There can be a degree of spin to Palm
Sunday. We rejoice in the humility of the King who brings peace to Judah in
Zechariah 9v9-12, but conveniently omit that he will achieve it through the
destruction of their enemies (9v1-8, 13-17). We celebrate Jesus’ welcome into
Jerusalem, but fail to note his first acts as king were to drive out the
money-lenders from the temple and curse the fig tree as an illustration of his
curse on the unfruitful nation (Mat 21v1-22). The point is that as King, Jesus
brings long-needed judgment as well as much needed mercy. And a question we must
face during this time of coronavirus, is whether he continues to do so within
history, for on ascending as king: “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over
everything for the church” (Eph 1v22).
1/ The coronavirus brings home the
reality of judgment.
Intellectuals love to smugly scoff at any
suggestion that such things are a judgment from God. But if they call
themselves Christian, one wonders what Bible they are reading. Certainly, Jesus
does caution against declaring a specific disaster is because one person or
group has sinned more than another (Lk 13v4, Jn 9v1-3). But from beginning to
end, scripture urges us to consider the reality of judgment when faced with
national or worldwide suffering. Jeremiah implies this when lamenting
Judah’s destruction by Babylon: “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good
things come?” (Lam 3v38). Just as God
ordains all that comes to pass (Ps 139v16, Eph 1v11), so everything that
happens stems either from his undeserved grace or tempered justice. “I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and
righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.” (Jer 9v24).
By only the third chapter of the Bible, we learn that human death and so disease is a
consequence of humanity’s rejection of God (Gen 3v22). In that sense we must
say that this coronavirus is in some sense an expression of his outrage at sin,
as all suffering is: “All our days pass
away under your wrath.” (Ps 90v9).
But we can note too, that at times disaster taking
the form of war, famine or disease, has been a more specific expression of
wrath when sin has increased and God’s patience has given way to long needed
justice. God outlines the principle through Jeremiah: “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is
to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of
its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.
And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up
and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will
reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.” (Jer 18v7-10).
So, the
Ammonites were destroyed when their sin had “reached its full measure”
(Gen 15v16) - sin that included practices very similar to those promoted in
society today (Lev 18v21-28). And in terms of disease, consider Habakkuk’s
picture of the LORD coming to act for his people: “God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His
glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendour was
like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.
Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the
earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble.” (Hab 3v3-6).
Particularly striking is Psalm 2, that portrays the relationship between
God’s king and human rulers, and is applied to Christ in the New Testament (see
Acts 4v23-27, Rev 12v5). It urges rulers to: “Kiss [the LORD’s] son, or
he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can
flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Ps 2v12).
The threat of sudden wrath implies that the king is patiently holding it back,
but also that at any time it could rightly be let loose. And because it is
specific to certain kings, the suggestion is that this may entail judgments
within history rather than just the final judgment.
Here, we should note that plague in particular, is
one of the judgments released by King Jesus himself during the church age (Rev
6v7-8). One of the most respected modern commentators on Revelation writes of chapter
6:
“Christ has received all
authority from the Father and takes up His rule over the kingdoms of the earth
(1:5; 2:26-27; 5:1-14). The first four seals show how this authority extends
even over situations of suffering sent from the hand of God to purify saints
and punish unbelievers…Some Christians may have wondered if Christ really was
sovereign over disastrous circumstances, such as Nero’s mass persecutions on so
cruel a scale following the fire of Rome in AD 64. Rev 6:1-8 is intended to
show that Christ rules over such an apparently chaotic world and that suffering
does not occur indiscriminately or by chance.”
I wouldn’t presume to declare that the coronavirus is a more specific judgment
on certain sins in today’s world. But nor do I think we need to. We just need
to recognize that it might be. We should not underestimate just how appalling the
world’s consumerism and abuse of the environment is, when one considers its
impact on the poor and suffering. It’s estimated that over 40 million people
today work as slaves, enabling people to enjoy the comfort they do. That’s more
than three times the total number of slaves during the 15-19th centuries. It’s
deeply convicting, that having done so little to check our economy for the good
of others, we have not hesitated to now that our own lives are on the line. Or
consider our world’s readiness to kill the unborn. The WHO estimates 40-50
million a year – something unthinkable just a hundred years ago. Again,
consider the irony that over 200,000 of abortions each year are carried out by
the same NHS that is so striving to save lives today. And what of the
destruction to family life and mental health stemming from the undermining of
marriage, and the embracing of sexual freedom and pornography? And what of the
arrogance displayed in wholly redefining marriage and gender?
Given what the scriptures tell us about God’s holiness and its past
expression, should we be surprised when this sort of disease arises? Perhaps
the surprise should be that it's not worse. It’s particularly striking that
Revelation tells us the two witnesses (most likely a reference to the church)
have power “to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they
want” (Rev 11v6). In context, this could be describing various judgments on the
earth for its persecution of believers. And in recent years the world has
persecuted Christians like never before. Open Doors estimates that “over 260
million Christians” live in places where they “experience high levels of
persecution.”
But, we should not for a moment consider all this implies our world is
without hope or abandoned by God. We struggle with these ideas because we think
they imply the Lord is somehow uncaring, and that the indiscriminate nature of the suffering they entail means he is callous. No doubt this will always test our faith. But when it does, we can remember that at the very moment Jesus
predicted a judgment on Jerusalem that would lead to its destruction in AD70, he
wept (Lk 19v41-44). We might say, figuratively speaking, that God executes his justice through tears. And so, Palm Sunday moves towards Good Friday, when in
the greatest love, King Jesus bore the curse sin deserves so that we might be
freed from it.
2/ The coronavirus brings home the wonders of God’s mercy.
Given Jesus governs all things, we can say that signs of his grace are
everywhere. Consider
how this crisis is bringing communities together, drawing out acts of great
self-sacrifice - especially from our medics, and reminding people of the
importance of family. Even the spring should be seen as a means by which he is
tempering his justice with mercy. But three particular mercies can be noted.
1) The coronavirus is displaying
the impotence of our gods: It is hard to deny that the gods worshipped in the UK are those of
money, success, healthcare and sexual license. How easily they are shown to be
subject to the Lord. The economy is in crisis, jobs are threatened, the NHS is on
its knees, and people are forced to retreat into families - the very
institution our society has so undermined. Ecclesiastes 3v14 tells us that God
ensures we feel a sense of impotence before his providence so that people will “fear
him.” Given that, could it be that in all this, King Jesus is pointing out
that the branches we assume can take our weight, really can’t?
2) The coronavirus is highlighting
our need of Jesus: This
follows. The disease is forcing us to see just how much our lives are dependent
on the Lord. Many are facing their own mortality in a way they never have
previously. Surely King Jesus is showing us just how much we
need him, and at the very time we celebrate his victory over death at Easter? Surely,
he is reminding us that there is only one person who has ever healed the sick and
raised the dead with a word; and that he is the hope for our nation and world.
This is the good news it so needs at this time.
3) The coronavirus is urging us
to repentance: This is inescapable given the above. There’s no easy way to say it. The
coronavirus is a wake-up call – a reminder that we are a world under judgment,
that our sin is an affront to God, that all of us will die, and that all of us
need salvation. Repentance is the very thing Jesus put his finger on when faced
with disaster in his day: “Those
eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were
more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless
you repent, you too will all perish.’” (Lk 13v4-5). Or consider the repeated refrain of those facing God’s
judgments on the earth in the book of Revelation: Still “they refused to
repent” (Rev 9v20, 21, 16v9, 16v11). The Lord’s will for people when facing
the sufferings of life outside Eden is that they would be called to turn from
sin, to Christ, for salvation.
3/ The coronavirus brings home
the failings of the church.
Here’s the rub, and I am speaking to myself here too. It is striking how
the church has responded so far. We are caught up in our discussions on how
best to do services online, whether we can celebrate communion remotely, and
how not to get infected. But where is the discussion on how to communicate the
gospel courageously and winsomely in calling our nation or communities to
repentance? Like Nero, we are playing the fiddle whilst Rome burns. Some high-profile leaders have spoken more publicly. But generally, these are words
carefully chosen to offer something meaningful without the danger of offence.
We are urged to abide by governmental advice, care for our neighbours, and
combat fear with faith. That’s good. But isn’t there more we must say, somehow
– and with fervent prayer for opportunity and response?
No doubt, the church’s failure to speak boldly results from decades in
which it has tried to offer just a gentle something to elicit interest with
little challenge to the nation’s practices - nor to the brazen affirmation of
them within its own ranks. But the coronavirus shows just how ineffectual that
is. How does that help a nation that may have to face even more disasters if
its spiritual makeup doesn’t change? How does that help the neighbour who is
about to pass into a lost eternity because they’ve never heard the gospel? Surely,
then, the first place for repentance in this crisis is within the church: “For
it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household.” (1 Pet 4v17).
Hard truths are like embarrassing
family members. We should be unashamed of them. But we keep them hidden for
fear of losing friends. However, this Friday we remember the cross which,
though “the wisdom of God”, is “foolishness” to the world” (1 Cor
1v20-25) because it declares that we can be saved only by the apparent weakness
of a crucified Messiah, who “took our pain and bore our suffering.” (Is
53v4). Let’s proclaim the reassuring truth, that this means that the Son of God
sympathises with us in our sufferings, that he is the greatest model of forgiveness,
love and self-sacrifice. But let’s not leave it there, for we’re told he suffered
so that “the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds
we are healed.” (Is 53v5). That's his glory. And so we must also find a way to proclaim that
he died because we are “by nature deserving of wrath” (Eph 2v3) –
because the God who is there remains supremely holy, and is outraged at even our
sins, and the present crisis is in some way a taste of the final judgment that
he would have us wake up to so that we might kiss his Son, for "blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Ps 2v12).
“Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise, and
the survivors of your wrath are restrained. Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfil them; let all
the neighbouring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. He breaks the
spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth.” (Ps 76v10-12)
