In 2010 Richard Lee Desautel, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes in Washington State, crossed into Canada and shot an elk. He was charged with hunting without a licence in British Columbia. Desautel, however, claimed he had an Aboriginal right to hunt there because his people’s ancestral territory had always extended into what is today Canada. In April 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed. The Justices wrote about the impact of their decision, “As a result, groups whose members are neither citizens nor residents of Canada can be Aboriginal peoples of Canada.”
In other words, Richard Lee Desautel has an identity bigger than and not defined by the arbitrary borders established by the Oregon Treaty in 1846.
What Is Your True Identity?
This decade-long battle for hunting rights is a window into one of the most important understandings for those who are ambassadors of Christ: your identity is bigger than and not defined by your flag, but your faith. When you surrender your life to Jesus and his leadership, you are gloriously rescued from the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of this world, brought into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13, 1 Peter 2:9-10). This holy nation is borderless and timeless, “…a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).
Jesus came proclaiming, “’The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:15). His invitation to any who would hear from the very beginning was to turn from all other allegiances – that’s what repentance means – and stake your life – that’s what believing means – in God’s kingdom that he has brought near. With the arrival of the King, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, all other flags fall.
Jesus knew that carrying the passport of his kingdom was a very big deal.
Jesus knew that carrying the passport of his kingdom was a very big deal.
He taught us to make the arrival of this kingdom our prayer focus: “…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
He knew that being ambassadors of his kingdom would not be for the faint of heart. He prayed for us: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it” (John 17:15-16).
And, before the political powers of his own day, Jesus declared, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place” (John 18:36).
Christians are first and foremost of his kingdom. You need this kingdom. The world needs this kingdom of truth and light. And, this is your true citizenship as a child of God.
Slow Down and Consider
Richard Lee Desautel knew his true identity was not defined by arbitrary negotiated borders but by a bigger story. How aware are you of the bigger story you are part of as follower of the King of Kings? Consider your own actions and allegiances. Consider what you cheer for. Consider what you pray for. Consider what you fight for. Consider what you are willing to lay down your life for. Is God’s kingdom and his righteousness your main pursuit and identity?
The people of the world and the borders they draw have shifted and will continue to shift. In the time you have, in the place and among the people God has seen fit to root you and send you, you are an ambassador of another world; a kingdom not of this world. How is the Spirit inviting you to assess your allegiances? How will you be the answer to the prayer for the kingdom to come on earth just as it is in heaven?
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