MondayMatters Lent: Day 37 And Then You Die
Isaiah 53:7-10
I have good news and bad news. The bad news first. This is a very busy morning. It’s Thursday morning, so I have my weekly men’s Bible study, usually 20-25 guys that meet at 6am every Thursday. We have been studying the lives of the disciples for the last 10 weeks or so, today Matthew.
The difference today is that I am in Newnan, GA. Doris and I are keeping Caleb and Amos while their parents travel. Jacob called in January and said, “Dad, what are you doing near the end of March? I’m thinking of going to Argentina.” I said excitedly, “That’s awesome. I’m not doing anything.” To which he replied, “Good. Will you come keep the boys while Allison and I are gone?” 
That means in just a little while, I will be getting them up, getting them ready, and then taking them to school. It doesn’t take long. They live 15 minutes from the school, but it makes for a busy morning: Bible study via ZOOM, boys to school.
That means in just a little while, I will be getting them up, getting them ready, and then taking them to school. It doesn’t take long. They live 15 minutes from the school, but it makes for a busy morning: Bible study via ZOOM, boys to school.The good news is, for you, a very short Lenten devotional today. Just a story and then a thought.
I had a minor accident in our house the day before we came down here. Nothing serious, bumped my head on a piece of furniture, and got a little cut to my forehead. When we arrived in Newnan, Amos, who is 3 1/2, saw the cut first thing and asked me about it. I told him the story. He asked, very tenderly, if it hurt. I tried to seem tough, so I said no. Then he asked if it would leave a scar. I was moved by his thoughtfulness and concern for me. I tried to seem tough, so I said yes. Amos pondered that for a minute then he asked one more question.
“How old are you PoppyC?”
Too late to seem tough, so I said, “72.”
He had it all figured out. “Well, you will die soon and go to heaven, so your scar will go away!”
There you go. That’s pretty much the solution to everything. Taxes too high? Well, you’ll die soon. Weather messed up? Well, you’ll die soon. Not invited to go to Argentina? Well, you’ll die soon. Seems to me that dying soon fixes about everything.
The reading today from my prayer book is Isaiah 53:7-10. We are starting to turn our face toward Holy Week and the Passion of Christ. Isaiah did that 700 years before Jesus. He points us in that direction by saying in vs 7, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open his mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter…” What follows is a pretty unmistakable description of what would happen to Jesus 7 centuries later. It’s hard. It’s sad. It’s painful. But it fixes everything.
Verse 10 says, “The Lord (God) makes His (Jesus) life an offering for sin.” There you go. Simple thought for today. Jesus dies and that fixes everything. Well, because He rose again. And because we believe that. And therefore we celebrate it. But still, die and fix it all. Amos was right.
He comforted me by adding, “And, PoppyC, you will get to see Jesus.”