What if brokenness was a blessing?
We don’t like things to be broken. We don’t like when our cars are broken, our
dishes are broken, and our homes broken into.
Even more severe is a broken heart.
Brokenness in most cases is seen as entirely unpleasant
and decidedly “not good”. This is
true. We don’t like brokenness and to be
honest, in most cases, neither does God. He is the Restorer, the Mender, the Fixer.
The irony is that only things that are broken can
actually be restored, mended, and fixed.
That is why in God’s economy He makes one allowance: the brokenness of
His Son.
Consider three things
that were broken on the night of Jesus' crucifixion: 1) His body, 2) The
curtain of the temple, 3) The curse of sin!
Mark
15:29-39 (NLT)
29 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in
mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to
destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days.
30 Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
31 The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked
Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself!
32 Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross
so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus
ridiculed him.
33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.
34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which
means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling
for the prophet Elijah.
36 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up
to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether
Elijah comes to take him down!”
37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last.
38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two,
from top to bottom.
39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died,
he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
God knows that without the death of His Son Jesus
Christ, the chasm that separates him from his beloved people would remain.
God knows that without the brokenness of His Son, the curtain in the
temple that literally served as a physical barrier between God and man would never
be eliminated. God knows that without the brokenness of His
Son, the curse of sin could not be broken nor the hard heart
softened.
So in his great love and ancient wisdom, God broke.
. .so that we might be healed.
Galatians 3:13 (NLT)
When
he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.
For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a
tree.”
14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same
blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the
promised Holy Spirit through faith.
Wholeness and true shalom is the goal.
Brokenness is the passage through which He, and likewise we, must travel to reach that goal.
Psalm
51:17 (NLT)
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject
a broken and repentant heart, O God.
How ironic.
On the road again. .. .Monday
Despite
the exhaustion we feel, we praise the Lord for another great Rock
Solid "On the Road Camp", enjoying the gems of the Northland and Far
North regions of New Zealand's North Island!
We
were well-fed with food for our bellies and nourishment for our souls.
Thank, Renate, for feeding the army each day! Mark, your spiritual
insights got us thinking about young Bible heroes who made a difference
in their world. Scottie, your relentless planning and organizing for the
camp really paid off! The rest of our leaders all worked tirelessly and
sometimes sleeplessly to pull off the camp an keep the campers safe and
happy. Thank you everyone!
