Apparently, the lectionary used by many churches these days wants to emphasize the seven last words of Jesus from the cross. Thus, the first of this series focused upon the words of Jesus in Luke 23:34 when Jesus being crucified upon a cross between two criminals, lifted up his eyes toward heaven and said: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Since Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent) occurs on Feb. 26 this year, it is appropriate for Christians to begin to remember the events of Holy Week.
Jesus spoke seven times that we know of from the cross. They are in chronological order: (1) Luke 23:24 when Jesus spoke to God; (2) Luke 23:43 When Jesus spoke to the criminal on the cross, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise (Arabic word for heaven)"; (3) John 19:26-27 when Jesus spoke to Mary and John, "When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, 'here is your mother'"; (4) Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 when Jesus cried out to His Father, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (5) John 19:28 when Jesus knowing that everything was now finished and to fulfill scriptures said, "I am thirsty"; (6) John 19:30 when Jesus said, "it is finished"; (7) Luke 23:46 when Jesus called out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
Christians may want to use these last seven words for their devotionals during the season of Lent.
On my way to church that morning, I noticed the title of the day's sermon on the church's marque: Unconditional Love," and when I looked at the sermon title in my own church's bulletin it said, "Ultimate Love." I thought both sermon titles were right on target for the day, but then I began to wonder what they might mean. Of course, referencing the scriptures to God's love poured out through Jesus on the cross certainly fulfills the meaning of the sermons, but what about the kind of love God wants us to have? What about unconditional love in today's world?
There are a lot of single-issue people in our country who do not practice unconditional love. Too many times they cast a vote based upon a single issue instead of recognizing that no one is perfect and that there are many issues to consider. Consider the following:
We have one Democratic candidate who is an openly practicing homosexual. A person may claim to love him, but I can guarantee that they also are going to condemn him. In fact, some people feel that all homosexual people are lost eternally, this even though the Bible never talks about homosexuality in connection with salvation, except to condemn it (see 1 Corinthians 6:6-11). Instead, the Bible boldly states that there is only one sin that keeps a person from God, and that is the sin against the Holy Spirit. Is this unconditional love? Salvation is predicated upon our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior, not upon our sexuality.
I personally know of many people who have never voted for someone who is "pro-choice" and not "pro-life." There are very strong feelings on both sides of the issue, but where is the unconditional love? Is love only possible toward people we agree with?
Looking to the future, it is certain that it is only a matter of time before someone is going to clone a human being. Wow! Does that clone have a soul? Is cloning an attempt to develop a super race? Just think of the implications. I don't know the answers to those perplexing questions, but this much I do know: Love will be forgotten and a lot of people are going to be busy stating their negative feelings about the entire issue.
So then, what do we mean by "unconditional love?" Is it too much for us to accept the fact that Jesus died upon a cruel cross for all of us? Yes, he died for those shouting "Crucify him," for Pontus Pilate who sentenced him, the Scribes and Pharisees who condemned him, those people along the Via Delarosa who weren't sure what was happening, and you and me some two thousand years later. If the love of God in Jesus is so strong, maybe the best thing we can do this Lenten season is to pray for the ability to open our minds and hearts to the people around us. We may not agree with them, but we may certainly love them.
-- Robert Box is the former chaplain for the Bella Vista Police Department and is currently the Fire Department chaplain. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 02/26/2020