5 Extraordinary Contrasts of the Gospel

Some of the world’s best stories contain astonishing contrasts. Fairy tales have given us a beauty and a beast, an ugly duckling and a beautiful swan, an innocent Little Red Riding Hood and an evil wolf.

Or what about A Tale of Two Cities? Here, Charles Dickens brought us “the best of times” and “the worst of times.” And let’s not forget the two Robert Louis Stevenson characters whose names have become synonymous with contrast: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

But did you know the gospel story is filled with extraordinary contrasts, too?

From Praise to Pain
When we gather in our churches, we love to offer our praise to God. We present everything from the often-reserved singing of hymns to the leaping, dancing, and exaltation of some portions of the reenactments of Holy Week. Here as in the gospel, the glory of “Hosanna in the highest!” quickly turns from delight to disappointment.

From commendation to crucifixion.

From praise to pain.

From Dedication to Death
The gospel shines through the book of Isaiah, so it’s no wonder we find contrasts here, too. Notice the prophet’s description of his mission: “The Lord has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens—wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught” (Isaiah 50:4).

Now, who wouldn’t admire that? That kind of dedication, that kind of willingness to give oneself over, to be a part of God’s purposes, and to bring in essence a sense of sustainment and care, to bring a word to the weary.

But look what follows almost right away: “I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheek to those who pulled out the beard. I did not hide my face from insult and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6).
And that’s exactly what we see in the gospel itself. Jesus came bringing life; joy; healing; restoration. He spoke words of incredible wisdom with a magnificent intelligence, a deep determination to follow God without turning back or shying away. He was completely committed to fulfilling the purposes of his heavenly Father.

But why did Jesus come? The Son of Man came to die. And in only a few verses, deep in the book of Isaiah, the story moves from dedication to death.

From Injustice to Courage
We live in a world of profound and gross injustice. The scripture never shies away from the worst of what human beings can do to each other.

Yet our Lord Jesus stepped into the very heart of that horror. This means that those who suffer injustice of any kind can say, “Jesus, you have been here before I was. You have walked this way that seems so wrong, and yet you stood and met it with courage and with determination. God, put that kind of courage in me.”

I think, for example, of the Christians who have been slain because of Isis and the courage that they demonstrated. I watched a video of them kneeling in the sand on the Mediterranean, knowing they were about to die. What did they do? They cried out to God. There was no renunciation, no “This is a mistake, God is not here.”

You see, the natural inclination of humanity is in the face of injustice to say, “There must be no God.” Jesus’ declaration, and the gospel contrast here, is to face injustice by living into it. His example was meant to shine the light for us, not only in what he has done, but in what he can put in us as his people, as believers in Christ.

“Let this mind be in you” it says in Philippians, “which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 KJV). In other words, if you’re going to be faithful to Christ, you also will face difficulty, specifically because of your Christian witness.

So enter in. Don’t shy away. And like Jesus, you will find yourself moving from great injustice to a greater courage.

From Difficulty to Strength
Confirmation, the reaffirmation of baptismal vows, affirms the contrasts of the gospel. The confirmation ceremony itself, in fact, includes a slight slap on the cheek. That slap symbolizes a vital truth: when you follow Christ, difficulty is part of the package.

In other words, unlike what some preachers tell us, the gospel never says that if you give your life to Jesus, everything will always go well for you, your life will be sunny, and you’ll experience nothing but God’s provision.

It’s not true in my life. And I don’t imagine it’s true in yours.

Here’s the true gospel: Jesus came on your behalf and bore all of the evil and the worst that humanity could ever give. He took upon himself all of that injustice as well as the sin underneath it, and not just the sin of those who habitually do wrong, but ours, because we do wrong as well.

In other words, none of us is without guilt. All of us need One who will bear our weight, the weight of our sin, our burden, our brokenness, taking it to the cross on our behalf and triumphing over all of that in glorious resurrection. Talk about contrast!

It would not be inappropriate, especially in times of great difficulty, to cry out to God and say, “Jesus, you bore this pain for me now. Do it here, in my life.”

Because that’s who he is. That’s what he does. He brings us companionship in suffering. He releases strength in difficulty, when we need God the most. He tells us, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NASB); “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b); and “Nothing, not even all of this, can take you out of my hand” (cf. Romans 8:38-39).

From Abandonment to Affirmation
As we recognize the great contrasts present in the gospel, we grow to appreciate in a new way all that God has done. We can say, with genuine gratitude, “You did this for us, God. Thank you that we are yours and that you will never let us go. Whatever hardship comes our way, give us the grace to bear it with your dignity, your courage—the courage to speak out against wrong but never, by your mercy, allow it to so infect our souls that instead of drawing near to you, we turn away.”

This is what Jesus desires to pour into us—something we could never create for ourselves, something he deeply desires to give. As we worship, as we continue seeking him, may the words we speak reflect an inner willingness to say, “Yes, I will step in, even into life’s difficult places, knowing that you are not abandoning me, but that in fact, I belong to you, that you will in the end make all things right, and that you will never let me go.”

What’s your response to the profound contrasts of the gospel? What commitment, affirmation, or reaffirmation do they inspire in you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment by sharing this blog on Twitter and including my username, @revgregbrewer.

(This post is an adaption of Bishop Brewer’s sermon on Palm Sunday, March 20, 2016, at Church of the Advent, Dunnellon, Florida.)
Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible.

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