Letter from Exile 6
God’s Word: Romans 3:19-20
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Reflection:
Have you ever read the famous book by John Bunyan titled, The Pilgrim’s Progress? If you haven’t, grab an abridged version with pictures and read it to your kids. It is terrific! It is an allegory about the Christian life. The main character is a guy named Christian who lives in the City of Destruction, but he begins a journey to the Celestial City.
His travels lead him to meet all sorts of people. Some good. Some bad. Some just whatever. But he meets one travel companion named, Faithful. Faithful is a terrific guy, and he tells Christian a story about his travels. At one point while traveling, Faithful is jumped by a guy who beats him nearly to death. Bloodied and nearly unconscious, Faithful starts to wake up again, and the guy starts to beat him so as to kill him. It seems that Faithful was on the brink of death, until a stranger arrives and intervenes. He asks the man to stop, and so he relents.
As Faithful tells Christian this story, Christian asks, “Who is the man?” He couldn’t tell at first, but he concluded that it was Jesus who saved him because of the holes in his hands. But Christian isn’t asking about the man who rescued him. He is asking, who in the world is the man who beat up Faithful and nearly killed him?!
You expect him to say, Sinner or Robber. But guess what he says? It was Moses. Moses beat him up, nearly to death, until Jesus sent him away. Isn’t this crazy? Moses represents the law. Do you understand what this theological fiction means for you?
The law has a function. The law teaches us about the beauty of God and it shows us our need for Him. The law shows you your inadequacy. But it will kill you if you think that perfect obedience is what saves you. It will make you bloody, and kick you while you are down. Your good works cannot save you. Only Jesus can.
This virus is bidding us to stop “doing” for God, and start “being” with him. Rest in him.
So what does this mean for us while locked in our homes?
This virus is bidding us to stop “doing” for God, and start “being” with him. Rest in him. The world may crumble, as it is quite fragile. And the law is a hammer to smash it further. But Christ is the great healer. In quarantine, there are very few works for you to accomplish. There are no works to point to and say, “See, God, I do good works for you!”
Nope, all we can say is, “God, I am locked in. All I have is you. But all I need is you.”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, on my journey to the Celestial City, would you protect me from Moses? Of course, I will obey you. Of course, I will honor you. But Lord, do not let me make Moses my Savior. He will leave me bloody. He will show me my sin, and then leave me to die. But not you. You are a healer. Make me yours, even in the confines of my home with no works to point to. I will point to your Son, my Savior. I will cling to His works, not mine. I will do this, so that Jesus alone gets all the glory. In His name I come to you, Amen.
Praying outside of ourselves:
Pray for churches to reach the lonely in a world of social distancing.
Pray for a revival in San Juan.
Pray for the sick who feel alone, because they fear being socially ostracized.
Pray for a stranger to stumble upon our streaming service and surrender to Jesus.