I've had a thought developing in my mind for a couple months, and I'm not sure how well I'll be able to articulate it, but here it goes.
Let's start with this.
“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.' “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.” (Isaiah 45:22-25)
This is God. The one who created everything by words, who formed man with His hands, who breathed life into man for the very first time. God, who looked at His creation and said that it was good, and after creating humanity, said that is was "Very good." The very first relationship that ever existed in humanity was between God and man, and the second was between God, man, and woman. From that moment, to the present, God has shown us how He values these relationships. Even in His description of who He is, He included us. His relationship with humanity is a defining feature for Him, He thinks of us when He thinks of Himself.
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)
Meet man. Only a few generations after the man that God had declared, "Very good," humanity had managed to become something so evil, they were not even capable of thinking good things. This theme is not unique to Noah's time, we see shadows of the evil tendencies of mankind throughout history.
When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. (2 Samuel 11:26)
Why did all-creating nature
Make the plant for which we toil?
Sighs must fan it, tears must water,
Sweat of ours must dress the soil.
Think, ye masters iron-hearted,
Lolling at your jovial boards,
Think how many backs have smarted
For the sweets your cane affords.
(Excerpt from "The Negroe's Complaint," by William Cowper)
It is not truth that matters, but victory. -Adolf Hitler
The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it. -Margaret Sanger
Somehow, God was able to see beyond inexcusable evil, and love souls that were created by Him, for Him. Somehow, God knew He could change them, and bring beauty from the madness. So, though He was always with humanity, perceiving their every hurt, fear, and heart's desire, He came close to them in a way that they could perceive. He became like them, left His throne, and was born the way the most humble of them were born.
Why?
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
In order to be fit to judge us, He wanted to understand fully what it was like to live in the world that we live in. Wasn't that good of Him? Surely, coming to live in fallen humanity, He now must understand how incredibly difficult it is to be perfect. Surely, knowing, He must see that we are really not to blame, we're victims of our environment. Products of an evil system called "sin nature." This explains why the conclusion of that thought was, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace."
Or... Isn't that what He would discover?
Now that I think about it, I can't exactly blame Adam for everything I have done. I definitely bear at least some responsibility for my actions. Oooh. As I think about it more, I am starting to remember plenty of times when I definitely had a choice, and I chose the wrong thing. Even after I became a Christian... Isn't that what Hebrews talks about, "trampling on the Son of God?" Have I "put Him to an open shame?"
No, now that I think about it, I can't blame my "sin nature" for things that I did willingly, any more than King David can blame his "sin nature" for the things He did. I don't deserve the grace of God, I deserve whatever the consequence of my sin is, even if it's hell.
Maybe it's worse that Jesus came to be like us, He experienced the same temptations that I did, "yet without sin." He chose the right thing, I chose the wrong thing. I think, having come and endured the same hardship that I have struggling against sin, He more likely would have come to the conclusion that I should receive the full consequence for my actions, nothing spared.
I may as well have yelled, "Crucify Him!" My actions sure did.
I should be numbered among the ones that said, "Let His blood be on us and on our children!"
So what was His actual conclusion?
After the Perfect God, creates men that rebel and spit in His face, comes to see for Himself why, and discovers that they have no excuse and are fully responsible for their actions, His conclusion is this:
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34a)
I'll be honest, I didn't plan an ending for this one. When that thought occurred to me, I was literally speechless, and even now, I have no explanation to offer, just the suggestion to... think. About that.
What goes through my mind, (and again, this is not an explanation, just thoughts) is that He definitely was not suggesting to God that they (or us) were truly ignorant. They were literally the most learned men of the day, if anyone would have known the magnitude of what was being done, it should have been them.
There's something more, that's all I can say. There's always something more to be found in Jesus. "They know not what they do," are old, old words. But I don't have any confidence that I know what they mean anymore. I think I "know not what (they) did," either.
Meet man. Only a few generations after the man that God had declared, "Very good," humanity had managed to become something so evil, they were not even capable of thinking good things. This theme is not unique to Noah's time, we see shadows of the evil tendencies of mankind throughout history.
When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. (2 Samuel 11:26)
Why did all-creating nature
Make the plant for which we toil?
Sighs must fan it, tears must water,
Sweat of ours must dress the soil.
Think, ye masters iron-hearted,
Lolling at your jovial boards,
Think how many backs have smarted
For the sweets your cane affords.
(Excerpt from "The Negroe's Complaint," by William Cowper)
It is not truth that matters, but victory. -Adolf Hitler
The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it. -Margaret Sanger
Somehow, God was able to see beyond inexcusable evil, and love souls that were created by Him, for Him. Somehow, God knew He could change them, and bring beauty from the madness. So, though He was always with humanity, perceiving their every hurt, fear, and heart's desire, He came close to them in a way that they could perceive. He became like them, left His throne, and was born the way the most humble of them were born.
Why?
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
In order to be fit to judge us, He wanted to understand fully what it was like to live in the world that we live in. Wasn't that good of Him? Surely, coming to live in fallen humanity, He now must understand how incredibly difficult it is to be perfect. Surely, knowing, He must see that we are really not to blame, we're victims of our environment. Products of an evil system called "sin nature." This explains why the conclusion of that thought was, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace."
Or... Isn't that what He would discover?
Now that I think about it, I can't exactly blame Adam for everything I have done. I definitely bear at least some responsibility for my actions. Oooh. As I think about it more, I am starting to remember plenty of times when I definitely had a choice, and I chose the wrong thing. Even after I became a Christian... Isn't that what Hebrews talks about, "trampling on the Son of God?" Have I "put Him to an open shame?"
No, now that I think about it, I can't blame my "sin nature" for things that I did willingly, any more than King David can blame his "sin nature" for the things He did. I don't deserve the grace of God, I deserve whatever the consequence of my sin is, even if it's hell.
Maybe it's worse that Jesus came to be like us, He experienced the same temptations that I did, "yet without sin." He chose the right thing, I chose the wrong thing. I think, having come and endured the same hardship that I have struggling against sin, He more likely would have come to the conclusion that I should receive the full consequence for my actions, nothing spared.
I may as well have yelled, "Crucify Him!" My actions sure did.
I should be numbered among the ones that said, "Let His blood be on us and on our children!"
So what was His actual conclusion?
After the Perfect God, creates men that rebel and spit in His face, comes to see for Himself why, and discovers that they have no excuse and are fully responsible for their actions, His conclusion is this:
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34a)
I'll be honest, I didn't plan an ending for this one. When that thought occurred to me, I was literally speechless, and even now, I have no explanation to offer, just the suggestion to... think. About that.
What goes through my mind, (and again, this is not an explanation, just thoughts) is that He definitely was not suggesting to God that they (or us) were truly ignorant. They were literally the most learned men of the day, if anyone would have known the magnitude of what was being done, it should have been them.
There's something more, that's all I can say. There's always something more to be found in Jesus. "They know not what they do," are old, old words. But I don't have any confidence that I know what they mean anymore. I think I "know not what (they) did," either.
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