For the Second Sunday in Lent

It is easy for our spiritual life and our praying to be centered on our needs alone far too often. But John lifts our sights higher and reminds us of this truth from the cross upon which Jesus hangs:

"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2.2)

The cross can be thought of as a form healing for this broken world.

We are so aware of the deeply troubling, pervasive and ever-entrenched problems in this world … war, starvation, the torture of innocent people, terrorism, sickness … as well as political corruption on the bad end of the spectrum and political ineptitude on the other. It worries us when we start to pay attention to it all. We prefer to set our sights on entertainment and amusements instead. Life is short. We are powerless to do anything against human misery, so we pursue the "feel goods" of life.

Jesus had in mind when He took on the burden of the Roman cross being the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. One need only go the Servant Songs of Isaiah (certain passages in the Book of Isaiah that describe a ‘Servant’ of God who would take away the sins of the world upon Himself) to see the world-wide scope of Christ’s supreme act of redemption. … Selected verses from the Servant Song of Isaiah 53:

"He was despised and rejected … a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief … Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows … He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; Upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have each turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all … Because He poured out His soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors."

Think of it … His perfect, sinless blood poured out for you and for me. Only one drop … one drop! … would be enough to deliver our world, and yet He sheds His life’s blood through the injustice of crucifixion in order to connect with a suffering world and to identify with fullest range of human suffering. We know as we read the end of the Bible that Jesus’ world-wide embrace is successful. For before the Throne of God at the end of time stand the ransomed "… from every tribe and tongue, people and nation."

The closer we get to Christ spiritually, the more we take on His hearts for this world. Christ’s compassion reaches deep and wide as captured in this verse from a hymn of the Welsh Revival, entitled "Here is Love" by William Rees:

"On the mount of crucifixion,
fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
kissed a guilty world in love."

Let these marvelous words sink in to you: He kissed a guilty world in love.

Isaiah 53.1-12
John 3.16-18
Ephesians 2.13-22
John 12.31-33
Philippians 2.5-11
Revelation 5.1-14