Friday 9 December 2022
Knowing Our Troubles, Even Compared to Others, Is Significant. More Important is Knowing God Walks With Us, and Knowing That Even In Our Darkest Moments Christ’ Light Is ‘Up There On The Treetops.‘
Isaiah 53:4
Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
Hebrews 12:3
Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
Words of Grace For Today
Since the beginning of time we humans have taken out our irresolvable-conflict-shame&blame on other innocent people. It’s called scapegoating.
Isaiah’s ‘Suffering Servant’ was such a victim, who bore shame, blame, and execution in order to free others from being made victims of scapegoating. Not that it helped end scapegoating, though it was a model of how many through the ages have sacrificed themselves, even as scapegoats, to save others.
Jesus came as God and as human and was also such a victim of scapegoating, who bore shame, blame, and execution in order to free others from being made victims of scapegoating. Similarly Abraham took Isaac out on the mountain to sacrifice him as an offering to God, and God interrupted and instructed Abraham to use the ram in the thicket instead (the goat definitely was used as a scapegoat, animal not human). That story’s message for all was simple: no more child or human sacrifice. It may have slowed child sacrifice in some ways, though still today children are sacrificed as soldiers in conflicts, as victims of starvation, disease, and climate change. Jesus’ story is a clear message: no more scapegoating. Not that it helped end scapegoating, though it was a model of how many of Jesus’ followers through the ages have sacrificed themselves, even as scapegoats, to save others.
When others attack one, physically, psychologically, socially, with false accusations, and lies to the police and under oath in court, the effects are devastating. When the lawyers, prosecutors, and judges hear and know the lies for what they are and instead of insisting on truth alone, actually pile on layer upon layer of lies, until court records contain so little of anything true, one has the making of a book. But the book has been written many times and nothing changes.
How is one to continue?
Many continue as they only can, in situations far worse, and have since the beginning of human times. So our way forward is not that bad, right?
Well, it is still bad, though knowing how much others, like the Suffering Servant and like Jesus, can give us courage to face each day’s challenges.