Tuesday, January 17, 2023

 

Tuesday, January 17, 2023


Psalm 40

Genesis 7

John 8:1-11


Observance: Antony of Egypt, abbot (d. 356)


As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.


There is a relatively recent movie about the Flood, starring Russel Crowe as Noah. While it might get a little Lord of the Rings with a big battle scene when Noah’s family are boarding the ark, the film does communicate two things quite well. First, there is a great sense of the terror and trauma of the Flood: the terror of those trying to escape the ever-rising floodwater, and the trauma of those inside the ark hearing the destruction of all life that is happening around them. Second, it deals with what happens to a human mind when it tries to comprehend (too deeply) justice on God’s level.


Eschatologically speaking, we can rejoice in the fact that our God hates evil and has a final Day planned when all evil will finally be destroyed once and for all. No-one likes the idea of crimes going unpunished, of villains getting away with their stolen booty.


On the other hand, if we were to examine ourselves, we rightfully tremble at the fact that we are the villains in this story. There are also people we love deeply, and are filled with loving concern for the sake of their eternal souls just as much as, if not more than, our own.


If God’s holiness was limited to only His justice, we would be filled with terror, that we would be the ones vainly hanging onto the outside of the ark. Or, we might be the ones huddling inside the ark, hearing the voices outside of those we love as they succumbed to the deep, forever traumatised by their cries of agony.


But God’s holy justice exists alongside His holy love. Jesus is the incarnation of the God Who Loves Us. Of course He hates adultery; it goes against everything He has taught us about the meaning of true love. But He also loves us very deeply, and does not allow a single stone to be thrown. He loves us so very much, He went to the cross and suffered the punishment due the villain. Because while we were the villains at the start of the story, Jesus’ heroic actions show us to actually be the love interest. He Who Is Without Sin does not cast a single stone; He wipes away the need for stones altogether, grasps us by the hand, and rides with us off into the sunset.


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