2
In this closing chapter of the Bible we are reminded that through the power and majesty of God, the promise of healing and harmony for all creation awaits the entire world. God