In the 53rd chapter of Isaiah we read a description of the Suffering Servant. The Messiah. The Christ. It's quite a dramatic depiction of not just the suffering of the Lamb of God but also the accomplishment of Salvation through His sacrifice. It is a passage that most Christians are at least vaguely familiar with and includes the statement that "by His stripes, we are healed" This comment refers to the scourging of Jesus before His crusifixion and points to the fact that Jesus suffering was necessary to bring about the forgiveness of sin. My understanding of this relationship took a leap forward a few years back as I sat at one of several stations during a Maundy Thursday service. This table simply had a Bible and paper and pencils for writing down your thoughts as you considered the whole story of Jesus' crucifixion. Following are my writings from this time.
"By His stripes we are healed. Those stripes have a very personal origin. My sin. My shortcomings. My intentional turning away. I am not a bystander in this crucifixion. I am actively involved. The beauty of this is that God twisted things around to use the very thing that brought His death to bring me life. No wonder it all confounds the intellectuals so.
-----though your sin be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
-----He doesn't say wait till tomorrow,
or you should have been here before.
He just says come.
He is nothing like me."
This is my second attempt at this idea and I'm guessing more will be needed. Paul's calling the Gospel a mystery didn't make it so. Paul was simply expressing a nugget of truth he had discovered. One that all who dare to follow Christ will encounter. While I am willing to argue that my faith is a reasonable one, not a foundation-less belief in some fairy tale or vague legend that has been verbally passed down for generations, it nevertheless, leaves me scratching my head a bit. When I apply faith to the compelling evidence of Jesus being who He says He is, I enter a new life. Not a life lived according to a different set of rules and regulations, but a life changed. Not perfect, but being moved to a more Christ-like place. Not through shock treatments and sleep deprived emotional encounters, but through my awareness of God's activity in my life. As I explore this intellectually, I am left with some illogical notions that seem to be, nevertheless, true. Isa. 1:18 says, "Come now, and let us reason together", says the Lord. (then Isaiah goes on to present an UNreasonable offer)
"Though your sins be as scarlet, They will be as white as snow;
Though they be red, like crimson, They will be like wool ......."
While God is unspeakably powerful and beyond our understanding and is Holy, (that is to say fully righteous or perfect, complete, if you will), according to Isaiah God isn't saying get your life in order and come back later to finish our little talk here. He doesn't turn His head away from our lives in disgust but presents us with an offer He calls reasonable. Then Isaiah beautifully exposes God's love and forgiveness with the "reasonable" offer that is presented. An offer that I suggest finds its most satisfying expression in Jesus. This is indeed the mystery. Our Perfect, Holy, God is orchestrating the most scandalous of propositions. The perfect man marrying a prostitute and unconditionally loving her. And just to add to the mysteriousness of it, on the wedding day, we get to wear white.
(If you're a music lover, like me, listen to the 2003 song titled "Wearing White" recorded by Martina McBride. It's a great companion to this idea.)
Thank you and have a nice day.
Thanks to my sister-in-law for this great picture from her trip to Alaska.We do indeed live in a culture of "looking out for #1" as it were. One of the challenges of my blogging is trying not to inundate my postings with the I's. Even though the blog is about my thoughts and ideas and experiences there is a way of communicating without constantly using that personal pronoun. It is equally as hard to live a life that is not focused on me. I love the line,"enough about me, what do you think about me?". That line seems uncomfortably instructive about our culture and my life in particular. I try to filter some of the more obviously narcissistic flurries of thought that enter my brain but alas they eventually surface after a short fight. In my defence there are a lot of influences that would suggest focusing on one's self is of utmost importance. Ever heard of Dog and Cat Theology? It's a several week study of the Christian faith and what would seem to be the overriding theme of God's work among us. While there is a personal component to it all the suggestion, a well supported one at that, is that the ultimate goal of God's work is to bring glory to Himself. Most of my head scratching during this study was due to my trying to grasp this relatively simple truth. God's focus in bringing salvation to us wasn't us, though thankfully salvation is indeed offered to us. But His desire, His intent, is to bring glory to Himself. This was received as an affront to my ego and is yet being examined for possible loopholes. I get the God wanting glory thing, but His glory should be derived from what He did for me. And while that statement is not entirely a false one the premise puts more emphasis on me then God's work on the cross. God is glorious due to His saving me. Actually, God's glory is derived from His nature. He is wonderful, powerful, compassionate, forgiving, etc., etc. My salvation flows from and points to His nature. His glory and worth does not flow from my accepting of His goodness. I reckon at this point I've pretty well lost anyone who has happened on this blog and I apologize for that. The string is getting a little thin for me as well but it was, and still is, a matter of consideration for my heart to try and understand the finer points of my faith. It is important enough, however, to keep trying. I hope God's glory has, or will, find it's way into your life on a personal level.
