the most recent
conversation i've had, in my favorite (only) "coffee corner" in my
favorite (only) local bookstore was with a kind Muslim of the non-creeper
variety. he's got double handful of
mixed up beliefs about Jesus and the Bible, but for a Muslim he's less mixed up
than i originally gave him credit for.
his pseudonym is
"Arnav" simply because a Google searched website said it was the #1
Indian boy name last year. and it has a nice
ring to it, doesn't it?
of course, with
these two faiths side by side sipping cappuccinos, the hinge of the whole 2.5
hour chat was Jesus, His death and resurrection, and hell. Arnav's belief of "hell" is much more
like the concept of purgatory, a time of penance for wrong beliefs and actions
before eventual release to heaven, where he says all souls and spiritual beings
will someday find themselves. if God is
loving, he claims, then He could never condemn someone to Hell, even for the
worst of crimes. to make his point, he
told me his favorite mini parable, retold here:
two men are sitting
by a fire discussing eternity as a woman walks by with her child. the first man
asks the second if that mother could ever find it in herself to push her child
into the flames. the second immediately
rejects the thought of something to repulsive.
the first man replies, "neither could God ever throw one of His
children into hell."
short. sweet. persuasive.
i'm still not good
at finding the right words quickly to respond, and it took me a couple days to
figure out what about that bothered me so much.
because what he said was
true. God does love His children beyond what
we can fathom.
but it's what he didn't say- that's the catch.
God loves His
children. we'll put that as a fact right
here.
God does not chuck
His children into eternal fires, just like that mother wouldn't throw her kid
into that fire.
if i were the woman
walking by the fire, i would put down my basket, take the kid's hand and march
right up to Guy #1 and tell him something. firmly.
i would tell him
never to question the love of a true mother for her kid. never. just don't do
it. but i would also tell him to NEVER,
EVER QUESTION WHAT I WOULD DO IF
ANYTHING THREATENED THAT CHILD. you had
better believe if some football-player type jerk walked up with a knife, or
even just a perverted look on his face directed at my kid, i would TAKE HIM
OUT. i would beat the ever-lovin' snot
out of him, and i would fight him all the way into the fire until the threat was
eliminated. i would not take his hand
and hold it in the heat for a minute, ask him nicely if he had learned his
lesson, and then let him walk away. i'm
sorry, but there is no Purgatory for that one.
animals from every
Kingdom, Phylum, Class and Order have representatives that are naturally
endowed with a maternal instinct, a self-sacrificial, immediate, natural,
thoughtless, response to a threat to her offspring.
any intelligent
human who has gone on a hike ever, knows there are a few key rules: bug spray,
how to ID poison ivy, bring a map and a buddy, and FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, IF YOU SEE A BEAR CUB YOU RUN LIKE HECK IN THE OTHER
DIRECTION.
the wrath of a
mother bear is not a force to be reckoned with, but a force you hope to never
face down, because between Mama Bear and Iron Man…. i'm putting money on Mama
Bear.
in response to my
friendly Muslim's parable, i put forth my own (well, someone else's). it's the story of Taken.
this movie,
featuring Liam Neeson, is the story of just how far a father will go to get his
kidnapped child back. let me tell you, it's pretty freakin' far. when he overhears the kidnappers take off
with his kid and then challenge him from a continent away, his response sends
shudders up the backs of the movie viewers-
i don't know who you are. i don't know what you
want. if you are looking for a ransom, i
can tell you i don't have money. what i
do have are a very particular set of skills. skills i've acquired over a very
long career...if you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. i will not look for you. i will not pursue
you.
but if you don't, i will look for you.
and i will find you.
and i will kill you.
then he proceeds, in
a very Liam Neeson-like manner, to blast through buildings, vehicles, boats,
parties, meetings, gangs, construction sites, hooker-houses, and homes until he
arrives face to face with the last man standing between him and his daughter.
all the other
challengers are dead.
i don't know what
foolishness made that idiot stand and put a knife to the girl's throat.
but he died, too.
what i love about
this movie is that there is absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind while watching
this movie that Neeson WILL succeed. and
there is no pity for the evildoers. nothing
but righteous indignation for Liam as he fulfills his promise with firmness,
dexterity, and a fair amount of cussing (he's pretty ticked…).
what i love even
more is that later on in his career, Liam would also go on to become the new
voice of Aslan, the Lion King of Narnia.
especially this
Easter weekend, as Christians around the world celebrate the best holiday ever,
we see the real story put before us that Narnia is the parable OF.
the story of just how far a parent will go to rescue
his child.
the story of a
child, taken from his parent, trapped, ensnared, lost, hopeless, tired,
starving, wretched, weak, alone and on the brink of death and eternal
damnation-
...waiting
...silence..
...nothing-
then!!
-who is suddenly,
miraculously, completely, eternally, firmly, loudly, always-and-forever saved,
redeemed, snatched from the clutches of evil and brought away from the danger
of the flame and instead placed in a soft green meadow to rest while the Parent
"deals with" the threat.
there's "that
moment" in The Lion, The Witch and the
Wardrobe - what a great moment!-
when you can just about hear Aslan's voice echoing from that dusty
wardrobe- "GET YOUR HAND OFF MY KID, YOU EVIL WITCH!!!"
i heard it again
even tonight, as i was listening to part of the Maundy Thursday service. this service traces Jesus' journey from the
Last Supper, through that dinner, the betrayal, His earnest prayer to not
suffer what He was about to suffer, His friends leaving Him alone and denying
Him, His betrayer approaching and handing Him off to soldiers, His mocking and
beatings, the Cross, the one-way trip up a small hill outside the city where
people dumped their trash…
at each step, you're watching, knowing that your soul
is hanging in the balance- either He takes the punishment… or you do.
at each step, you're hearing it thinking- "oh
snap… He's gonna quit. i'm not worth
that."
and at each step, He says, "yes you are."
and He takes another step.
you want to know how far a parent will go to get His
kid back?
the answer is "to hell and back."
He took that Cross, He went through Hell and He came
back.
i know there's an
eternal Hell where souls go forever.
i know because it's
technically where i belong.
i know because it's
also where He went so that i wouldn't.
...and since He's
the only one who's done that, i'm going to take His authoritative word on the
subject.
Hell is there to
show both His eternal love for His children that He saves from judgement, and
eternal justice for those who willfully despise
Him and His sacrifice, reject His offer of forgiveness and mercy without
price and instead choose to bear their own crosses to Hell...only they can't
come back.
hard to hear if you
think you're Iron Man, but if you're the cub standing behind Aslan the
Protector, it's the most blessed and peaceful message.
if you are horrified
by the idea of Hell, it's probably because you're in your metal outfit and
think you're safe- but you question that force in front of you.
this is a good
thing. definitely question that force.
...then admit
defeat. you cannot win. give up now- please.
but Aslan is roaring
for you, too. He defeated the evil
forever, not just for Eustace, but for you, too. He challenged Hell and soundly defeated it in
a showdown that reverberated throughout all the realms of nature even to the
supernatural heights. the sun forgot to
shine, fabric fell apart, rocks shuddered under people's feet, and dead people
forgot they were supposed to stay in their graves and NOT go running through
the streets on Passover effectively making everyone they shook hands with
"unclean" according to the religious law of the day. yes, there is SO much irony there. the people of faith were forever cleansed
from sin, while the people of the written law were yapping about ceremonial
uncleanness because their great-great uncle just touched them while wearing
graveclothes.
to my Muslim friend
Arnav, i hope he hears Aslan's roar someday, and comes to know personally the
Eternal Living God who calls to him as a parent calls a child home for dinner,
and who his children refer to as "Abba." the Father you may never have known in this
life is waiting for you to come home to Him.
He can take your Hell- He's been there and won. let Him take it, and give you in exchange a
white robe and peace under His loving, watchful eye where no threat stands a
chance. His victory roar is also His
promise.
i hope you hear it,
too.
it's beautiful roar, as long as it's for you.
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