DAY 126

REALLY?

1 Kings 21 & 22 and Luke 23:26 – 55

Today we come in contact with some scoffers. Ahab is a scoffer and so is the criminal hanging next to Jesus who joins in with the crowd.

I know that the people who divided up the Bible for our 365 days of readings didn’t look to see if the Old Testament and the New Testament thematically lined up with each other, but I am struck by how many times they do.

In the Old Testament Ahab wants his neighbor’s vineyard. The neighbor, Naboth, does not want to sell because it is his families land. Ahab throws a temper tantrum. Jezebel, always quick to solve problems in the most evil of ways, frames Naboth who is then stoned to death. Of course Ahab gets the vineyard, but God gets the justice. Remarkably, as evil as Ahab was (and the Bible says he was really evil) God forgives after he humbles himself. The Lord is quick to forgive (Isaiah 55).

Likewise here is Jesus hanging on the Cross. One thief is repentant and Jesus, God, is quick to forgive…today you will be with me in paradise.

Where I use to work we would have these seminars about how to be better managers and leaders. We would talk about all sorts of things. I will always remember one line, “It is easy to behave properly when things are going well, but people will really see your character when the pressure is on.” Here is our Lord, hanging from the Cross suffocating to death. That is the actually how someone dies during crucifixion (if the beating and the blood loss doesn’t get them first).

A day or two ago I pointed out that there are times in the Old Testament when we might struggle with the image of God. So today I am making sure I seem Him clearly – both in the Old and the New. I want to say to God, “Ahab, really, but he…” as I list all his sins. Yet while I may not be an Ahab (I pray I am not) I somehow think in “God’s economy” I judge my sins somehow less severe than other peoples. Somehow that give me a false sense of comfort – but even as I type these words I know that is flawed thinking. Sin is sin, period the end. Praise the Lord that our God is a God who is merciful and quick to forgive.