It made God sound like a psychopath

I still can’t quite believe what I’ve just read here. Dr Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans, speaking on the BBC…

“Well, I don’t know about you, but even at the age of ten I thought this explanation was pretty repulsive as well as nonsensical. What sort of God was this, getting so angry with the world and the people he created, and then, to calm himself down, demanding the blood of his own Son? And anyway, why should God forgive us through punishing somebody else? It was worse than illogical, it was insane. It made God sound like a psychopath. If any human being behaved like this we’d say they were a monster.

Well, I haven’t changed my mind since. That explanation of the cross just doesn’t work, though sadly it’s one that’s still all too often preached. It just doesn’t make sense to talk about a nice Jesus down here, placating the wrath of a nasty, angry Father God in heaven. Christians believe Jesus is God incarnate. As he said, ‘Whoever sees me has seen the Father’. Jesus is what God is: he is the one who shows us God’s nature. And the most basic truth about God’s nature is that He is Love, not wrath and punishment.”

So the mystery of the Cross sounds insane, does it? I think Scripture tells us that’s what it’s supposed to do.

“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:22-24

When will those who are supposed to be leading Christ’s church return to His Word? And preach the message of Christ crucified with all the unpalatable truths that come with it.

This week I heard a story of someone who told a friend, “Why shouldn’t we have a nice home. We’re doing the Lord’s work. We deserve it”. Oh the danger of attempting to claim from God what we ‘deserve’ when the Bible makes it clear that we really don’t want that. What we need is categorically what we do NOT deserve, and we can only have that because of the Cross and because of Christ’s sacrifice.

Does it make sense? Not really.
Should it? I refer you again to 1 Corinthians 1.

Happy Easter.