I’ve heard Christians present the work Jesus did on the cross as follows. Imagine you’ve been convicted of some crime, let’s say rape. You go to court and the Judge finds you guilty and gives you life in prison. Then all of a sudden, this person (who happens to be God) named Jesus jumps into the room and says, “I’ll serve the time for this guilty man. Let him go free.” Jesus pays the price, and the guilty man goes away with his guilt wiped away and he is supposed to be so grateful for what Jesus has done for him that he follows him with joy for the rest of his life, never raping again. Of course, if he does happen to rape again (which we’re told is likely to happen), Jesus will be there again to pay the penalty.
I find this a perfectly horrific picture of a God. To be fair, I don’t think the people who use this “paid the price” analogy really mean exactly this, but that’s what it appears to me to boil down to.
What good has this done? Is the rapist any better off? Is the judge satisfied? What about the girl he raped?
I hope it’s obvious that any just judge would not allow such a simple substitution. I hope it’s clear that this “mercy” on the guilty man will probably do him more harm than good. I most certainly hope it is clear that the rape victim is still a rape victim.The rapist is guilty of rape, not life in prison. The guilt of the rapist is that he has violated and abused an innocent girl. If the man goes away satisfied that the “price has been paid” because Jesus is serving his time, then this man has no concept of what he has actually done, he has no love for God or for the girl he raped. He has no remorse, and any god that comes down and “lets him off the hook” is an unjust, horrible god.
Let’s try to fix up the picture a bit, though it is not a perfect analogy for Christ’s work on the cross.
We have the same situation of rapist, judge (who is God, btw) and victim. The verdict is guilty but the sentence is to right the wrong that has been done. “How can I do that?” asks the rapist. “That is impossible.” Perhaps the judge answers “You must labor until you can pay your debts. You have a debt and you must pay.” Now the state of the rapist is one of desperation with the true price of his sin before him. I hope his desperation comes from knowing the poor girl he raped can never be made whole rather than that he will never be able to pay his debts.
This time Jesus enters and says “My beloved rapist.” “You have committed a great crime and justice must be served. Yet I know your helplessness and I have heard your cries and have had mercy on you.” To the girl he turns and makes her whole. He restores her to a state of innocence as pure as before the horrible rape. We cannot pictures this, but God can and will redeem all things. Then Jesus turns to the rapist and gives him a new name. “You are no longer a rapist. You are a son of God. Go, follow the Lord with all your heart and no longer take from others that which you cannot repay!”
What joy for the rapist! His victim is HEALED! What joy for this son of God, he now serves a just, merciful, loving God! What joy for this son of God, he is free from his impossible, eternal burden and is now free to do good work for his Lord. What joy for this son of God, he serves a God who knows the human condition and is ever there to help him towards what is good, what is holy, and what is beautiful.
This is not the whole picture, nor is it a perfect analogy, but it fits the salvation story much better than the first.
All praise to our just, merciful, loving God! AMEN!
