"The things we have done wrong seemed, or mostly seemed, small at the time. The word of encouragement withheld, the touch of kindness not given, the visit not made, the trust betrayed, the cutting remark so clever and so cruel, the illicit sexual desire so generously entertained, the angry answer, the surge of resentment at being slighted, the lie we thought would do no harm. It is such a long and tedious list of little things. Surely not too much should be made of it, we thought to ourselves. But now it has come to this. It has come to the cross. All the trespasses of all the people of all time have gravitated here, to the killing grounds of Calvary."
-Richard John Neuhas
Our sin is serious, and if we deny that, we deny the plain truth of history. Look, sin was serious enough to kill Christ. It grieved Him so much that He gave His life for its defeat. Don't deceive yourself into downplaying your own faults; God died because of them, and God doesn't make pointless, melodramatic gestures. He had to die. It really was that bad.
Resurrection comes later . . . hope and forgiveness comes later . . . but for now, just think about your own complicity in Christ's agony, and acknowledge the shame that is rightfully yours. Mine. Ours, as members of the treacherous human race.
Talk about inducements to humility.
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