Wrestling Match Part 2

Jesus hadn’t shown up yet to be their once and for all sacrifice.  The Old Testament Jewish people “knew” their history.  They'd heard the stories.  Noah starting the human race over.  Abraham being the father of the Jewish race.  I think, with their warts and all, they are in.  Maybe.

But what about all the ‘anyones’ that were destroyed at the time of Noah’s ark?  None to perish.  They were all pre-Abraham, the father of all Israelites.  I wonder if they, being a part of God’s 'illustration',  had a free pass?  Do they go to Heaven?  Certainly God wouldn’t create people for the sake of sending them to eternal damnation just to prove His point?

Then there's Judas Iscariot.  Someone had to be ‘the one’ to betray Jesus so the whole sacrifice of the truly perfect Lamb could take place.  A pass?  I want to think 'maybe' but really I think not.  Or was he part of the Jewish chosen people?

I think again about the foreknowledge of God.  Just like in the case of Judas Iscariot, He (God) knew in advance that Pharaoh would be a control freak and so took advantage of that knowledge and used it for an opportunity to show the Israelites that He really would deliver them. Pharaoh was an Egyptian and therefore not one of the ‘chosen’ ones of God.  Did Egyptians back then even have a chance at Heaven?  They surely are part of the ‘anyones’.

Honest questions.  Fair questions, I think.  What do we do with them?  Personally, I wrestle with and through them. I always try to come back to the things I know about God.  He is love.  He is good.  He is holy. His motives are pure.  But my thoughts don't stop rolling.

Instead of taking things out of context, we might need to just go back to the beginning.  Adam and Eve were the first people.  Ever.  Their first two children were Cain and Abel.  First children ever.  I think sometimes I get hung up on thinking that what's told to us in the Bible could be the whole story...the only things that happened ever.  But when I stop to think about it, or listen to other people way wiser than me, I realize that just because everything in the Bible is true, does not mean that EVERYTHING that ever happened is in the Bible.  Light bulb moment.

And we need to remember that in Old Testament times, people lived for hundreds of years.  With that in mind, we are able to realize that there were more than Cain and Abel....and with decades (centuries?) spanning over those times the children were being born.  As "wrong" as our brains make it out to be, they (Adam and Eve's offspring) had to have been reproducing among themselves or the human race would have stopped at Cain and Abel. Genesis 5 goes into great detail of Adam's descendants.

This means that the original people, God's people, some of them eventually evolved into being those very enemies of God...but I don't believe that means God made those enemies for illustration purposes.  What I think it does mean is that some of Adam and Eve's descendants exercised their free will in not believing the truths passed along in conversations throughout the generations.

And then when more people DIDN'T believe God's truths than DID believe, thankfully there was still Noah...Genesis 6:9  This is the account of Noah and his family.  Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on the earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.

As far as the people pre-Noah....the very first people on earth actually walked with God.  See Genesis 2-3.  Surely they told their children about that.  Word of mouth.  The very first witnesses!  History began.  But eventually, some didn't believe. 

Free will.

Wrestling Match Part 1

Before we get started, I have a disclaimer.  The thoughts that roll around in my head are really just that.  A wrestling match in my brain so to speak.  I may be completely whacked in how I resolve these matches for myself.  And if you find that to be the case, maybe they will simply entertain you!  Maybe.  And just in case you decide to stick with me, I have broken this up into Part 1 and Part 2.

One of the things I have been mulling over a lot lately is Old Testament punishment compared with New Testament grace.  If you know me at all, you probably realize that a particular thought very rarely remains ONE thought.  Ready?

If God is God (and I have no doubt that He is) then He is all-knowing.  That all-knowingness has to include foreknowledge.  Before He even created us, He knew we humans would blow it again and again, necessitating sacrifices that we were to offer to show our acknowledgement of our sin, bringing us forgiveness.

In the Old Testament God told us, through Moses, what sacrifices were necessary as penance for which sins.  He even gave us a way out of what we deserved when we didn't know we sinned! Leviticus 4:1-2 says Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 "Give the Israelites the following instructions for dealing with those who sin unintentionally by doing anything forbidden by the LORD's commands".  Simply because He wants to be in relationship with us.  I think.

And the New Testament teaches us that we are forgiven by God's grace.  Ephesians 2:8 says For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. 

Grace.  Salvation.  The gift of God.

God loves ALL people and wants none to perish (Old and New Testament people and beyond).  2 Peter 3:9 says so...not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. 

Talking Old Testament again...what about those who weren't under the leadership of the priests who offered the sacrifices on behalf of the people for their sins?

This is where my thinking gets super convoluted and I want desperately to unravel it all.  Bear with me.

What about all the people in the Old Testament who were enemies of the Israelites?  The people that God either Himself destroyed or commanded the Israelites to destroy?  Aren't those people a part of the ANYONE that He doesn’t want to perish?

I have heard it said that the Old Testament shows us how we aren’t able to keep His commands; sort of laying out the criteria for having relationship with Him, getting into Heaven and that it points to our need of a Savior, who paid the penalty for our sins.   And I get that.

But....is it just me, or does this happen to anyone else's brains?  What about the people in pre-Savior eras?  B.C.  And especially those who weren't Israelites?

I tend to believe that the Jewish people of the Old Testament times, being God’s chosen people, sort of have a “pass”.  I realize this is way too simplistic but that’s as good as my finite brain can do regarding the hugeness of the concepts of God.  This might be a good time to remember that God's brain is infinite.  There is very likely zero chance I will ever be able to figure out as much as I want. And really, if I could, why would I need to have faith?  But I digress...

MOV

I like the use of acronyms.  I think they're clever.  One in particular I have used so much that it actually has become nearly as commonplace among people that know me as AAA.  Or as I have gotten older, AARP.  The acronym I am referring to is the MOD Squad.  Not the same as the old TV show, but Mothers Of Deaf.

The MOD Squad is a group of mothers (thanks, Captain Obvious) who have been through the special education wringer together.  Good for bouncing ideas off of, going to school meetings with and just in general being there for each other.  It has been a huge blessing and though our deaf kids are pretty much grown now, we are all still friends.

MOV is a new acronym that came to me and is entirely different.  Mother Of Victim.

MOV was inspired by a woman I am very close to.  And I have her permission to talk about this.  There are really so many different faces she could have.  Her child might be the victim of kidnapping; any number of violent acts; maybe a priest or other spiritual authority.  A victim of a teacher or coach.  Or as in the case of the MOV that I know, the victim of a babysitter.  A person she took her child to specifically for the taking care of.  Protecting.  Please allow me to put in a disclaimer.  I am talking about MOVs here but that is in no way to suggest they are more of or even the same level of victim as the child who has been perpetrated against.  The child is the true victim.  It's just that the story of my friend really gave me pause to stop and try to understand the mother's perspective.

In this case, it was years after the abuse that our MOV learned it had happened.  Twenty some years.  Suddenly her 27 year old child is five again.  That is the face in her mind as she is learning what has transpired. And she wants to attack.  You know what they say about mother bears. And the thing is, it's not even her battle to take on at this point.  If anyone is to do that, it has to be the adult child.  And that really isn't likely at this point.

The "event" or series of events is long over.  Physically anyway.  The scars are certainly there.  But for the MOV in our example, it has JUST happened!  Instinct is to protect, crucify.  And she can't.  Or should she? What is her role NOW?

I suppose because I am a mom I often see things through the lens of being the mother in just about any story.  Even when things like New Haven happen...or the Columbine shootings.  Not only the mothers of the victims, but the mothers of the bad guys.  There are exceptions to everything but I would imagine THOSE mothers are nearly as traumatized as the other mothers...the mothers of the victims.  Maybe?  Just a thought.

How does a mother wrestle through NOT being able to protect her child? Who is safe?  And what do we say to those MOVs?  How can we help?  I don't know that we can.  How do we help them help their child?  What kind of MOD Squad is in place for that?  At this point, at least in the case of my friend, the child has accepted that it's simply the way it was and they don't want to talk about it.  But MOV wants to talk about it.  She wants to make it better and cannot.

I remember watching The Passion of the Christ.  Mary, the mother of Jesus always had my attention.  Watching Jesus as a little boy running, just to fall down...how she would rush to his side.  Watching and running along side as He was beaten while carrying the cross.  Beaten beyond recognition, the Bible says.  And then watching as He died. Helpless.  And that is how my friend feels.  Helpless.

I am tempted to think, well, that's different.  Mary knew Jesus was God's Son.  I'm not so sure that's better!  What do you say if you're Mary?  I'm sorry God!  I tried to protect Him!  I am in no way a Bible scholar but I think the only place it tells us the information Mary was given about her son-to-be is in Luke 1:26-38, specifically 30-33: But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."  Verses 34-35 shows us that this MOV, Mary, didn't have special insight, any more than is available to us; "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I m a virgin?"  The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God..."

Nothing about how her son would have to endure everything He endured and how she should deal with it.  As far as I know anyway.  And so when push became shove and her son became an innocent victim, just like my friend's child and countless other women's children, what is she supposed to do? What are the mothers of our day supposed to do?

There is only one thing I can be sure of and that is that God knew it would happen. To His Son and to our sons and daughters.  And I think it breaks His heart.  I don't understand it either.  Why does He allow such atrocities?  Except to not allow ANYTHING is to remove our free will.  And free will is the part we like.  Or at least the part we want.

The Bible, in John Chapter 11, at the very least implies that what breaks our hearts breaks God's heart, too.  Mary, Martha and Lazarus were siblings and good friends of Jesus.  Lazarus became very sick and the sisters sent word to Jesus.  In order to later show them Who exactly He was (who happens to be God, the only One who can bring the dead back to life) Jesus delayed in getting to them and Lazarus died before He arrived.  Look ahead to verse 33.  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.  "Where have you laid him?" he asked.  "Come and see, Lord," they replied.  Jesus wept.

I firmly believe this is because their broken hearts broke His.  Like when we see our children hurting and it breaks our hearts.  This story miraculously ends with Jesus bringing Lazarus back from the dead.  We know he truly was dead because he had been in the tomb for four days.

For MOVs and the rest of us as well, questions arise; what about the death in spirit that occurs when these atrocities hit in our very real worlds?  Or the emotional walls that are put up around the victims, by the victims themselves?  What about the baggage that can trickle down into the generations to follow? Personally I think that just like in the biblical account above, Jesus weeps.  With us.  For us.  This is not the way things were supposed to be.  These thoughts lead to so many questions.  Why did He allow sin in the first place?  It's that free will thing again.  He didn't want puppets when He created us.  Do we have children because we want puppets?  No. We crave relationship and I think that's what He wanted too when He created us.  But we aren't puppets and sin entered the picture. Just like Adam and Eve, we think we know more than we do, can handle things better than we can and consequences follow.  And so often those consequences are damaged people.  Who damage people.

For those of us who believe that the Jesus is Who He says He is, the only thing we can hang on to is that He sees.  He knows.  And He weeps.  He will not leave us nor forsake us.  He loves us.  And He's coming back one day.  And things WILL be as they were supposed to be.

Please Lord, come quickly.