For me, one of the most moving scenes in The Passion of the Christ is when Christ stumbles under the weight of the cross and his mother runs up to embrace him. Mary is caught out of time and remembers her baby boy stumbling and scraping his hands and knees. Now, covered in blood, Jesus looks at her and says, "See, Mother, I make all things new."
It never even happened.
And while the scene is extra-biblical, the story is true. This man, who only yesterday was a child, is being led to a cruel death on a cross. And in doing so, he is making all things new. He is establishing his kingdom.
The heart of God is reflected in his desire to make all things new. New heavens, a new earth, and new people. A new creation.
We have a tendency to believe that God re-creates because God believes the old is garbage. But that's absolutely wrong. The old is suffering under the weight of sin. So he recreates it. He makes it new. He removes the curse. He redeems the world because he loves it.
Re-creation has nothing to do with the old's worthlessness, but rather with its irreplaceable worth. We fix old things to make them like-new because of our affections for them. We invest in the old. We spend time with it. We artistically restore it like a classic car, restored beautifully to life. The old is not replaced with the next best thing. The old is made new because there is nothing better.
God loves this world. And, in his love for us, he has called us to participate in redemption, in re-creation, in making all things new.
4 comments:
Perfectly said.
The part you mentioned from the movie is the scene that I most remember; it struck me the hardest, even more than the graphic, realistic violence of the film.
The picture of Avery is simple and beautiful.
I refused to see that film, even now. Not because of the violence or the fact that it was Mad Max's foray into the religious arts, but because I resisted the way evangelicals used it as a cure-all tool and point of conversation and conversion as though it were manna from heaven. And the story is the story, why does anyone need to add to it?
There, my little rant. That being said, Avery is gorgeous and you are a fabulous writer, and yes -- He did make all things new.
Love the bit about restoring an old car because of its intrinsic value. Thanks for making an old truth new for me today. Beautiful photo.
I love that picture of Avery too. She's awfully sweet. Here. : )
Meg, rant away. I understand. And even if I didn't, I'd still listen.
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