Jesus says, “When I am lifted up from this earth, I shall draw all people unto myself.”
Jesus draws people. The Good Shepherd draws people.
In some parts of the world shepherds go behind the flock with sticks, staffs, and dogs to coral the sheep into obedience. The wayward sheep is met with striking blow or nipping dog.
Jesus is out front, calling, encouraging us all and all the world to follow the path that God in Christ, God in the Holy Spirit knows is best for us, for the world, and for God.
Jesus is calling, calling us to ever deeper relationship with God the Three in One. Jesus is the one who said that he came so that the people of the world might have life and life abundant.
As I was writing this in the time of Lent, the time that prepares us for Good Friday and for Easter Sunday, I remembered a song written by singer performer Ray Boltz. The song title is, “Does He still feel the nails?”
Some of the lyrics; “They tell me Jesus died for my transgressions, and that he paid that price a long, long time ago, when he gave his life for me on a hill called Calvary but there’s something else I want to know
Does he still feel the nails every time I fail? Can he hear the crowd cry Crucify, again? Am I causing him pain? Then I know I’ve got to change cause I just can’t bear the thought of hurting him…”
With due respect to a fine author and singer I cannot embrace the theology of these lyrics. The song is meant to elicit feelings of guilt in us. Yes, sin is wrong. Yes I do sin and when I sin I should desire not to sin and ask God’s help to not sin. Yes, sin is wrong, an affront to God who so loved me and the world as to die for us all in the most horrible of ways on a cross.
Still for me, the motivation meant to move me to live more like Jesus is gratitude and honoring of Jesus, not guilt. Jesus leads by encouragement not by putting guilt on us when he took the guilt to the cross for us.
Jesus wants people to have the abundant life he promised and came to bring, to have the Fruits of the Spirit of Love, Joy, and peace and more.
On top of this, Jesus wants us out there making disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world. Guilt ridden people have slim to no chance to convince the world of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
People who exhibit Love, Joy, Peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, people waling in the Spirit of God show these signs, not the signs of guilt ridden, downtrodden, individuals.
Yes, it requires us to empty ourselves with God’s help of sin. Yes, we must admit that we fall short, and all people do fall short of the glory of God. If it all ended there then eternal guilt would be appropriate but we serve and worship a God of eternal love and grace. We serve a God in Christ who says, “I have told you to obey my commandments so that my joy may be made complete in you.” John 15:10-11
Love, Joy, Peace that come to us as we seek them, coming to us by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can grow in them and share them.
Did Jesus feel the nails because of my sin and yours, well yes. Does he still feel the nails, am I still causing him pain, the cross was once and for all in every sense of those words.
God is not some sadistic monster who asks God’s Son to continually climb on the cross daily for the world. No, but the Son of God, does ask, does in fact command us, to die to our old self, our old ways and carry the cross of service meant for each one of us.
We do so in thankfulness. We do so in gratitude.
Once more let us speak the words from our Holy Communion liturgy; “God free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
But hear not just those words alone… hear the response we rightfully give each other that comes from above…Hear the Good News, Christ died for us while we were still sinners, that proves God’s love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen