Arming The Saints Blog

There are lots of reasons for why it’s good that Jesus came when he came. I just can’t imagine having the savior of the world being covered nonstop by CNN, or Fox, or – gasp – News of the World. I’m glad there aren’t any descriptions of him in the Bible. I think he’s much more accessible to everyone that way.

And, dude, just think about social media. Knowing Facebook like I do, with everyone posting only the good or happy aspects of their lives, I imagine that we’d have no record whatsoever of anything happening to Jesus after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and before his return from the grave. Nothing during holy week, when all of the difficult but really important stuff happened to Jesus. Just a shot of him on a donkey and then later a selfie with Thomas.  And I simply can’t imagine having to endure the inane Internet comments people might post after seeing him give, say, the Sermon on the Mount. I imagine they’d start off talking about the sermon, but then they’d inevitably drift off to arguing about impeaching Emperor Tiberius. And can you imagine Jesus’s Twitter feed? Of course not – that’s why he had to come when he came.

He came at a time when nobody really “covered” the news, but what he did and his message are so important that they exist forcefully 2,000 years later. Today, it would be the biggest news ever: Jesus overcame the world. He overcame death itself. And by doing so, he gave us hope not only for our lives, but also our deaths. Jesus told his followers: “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19).

Indeed, by conquering death and showing his disciples concrete existence of a life beyond this world, Jesus provided more than just hope – Jesus promised that we, too, would have everlasting life, and Jesus keeps his promises. But just as important, Jesus’s promise of a life beyond this world gives us meaning for the things we do in this world. Easter reminds us, once again, that what we do in the natural world matters beyond the natural world. What we do to other children of God matters. What we think about and believe in matters.

Happy resurrection day, everyone!

Tim and Denise

Denise and I are in Connecticut — I have to talk to the Governor, of all people, about my day job. Can you imagine? Life is certainly interesting.

While we were in the hotel, we watched the movie “Unbroken” on HBO. It tells the real-life struggle of Louis Zamperini, an olympic athlete who gets shot down over the ocean, survives sharks and Japanese strafing for weeks on a raft, only to be captured and tortured by a sadistic Japanese prison guard.

The movie was great, but one reviewer in particular pointed out what was probably most lacking in the finished product. Lena Cruz, in her review in the Atlantic, wrote that even though the story was true to Zamperini’s  ordeals during the war, it left out “the real story” from the book, which was his post-war PTSD, alcoholism, and ultimate turn to Christianity and forgiveness of those who abused him.

Once again, the real story is not human suffering, or even resilience in the world. We have plenty of that. The real story is how that suffering can be overcome most completely by Jesus Christ, leading to a life of forgiveness, and, ultimately, redemption. It’s the story of Jesus himself, who suffered more than anyone, and who, through his forgiveness, allows us to partake in that redemption.

God bless you all,

Tim and Denise