Love

Love

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the scripture is John 15:13  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

 

There's a novel in which a young man, who is a Hindu at the moment, is talking to a priest named Father Martin.  This book is the Life of PI, and there is a passage I want to read to you:  

           

"Father Martin told me a story.  The first thing I felt was disbelief.  What?  Humanity sins?  But it's God's Son who takes the blame and pays the price?  That a God should put up with adversity I could understand.  Adversity, yes.  Treachery, yes.  But humiliation, death?

 

I couldn't imagine Lord Krishna consenting to be stripped naked, whipped, mocked, dragged through the streets and, to top it off, crucified and at the hands of a mere human to boot.  I'd never heard of a God dying.  Matter fell away, but divinity should not be blighted by death.  It's wrong!  Was it a fake?  Was He just shamming?  Was His death real?  

 

Father Martin assured me that it was.  But once a dead God; always a dead God, I assumed.  Even resurrected, the Son must have the taste of death forever in His mouth.  There must be a certain stench even at the right hand of God the Father.  The horror must be real.  Why would God wish that upon Himself?  Why not leave death to mortals?  Why make dirty what is beautiful?  Why spoil what is perfect? 

 

Love -- that was Father Martin's answer."

 

Champions, have a great summer!-David Vining