Who Carries Whom?
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities
-Isaiah 53:6-7
Michelangelo’s “Pieta” (below) is one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. This classic evokes our strong emotions from Christian and non-Christian audiences alike. One is instantly touched by Mary’s unimaginable and unenviable position in this situation. Her face reads resignation; repressed and delayed grief. Michelangelo created with incredible detail and love. Passers-by have noted his passion for centuries. Perhaps one is drawn to Jesus’ lifeless body. The figure who walked on water is completely limp and laid out. This depiction of Jesus highlights the upside down nature of His message. God himself is upheld by the virgin mother of God. Whether Mary, Michelangelo, you, or me, we all have moments where we feel like we must uphold God.
The Christian church in North America is a missionary church. As a missionary church, we are called to explain who our God is and what He is doing to others who have very different expectations of God and life. God seems so weak compared to our expectations of Empire. Self help seems to make life so hard. God can feel like a burden. We are often afraid or at a loss for words when defending God, our lives, and His church. The problem is compounded when we struggle to make sense of what God is doing in our own lives. God is so mysterious and so far off. The best we can manage is platitudes, some trust, and straight endurance. We carry the weight of God with us. The God who must be defended. The God who seems about as popular as a funeral at times. The God who seems to trap us in our sins and the sins of others. God who is at once at the heart of everything through the phrase, “In God we Trust,” yet who is unknown by many. Surely, God will crush us if we try to carry Him on our terms.
Linguistically, the Hebrew word for glory is related to the word for weight. One’s glory is literally one’s weight. One’s weight is one’s reputation. While the phrase the “glory of God” might create pictures of angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven in our minds. The phrase “glory of God” might take our minds to the words of a favorite hymn or our hearts to a time when our hearts burned within us. Nevertheless, the glory of God is God’s reputation and God wants His reputation to be the cross.
. On the cross God carries the sins of the word. On the cross God carries our weak, limp human bodies and our sly human nature. On the cross God carries the world. Isaiah writes, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” God in Jesus dosen’t just carry these things, he lifts them up for all the world to see. Isaiah also writes, “He shall be high and lifted up, and He shall be glorified.” John uses these words to describe the crucifixion of Jesus. The bloody stake of the cross waves to us like a flag signifying that God has taken up our cause. He has taken our place. He has taken away the sins of the world and the consequences of sin chief of which is death. He lifts these things out of us and the world through the cross. He wants to be known for this. Therefore, despite the somber Lenten season, we can sing with joy these ancient words from the 6th century:
“Faithful cross, true sign of triumph,
be for all the noblest tree;
none in foliage, none in blossom,
none in fruit your equal be;
symbol of the world's redemption,
for the weight that hung on thee”
-LSB 454 v.4
