15th April, 2022 (Easter weekend)
It was us who killed him.
Not God.
God did not require the death of Jesus.
No wonder domestic abuse is rife in our churches.
If the church is the Bride we turn the Bridegroom into an abusive husband.
We portray God as abusive so is it any wonder we condone, commit or expect abuse?
Because, according to some of what we will hear this weekend God says:
“You’re not good enough for me to love you”
“You’re lucky I haven’t wiped you off the face of the earth”
“You’re an abomination in my sight”
“I can’t bear to look at you”
Then, like an abusive husband he gives us a whole list of hoops to jump through to earn his love, a whole list of unfollowable rules, ways we can fail and earn punishment.
“Don’t wear mixed fibres”
“Don’t be gay”
“Don’t think normal sexual thoughts”
“Don’t be female”
“Eugh Don’t bleed there, go and sit on a haystack”
“Don’t eat shellfish”
“Don’t grow two kinds of flowers in your garden”
“Don’t dig in the butter”
Okay the last one was my ex-husband, not God, but you get the picture
Then when we inevitably fail the unreasonable ever-changing rules someone has to die.
Because we’re not allowed to be human, imperfect. And when we do there’s a massively out of proportion punishment wating for us- “stone your children” “chop off your wives hands” “nope, not good enough, someone needs to die” and just in case that’s not extreme enough God invents hell, eternal torture for not living up to the expectation of perfection.
But it’s okay, because God is going to get human beings to sin, and torture and kill his OWN SON to save us from his wrath. And then you’ll always be reminded that it’s your fault he did that because you weren’t good enough.
And that’s how divine justice works.
Through violence and abuse and shame and guilt.
Our Divine Abusive Husband.
No Thanks. I’ve had one of those before, I certainly don’t want an almighty omnipotent one!
But here’s the good news:
It’s all bullshit!
God is not an abusive husband. God hates violence, he hates bloodshed. He did not require a sacrificial lamb, in fact the bible says
“I don’t want your sacrifices- I want your love; I don’t want your offerings, I want you to know me” (Hosea 6:6)
“I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me who has asked this of you?” (Isaiah 1:11-12)
God does not require bloodshed, violence or killing, he abhors it.
God did not kill Jesus. Humans did. Of their own volition.
God did not send Jesus to die. God did not want Jesus to die.
He only wants your love. That is all.
Just your love.
