Green Wood

"For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Luke 23:31

Have you noticed this verse before? Jesus says this to the weeping crowds while walking toward the scene of his murder. I have never noticed this sentence before as it has gotten lost, for me, in the paragraph of Jesus' response to the crowds and about his death. And unfortunately, His words are words which I too often read without taking into my spirit or marinating my soul.

So I paused to make note of this sentence, and I looked it up in my study bible as to understand it more correctly. I figured it meant, "if they do this when the Son of God is here, what more will they do when he is not." The study bible has a different explanation, however, and one that I find deeper. They say Jesus is saying "if God will allow His son, sinless green wood, to be crucified for your sin, what more will be your punishment or payment for it (because you are dry wood....not sinless....not the Son of God)." 

Understanding this small sentence this way gives it much, much more weight. Jesus says the crowd should pity itself b/c of the wrath to come from the Romans on the people, a sinful nation. And I look around at the world we live in, and I see evil everywhere. I see suffering and pain everywhere...and I see myself with bloody hands in the middle of the sin and corruption...I see consequences of man's sin...of man's choice...of my choice and my parent's choices. I see a world nearing the end of it's time and wars and rumors of wars and natural disasters...I see what Jesus means.

But, because the green wood was nailed to a cross, hung, bled, and died, God's wrath toward me has been satisfied. I could do nothing to satisfy it myself. I could not be good enough or obey or sin so little that it could satisfy the raging wrath caused by my sin and disobedience. God had to kill the sinless, spotless, lamb, slain on a cross, pouring salvific blood from his side. I can't imagine it. 

I am sorry my God. I want to obey you today, in all things you ask, even when they are hard and contrary to my nature. I want to obey you because of what you have done for me, because I appreciate and am filled with thankfulness toward You...and I am broken. I am broken that my own thanks and praise cannot truly restore to You the glory You deserve or express the appreciation You deserve. 

So I've already thought of a few things that I know God would have me to do today- ways He wants me to love some specific people...yet I would rather just be rude to them. But I won't today- I promise...so much as I am able by the Spirit's strength. I will show them love and bite my tongue and recall what Jesus Christ has done for me. It is not fair that the Son of God should die- Grace is not fair in the least. 

I hope everyone recalls that today....we call this 'good' Friday...and how right that is. For our God is not a safe God...He allows even green wood to be killed. But, He is a good God. For through the death of green wood, we see a deeper glimpse of what kindness and love and mercy sits juxtaposed in the character of our Creator...that while His wrath and judgement is expressed so harshly and powerfully upon His own Son, His sparing grace and loving kindness is shed abroad to us, shed abroad and cast so richly upon the driest of all wood, the wood of the sinful race of Adam.