The Jesus Way

What if the solution to exile wasn’t escaping it but having someone enter it with you? That’s precisely what Jesus did. Our Savior didn’t eliminate exile from a distance, He experienced it Himself, transforming it from within.

Jesus: The Ultimate Exile

From His birth, Jesus knew exile intimately:

• His family fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous decree
• After His baptism, He was driven into the wilderness for 40 days
• He had to flee His hometown of Nazareth after preaching there
• His own people didn’t recognize or receive Him (John 1:10-11)
• His closest friends betrayed and abandoned Him
• He died publicly humiliated on a cross

Most profoundly, on that cross, Jesus experienced the ultimate exile, separation from the Father with whom He had been in perfect communion for all eternity. His cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” encapsulates exile’s most devastating dimension.

The Purpose Behind His Exile

Why would Jesus willingly endure such profound forsakenness? The answer transforms how we understand our own exile experiences.

Jesus entered exile not just to sympathize with us but to save us. His exile ensures our homecoming. By experiencing separation from the Father, He made possible our reconciliation with Him. By becoming homeless, He secured our eternal home.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms,” Jesus promised. “I am going there to prepare a place for you… that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).

This changes everything about how we view our current experiences of exile. They are no longer merely painful episodes to endure but opportunities for transformation as we follow the Jesus way through exile to homecoming.

Living Between Exile and Home

As Christians, we live in the tension between “already” and “not yet.” We’re already reconciled to the Father through Christ, yet we still experience the pain of living in a broken world. We have the Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, yet we still long for our final homecoming.

How do we live faithfully in this in-between space?

1. We acknowledge the pain. Like Jesus in Gethsemane, we’re honest about suffering rather than denying it.
2. We shift our questions. Instead of asking “When will this end?” we ask “Who am I becoming through this?”
3. We practice presence. We enter others’ exile experiences with compassion, just as Christ entered ours.
4. We embrace hope. We trust that, as with Jesus, resurrection follows crucifixion.

Our exile experiences, painful as they are, can become the very places where we encounter God most profoundly. As we follow Jesus through exile toward home, we discover that He doesn’t just end our exile….He redeems it.

The next time you feel that deep homesickness, remember: because of Jesus, exile is never the end of your story. It’s the beginning of your transformation.

Do you struggle with the tension between “already” and “not yet”? How do you acknowledge the pain?How do you embrace hope? Share your reflections in the comments below.