The Voyaging Storyteller

Imagine a person who’s so strong that they’ve never gotten sick. Ever. In fact, they are probably the only person in human history that has never gotten sick. One fateful day, this person catches a deadly virus that wrecks agonizing havoc on their body before it kills them.

Now imagine a day far in the future. People all around the world are wearing necklaces with virus pendants. They decorate their homes with sculptures and carvings of viruses. They sing songs, happy songs, about the power of viruses.

Shocking, sickening, and horrifying, right? Something that would never happen?

Well guess what. It actually happened.

For those of you wondering if I’m living in an alternate reality, fear not. That was an analogy for the greatest event in human history.

Not the discovery of gravity.

Not the making of books available to common folk.

Not even the invention of air conditioning.

No, the greatest event in human history was when Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins.

In all likelihood, that sentence flew over your head. It’s so common, repeated so often, that it has lost its horror, lost its startling element of surprise, lost its oomph. Besides, when was the last time you’ve seen crosses lining the roads with dead crucified criminals rotting on them as a sickening warning not to go against the Roman Empire? Never (unless you’re living in an alternate reality.) Now, when was the last time you’ve felt the effects of viruses, be it getting sick yourself or seeing others around you getting it or being quarantined because of it?

Yesterday. Today. Probably tomorrow. And the day after that.

Thus my analogy.

Images from Google

Crucifixion was just as horrifying to people two thousand years ago as contracting a deadly virus (like the coronavirus) is today, if not more horrifying. It was a public, incredibly excruciating experience that could last up to several days until eventual death by, ultimately, suffocation (you can look it up if you want to know the finer details.) Victims of the coronavirus, in addition to other painful sensations, also feel like they’re suffocating (again, I won’t get far into this because other experts are better able to describe it than I am.)

For the people back in the first century, wearing a crucifix on a necklace or seeing it hung up in homes would be shocking and unheard of, just like casually wearing virus shaped jewelry is today.

But how did it happen, you ask, when the cross was a symbol of pain and humiliation and death?

The answer is simple. Because God has the mighty power to turn something evil into something good. More than good. Life-saving.

Crucifixion (unlike the coronavirus, which could happen to anybody) was for criminals. Death is the price for sin. Jesus wasn’t a criminal, and he never sinned. Then why did he die?

Simple answer. Because He loves us. He died for us, for you, for me. He took our place, suffered and died that horrible death that we deserve, and payed the price for our sins. We are no longer in debt to death, no longer slaves. If we believe in Jesus’ sacrifice, we can now live forever as God’s children.

The pain of Jesus’ death, however, would’ve been for nothing, absolutely nothing, if he’d stayed dead. But he didn’t. After three days, Jesus conquered death and rose back to life.

That’s why the cross is now a symbol of the power and love of God to us. It’s a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice and willingness to suffer the penalty for sins He never committed. It’s a sign of hope that Jesus will always be there for us. No matter how tough life gets for us, no matter when we die one day, if we believe in that sacrifice and how God raised Jesus from the dead, we will live forever with Him.

God turned the cross from something evil into something good, and he can do the same for anything else, including viruses. My young mortal self alone can see many wonderful things that have come out of this storm. The extra time in quarantine allows busy families to spend time together, provides a chance to slow down and think about what truly matters in life, and makes us appreciate things we previously took for granted.

There are probably many more good things happening right now despite this evil time that I can’t think of, all because of God’s love and sacrifice for us.

That’s why, regardless of how painful and terrible the cross was, today, on this Easter Sunday, we celebrate.

He is Risen!