A retelling of a story from Chronicles

So there was a king of a great nation. He sinned through a prideful trust in his country rather than in God. But he acknowledged his sin and repented, coming before the Lord and saying, "Take away the iniquity of your servant."

But it was still a very serious sin. The Lord said, "I give you three choices: 3 years of famine, 3 months of the sword by the hand of your enemies, or 3 days of the sword by the hand of the angel of the Lord."

And the king said, "Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man."

But it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

And so the angel of the Lord swept through the land, killing tens of thousands. He came to the very capital itself, the city of the king, with his sword in hand to destroy it. But the Lord relented, and said, "It is enough; now restrain your hand."

The king lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with a sword in his hand stretched over the city. Terrified, the king and his nobles put on sackcloth and fell on their faces.

The king again came before the Lord, this time saying, "I am the one who sinned! These sheep, what have they done? Let your hand be against me and my father's house, but not against your people." And the angel of the Lord commanded the king to build an altar in that place.

The king sought to buy the land to build an altar. The man who owned the land said, "Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, all that I have is yours -- I give it all."

But the king said, "No, I will not take what it yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing." And so the king bought the land and built an altar and brought offerings. And fire from heaven came down and consumed the offerings. And at last the angel of the Lord sheathed his sword.

But the king never went to this altar, to inquire of the Lord, so great was his fear of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

Contemplations in the tomb

I find myself back in Jerusalem, just in time to see him carried off by the Arimathean, wrapped in linen. After the tumult of the crowd, the tumult of the sky, and the tumult of the earth, it is quiet. I follow the sheeted figure into the tomb, they wrap the body, and now I have time to reflect. He lies there, patiently waiting to finish his work on earth and be lifted up to heaven.

But wait, he said, "it is finished" while lifted high on the cross. How can that be? I know what is still to come on Sunday morning. How can he say "it is finished" before the resurrection? Then again, it would seem that the words were not spoken to men, but to God -- did not he do what God sent him to do? And then the resurrection will be a sign to men, to show what has already been "finished".

In the hearts of men, it's almost finished. Just some odds and ends. The women prepare oils to anoint Jesus. Pilate is sending guards to the tomb. The story of Jesus was interesting, but it's over now, right?

And what would the Jews say about this last Sabbath? Just like any other Sabbath, it's a day of resting from labors. Instituted in the very founding of Israel, the Sabbath reminds them of their rest in the Garden before Adam fell. It reminds them of what they once had. It reminds them of the curse over work, from which they need relief. This particular Sabbath interrupts their labors, and they must wait to finish their tasks, and wait to resume their "regular" lives.

But this Sabbath will never end, will it? The women will come to finish burying Jesus' body, to deal with the curse of death. The Eleven will go out to resume their previous lives, to be under curse of work. Everyone will be under the curses that come from the Law. But they will find that with regards to the curse, it has been finished indeed.

And as I sit here, in the dimly lit tomb, it occurs to me that God has been working this work for a long, long time. And I see him here now, resting on the seventh day.

A personal reading and interpretation of Psalm 86

Condescend to hear me, Lord,
     for I lack so many things.
Preserve my life,
     for I am set apart for you -- you are my God.
Save your servant who trusts in you!
Show mercy to me, Lord,
     for I cry aloud to you all day long.
Make glad the soul of your servant,
     for I lift up my soul to you.

For you, Lord, are good.
For you, Lord, are ready to forgive.
For you, Lord, are rich in mercy to all who call upon you.

Give ear, Lord, to my prayer,
     and listen to my petitions.
     In the day of my distress I will call to you,
for you will answer me.

Among the great powers there is none like you, Lord, nor are any works like yours.
All nations -- whom you have made! -- shall come and worship in your presence, Lord,
And shall call your name glorious!
For you are powerful, and do incredible things -- you alone are God!

Show me your path, Lord -- I will walk in your truth.
Make my heart unified, to fear your name.

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with my entire heart,
     and I will glorify your name forever!
For you have been merciful to me,
     and you have brought out my soul from deep subterranean darkness.

O God, prideful thoughts have risen within me,
     and a host of destructive sins have sought to destroy me -- they do not consider you!
But you, Lord, are a God full of compassion, and full of grace,
     long-suffering and overflowing in mercy and truth.

Turn to me and have mercy on me!
Give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant.
Show me a sign of your goodwill towards me, so that I would be ashamed of my rebellious thoughts,
     because you, Lord, have have helped me and comforted me!

Mutual edification -- a debate

Christ says:

Encourage one another in the Lord, bear each other's burdens, confess sin to each other.

The Accuser says:

Who are you to speak words of encouragement? Hypocrite! You know struggles and discouragement as much or even more so than they. "Physician, heal thyself."

Christ replies:

God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, so that no human being might boast in His presence. "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

The Accuser says:

You don't really know them very well. Every man is an island, after all. Do they LOOK like they need your help? Their lives are probably fine without your help.

Christ replies:

All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. 

Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "Surely we did not know this," does not he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

The purpose of a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.

The Accuser says:

Tellings others of your struggles or your sin just burdens them AND you.

Christ replies:

Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

Two are better than one, for they have a good return on their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

The Accuser says:

 They will misuse the information and embarrass you or think less of you, or will avoid talking with you.

Christ replies:

In humility count others more significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the to the interests of others. Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant. He humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. 

Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.