Remember when COVID-19 meant we were all going to have to stay at home for a week or two? Remember how scared we all were that we were all going to die? Remember how we were willing and ready to do whatever we were told if it meant we would make it out alive? I don’t know what will come to pass between the time I write this and the time I publish it. I do know this, that as I write the American people are increasingly agitated, and frightened, not over COVID-19 but over the economy. My guess is we will get increasingly shrill and demanding about our new fear and increasingly annoyed by and indifferent to the fear we used to have. Welcome the new fear, same as the old fear.
It was, however, just a week ago that Jesus provided us with a golden opportunity to practice what He preached, to fear not them who can kill the body but Him who can kill the body and soul. Last week was Good Friday. While we are called to always remember, it is that day when we remember that Jesus took on Himself the wrath of the Father that was due to us for our sins. It was that day that the one real thing we have to fear, the one great thing we have to fear, falling into the hands of the living God, was vanquished forever. We’re supposed to “enter in” to that fear, to own that hideous truth that we crucified the Lord of Glory. We are, on that day, to look deep into the horror that is our own character, to see in His repulsive visage the face of our own sin. So that we can, on that day, rejoice in His victory. Good Friday is a good day to remember how bad we are, because it is a great day to remember the fullness of His victory, to hear both, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me” and “It is finished.”
Jesus died for sinners. And because we are sinners we find it all too easy to forget that He died for us. We move on. Our minds focus on what the pundits are talking about, rather than what the calendar reminds us of. We’ll come back to His death for us next year. For now though, there’s the economy to worry about, the election to argue about, the closing of social distances to hope for, more toilet paper to gather. Except, remember how we promised ourselves last Friday, “This year Lord, I won’t forget. I won’t let anything crowd out my humble acknowledgment of my sin and my joyful celebration of Your grace.” We didn’t make it a week. Because that’s what we are. And that’s why He came.
I ran headlong into my sin. He ran headlong into my punishment. I denied Him. He affirms me. I cried out, “Crucify Him!” He cried out, “Forgive him.” I claimed to be innocent, knowing I am guilty. He claimed to be guilty, knowing He is innocent. I earned the Father’s wrath. He earned the Father’s favor. I receive the Father’s favor. He received the Father’s wrath. The Father embraced me. The Father forsook Him.
I crucified the Lord of Glory. The Lord of Glory laid down His life for me.