G.K. Chesterton once said regarding the upside down crucifixion of St. Peter that it “was a time when Peter saw the world as it really is: with the clouds like hills, the stars like flowers, and every man hanging by the mercy of God.”
In other words, Peter’s suffering brought perspective. That’s what suffering can do. It helps us to see the world better. A global pandemic can be revelatory, reminding us of how weak we actually are. After all, the world, the flesh, and the devil are out to destroy. Sometimes this destruction hits in the form of war, famine, addiction, and, yes, even disease and pestilence. The novelty of this virus is breaking down the “buffers” that modern conveniences, mass food production, and modern medical technology bring, which gives us perspective.
Now that our lives have come to a strange and screeching halt, what do we see? What perspective do we gain? For starters, it’s important to remember that the Coronavirus is not the primary problem. Sin is. Sin is the problem behind the problem. Perhaps you hear the word “sin” and think the term outdated. It’s not; in fact, it may be just the term we need in order to better understand our world. Cornelius Plantinga inked 200 pages just summarizing sin (and I recommend you read it), so it’s not an easy term to define, but here’s one stab: “Sin is disruption of created harmony and then resistance to divine restoration of that harmony” (Plantinga, Not the Way Its Supposed to Be, 5). The harmony of the world has been disrupted and this disruption extends even to the microscopic, including bacteria and, yes, viruses.
There's a single answer to this problem of sin: Jesus. Turn to the one and only “Mighty Fortress," Jesus Christ. He is our hope and refuge. And a new world order is being established with Christ as King. His Kingship we’re told will ripple through creation bringing everything into his submission, even rogue microbes. And when Christ’s Kingship is fully consummated, the world will be as it should. Lions will lay with lambs, toddlers will play over snake holes, tools of destruction (swords and spears) will be beat into tools of cultivation (plowshares and pruninghooks), and global flourishing will ensue.
King Jesus is exalted, seated at the right hand of the Father. He’s withholding his judgment so that we can experience his mercy and the infinite blessings of his Kingdom. We have a choice: we can turn in repentance and faith to Jesus and be swallowed up in his love or we can reject him and be swallowed up in his judgment - those are the options before us. What will you do?
