There is a lot of scrambling about with regards to the details of the Coronavirus. Some precautions are necessary and some are a little funny. I mean, why is everyone cleaning the shelves of toilet paper? Of all the things we could go crazy about is this really in the top three? If we are not careful we are going to have a sanitation crisis suffered by all those who didn't get to the store on time to go ballistic on the Charmin.
In all seriousness, the possible pandemic brings us close to the seriousness and silliness of the human craze. Yet, while so much emphasis is going towards the details of the virus and how we can protect ourselves from it this blog aims at reflecting on the deeper issues that it reveals of the human condition and how the gospel applies to it. I will offer three ways our current crisis presents an open door for the gospel of Christ to be proclaimed.
First, The Coronavirus confirms what the Bible says:
Romans 8:22-23 is ultra relevant to our day:
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
You should assume that everyone asks the bigger questions when faced with these sorts of hardships: Why? Why does there have to be Coronavirus? Why must we be subjected to a world filled with this type of sickness? The answer is sin and it has affected the physical realm of the earth and our bodies. Going back to Genesis 1-2 God has placed mankind over the earth to rule over it and subdue it. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God the earth that they were put in charge of started to rebel against them as a punishment. We call this the curse of sin.
Thus, Romans 8 tells us the earth is groaning. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, Coronavirus are all ways the earth is going into labor and experiencing the pains of universal childbirth. Our bodies are no exception. Much like the earth is affected by the virus our bodies cooperate by carrying it, getting sick and sometimes dying. Not only does Romans 8:22-23 accurately describe why the earth is the way it is it gives hope for those who are believers in Christ: redemption. Both the earth will be redeemed (New Earth) and for the believer, so will their bodies that will never again be susceptible to a virus of any kind.
Second, the Coronavirus confirms that science can never be our salvation:
There is a lot of hope placed in science. Many people believe God has played a role in human culture, almost as a vacuum, to provide a sense of hope where there was ignorance in the realm of science. However, now that we have so much information and technology and we can more or less solve humanities problems through information and right responses. Yet here we are in 2020 wiping out every grocery store of toilet paper. And why? Because science has no answers.
If this virus teaches us anything it should help us to sense how incredibly fragile we are and how vulnerable we are. Does anyone really feel confident that there isn't another virus somewhere around the corner that will be equally baffling to us and unprepared for?
Jesus doesn't hold any punches when he says that we will have tribulation in this world (John 16:33). In the same verse he offers the most realistic and hopeful rock to place under our feet. He says "take heart, I have overcome the world." In other words, Jesus doesn't falsely build the hopes of his disciples by giving them the impression that they will be able to solve all the world's problems prior to his return. Clearly, when he says that he has overcome the world he is pointing them to the hope of his resurrection and his return. There will be a day when utopia will be realized but it won't be in this lifetime and it won't be because of science.
The cultural gods have been shaken. Christians must move in and spread the hope of the unshakeable living God who created the heavens and the earth, who solves our sin problem, who overcomes death and who plans to return for his bride to be with us forevermore.
Third, the Coronavirus reveals the collective human desire for wholeness and peace:
On the one hand, empty racks of toilet paper is comical. On the other hand, it offers us important narrative that helps explain the human condition. We want security, wholeness, and peace. In other words, it is as if people are saying: "If I can't find peace in the midst of the virus I will find it by filling my barns up with ultra-soft."
By and large people feel like something is happening that is completely out of their control so they might overcompensate a bit by resorting to things they can: buying toilet paper, avoiding crowds, wiping every square millimeter with clorox wipes. There isn't anything wrong with these precautions in themselves. Yet Jesus offers some teaching that at first glance, seems upside down:
Luke 17:33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.
I don't think Jesus is suggesting that to be a real Christian we shouldn't educate ourselves on the virus and take precautions. Jesus is addressing something deeper and that is the human instinct to not want to relinquish control over our lives. Christianity is truly liberating because it completely surrenders the control and outcome of one's life in the hands of Jesus and the loving will of God. This isn't a license to be stupid, it is license to love and be liberated from fear knowing that God is always for us and God is always good.
In other words, the empty racks of toilet paper may be telling the story that, when it comes down to it, most people are mastered by fear. Too many people don't stop to consider that when they begin hoarding other people who might be vulnerable won't be able to get the supplies they need, like elderly folks. Fear makes us blind to the ways we might be acting in selfishness and makes it impossible to love. Christians have the opportunity to self-assess whether or not they are really surrendered to Christ or surrendered to fear. They also have the opportunity to invite the world around them to be surrendered to Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
In Christ,
Pastor Kevin
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