Thrilling Theology

— (inspired by Morgan Guyton)

(This is an older piece, written at least a year ago. 

What really struck me was the idea that Jesus died to save the world from US. To save us from each other. To sting us in our hearts, and show us that we do, too, remember how to love.)

“Sin” grows out of self-consciousness at the exact moment in which we start to worry about what other people think of us.

Jesus died to save us from our sins— but it doesn’t work the way we think.

It wasn’t that he took the fall for us, even though he was innocent. It wasn’t to “wipe out the red in our ledgers.”

No, he died an innocent so that we would be “stung in our hearts” by his willing death on the cross as our victim. Yup, that’s the gist of it. Our victim.

Jesus did not die to save us from our own sins; he died to save the world from us. He died because he surrendered to “sin” and because the only way to show us the way out was to die.

We are the people who killed Christ, and when we did that we didn’t sin by being mistaken.

We didn’t sin because we broke the rules.

We didn’t sin by being jealous, or wanton in our appetites.

We sinned because we wouldn’t listen to our hearts.

Jesus was giving us an example!

Jesus said—

Watch, and I’ll show you how to be free of the burden and suffering of sin.

I’ll save you all from all of your sins!

I’ll save you from imagining that you are entitled to respect and consideration.

I’ll save you from expecting people to be loyal and considerate of you.

I’ll save you from thinking that people shouldn’t lie and steal and break their promises.

I’ll save you from believing that you are better than anyone else.

I’ll save you from thinking that right and wrong are the ruling principles of life.

I’ll save you from expecting life to be fair.

I’ll save you from believing that you are right and someone who disagrees with you is wrong.

I’ll save you from getting hurt feelings because someone didn’t treat you right.

I’ll save you from being afraid that someone will take advantage of you.

I’ll save you from being anxious about surviving in the world you live in.

I’ll save you by giving you the chance to be merciful to me. It’s not too late.

Watch me, and follow my example.

All you have to do is really see.

See me arrested; see me accused.

See me beaten; see me weak and bloody.

See me not even worry about speaking up in my own defense.

See me showing you that all of us are in this together, and “I Am” in it with you.

See me die in helpless innocence,

and know by the pain in your heart that Love is still alive in you.

So, when you are sorry,

   be sorry on behalf of everyone who ever did anything to hurt someone else,

and when you are glad,

  be glad along with everyone who’s ever been glad for no real reason.

And, if you ask for forgiveness ask it for everyone, as well as you,

and really mean it when you say, “Us.”

You do realize that’s all I’ve ever wanted you to know, don’t you?

“and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,

and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”