Now I don't want to get off on a rant here...

Echoes of Sin

Megan

A twelve year old girl bashfully walks into the room and sinks down into the big red stuffed chair in the corner. Just from the anxious look on her face it is clear that she is weighed down by life and is facing some hard times. She hasn’t known where to turn for awhile now; with her mother’s neglect and her father’s abuse. Trapped in a life of hurt, pain and suffering, Megan turns towards the only relief she believes is possible. At this young age she decides it would better to end her life than continue to deal with it all.

Betty

A seventy-eight year old woman lays in bed, unable to speak or eat. The stroke Betty suffered over a month ago left the muscles in her throat unable to work. She is barely able to communicate now because the lack of nourishment has left her so weak. Before she was unable to do so, she did communicate to her daughter and the doctors that she wanted to die. Slowly the life has drained out of her and several times it appeared her life’s journey was at an end, yet she is still hanging onto the thin strands of life she has left.

Why does death confront us all no matter how old we are? Why does it shake our core and beacon us forward at the same time? Socrates tells us that the fear of death is foolish because of our ignorance veils our eyes to its realties which could be quite pleasant. He relies on the fact that the truly wise man knows that he is not wise. While there exists certain wisdom here, does this offer up anything more than an agnostic view of the world?

Death, aging, destruction, war, strife, etc, etc these are all reminders to us of sin and the falleness of mankind. It is unavoidable. Inescapable. All of us will face death one day and some of us will face it today. Where do you turn? Megan and Betty invite death to come because they believe that the pain of this world is more than they can bear. Perhaps like Socrates they plead ignorance and are hopeful for something better.

The echoes of sin and the teaching of Scripture share with us a different story. It is in Jesus Christ alone that we find the hope and assurance of everlasting life. His sacrifice on the cross took all the echoes of sin that resonate in the believer’s life upon himself and abolished them forever. And so it is this very cross that Megan, Betty and all must cling; in order that, their hope of a joyful everlasting life would come true. The apostle John wrote, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). So let death beacon you forward, but let it only be death to yourself so that you might have life in Jesus Christ.

Posted by price at April 28, 2006 12:08 PM | TrackBack