Lent Reflections: He Could Not Save Himself

Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, "Ahah! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!" In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes were also mocking him among themselves and saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself..." -- Mark 15: 29-31 

People say life is all about perspective (especially post modernists, but we'll forgo that here)... hundreds of years ago, nay thousands to some, astronomers began what we now consider the geocentric model of the universe, also known as, everything-revolves-around-the-earth model. Contrary to popular belief, this did not put the earth in the most important position in the solar system (as we now think). No, the most sinful, basest part of the universe was the centre and the universe grew in glory and splendour as it receded away from the earth. Somehow we've switched it around in our popular culture, so that the centre is obviously the most important. As the planets extended out towards the ether, the solid substance in which the stars hung, much like an upside down bowl full of clear jelly and tiny embers, they became more glorious.

Because, when we look at something, the starting point is always ourselves. The distance from our eyes to this thing gives us our perspective, and the scale of things on the earth, our simple perspective, determines how we "see" everything else around us.

When I think about it, it seems so selfish and also completely natural that these scientists (such as Ptolemy) started charting the night sky and used their eyes as the starting point. Of course everything revolves around us...

Sooner or later religion got involved, adopting the geocentric model and adding some biblical here or there to it... But the problem with claiming you are the only religious authority on everything is that when scientific or other developments come along, it's really difficult to show your ass in public and admit you've been wrong.

So as the instruments and mathematics used to observe stars became more sophisticated, the formulas and theories to explain the movements of the heavens became very intense and involved and made nearly no sense.

Galileo tried to change all this mess into a simple (and correct) model by changing his perspective. Thinking that earth (read "we") was the centre caused too many problems. Saying we were the grossest most foul thing in the universe doesn't work. Nor does saying we are the most important. Nor does assuming that life from where we are standing is the only true thing in life.

Because like the geocentric model, when I only try to see things from where I am, life gets so confusing and complicated and still doesn't work, that something else has to rip me out of my own eyesight... I need new perspective, a heavenly perspective.

Sometimes these glimpses outside of ourselves of a heavenly perspective are given to us... things that might not make sense, but are visions of the future, things that may not seem nice, but are important parts of God's plan.

The people of Jerusalem couldn't see that Jesus was saving everyone by sacrificing himself. They couldn't see that he had destroyed the temple, the kingdom of God, the body of Christ, by his death, and he rebuilt the unseen temple in three days, redeeming us, rebirthing us, giving us the ability, through him to be wholly alive and free.

They couldn't see that he could save himself, he just didn't fear death. He could save himself, but something else was more important. In this model of the universe, God's glory is the centre, everything swirling around it in tumultuous splendour, and in the flames we can either bask or burn.