God's Glory vs. Human Sin

Jim:

Psalm 84
Ever since I wrote the play “Sanctuary” based on this Psalm I have counted it among my favorites. It speaks in rich and varied metaphors about the salvation that God offers, all centered around the “sanctuary” that God offers. The fact that God’s grace is poured out, even in the face of human sin, is a theme that echoes throughout the other readings for today.

Isaiah 24:14-23
This passage deals honestly with the dichotomy between the glory of God––so potent that it practically bursts forth into creation and elicits songs of praise that ring out across the sky––and the evil and sinfulness of humanity that seem to flow unabated. Verse 16 captures this tension I think: “From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, I pine away, I pine away. Woe is me! For the treacherous deal treacherously, the treacherous deal very treacherously.” God remains sovereign, however, and neither the host of heaven nor the sun and the moon will not be immune to God’s judgment when the time arrives.

1 Peter 3:13-4:6
The way God chose to deal with the dichotomy between God’s glory and the sinfulness of humanity was through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As 1 Peter 3:18 says, “…Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” In other words, God acted to close the gap (or bridge the chasm) between God’s self and humanity, God’s sovereignty made manifest in the humiliating death that Jesus suffered, but God’s glory revealed in the light of Easter morning.

Matthew 20:17-28
Jesus foretells his suffering in the gospel reading. Verse 18 says, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death….” The fact that the religious community is counted among those who will condemn Jesus underscores the depth of human depravity that Jesus will ultimately address with his death. Still, God acts out of grace and mercy to save the lost and to offer hope to those who are languishing.