The Verse I Like to Skip

Romans 8:31-39
I turn to the eighth chapter of Romans as much as I do to any other section in the Bible. It has long been a focal point for me in my journey of faith. I find it to be so helpful in times of loss and transition that I read portions of it at most of the funerals I am honored to conduct. But at funerals I always skip verse 36 because it is there that Paul tells us, "As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered'" (Romans 8:36).

What does this verse mean? I think Paul is simply underscoring the love of Jesus Christ and its presence in our daily existence. Life can be rough, he is saying, and there are days when we may feel like animals in a slaughterhouse waiting our turn to be annihilated. Even at times like these we are surrounded by the love of our Lord and Savior. But that is likely a problem for many of us. Slaughterhouses do not sound like an environment in which love abounds, and are certainly not where we would expect a life of blessing to lead us. That's because, unlike Paul, we are taking the short view, looking at life only as a here-and-now proposition. For Paul, the love of Jesus Christ is every bit as much about eternity as it is about this morning, or next Saturday, or January 12 of next year. We look at our lives now and want to know that God is doing everything possible to keep us OUT of the slaughterhouses; Paul was speaking to people who faced persecution and famine and nakedness and peril and sword as facts of life and STILL found reason to trust God in Jesus Christ. No matter what you face in life, Paul says, the love of Jesus is there.

So maybe I should quit shying away from verse 36. Maybe I should embrace it for what it is, a statement of absolute confidence in God's love. And maybe we should all let go of the short view, seeing the here-and-now as our only reality, and instead rejoice that no matter what nothing can ever separate us from that love, now or ever.

Prayer: Lord, may we learn to trust in you grace, mercy, and love in this life and in the life to come. In Jesus' name. Amen.