Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Life as we know it demands death; that’s the ugly reality. Nature bears out this truth on a daily basis, but we have become so accustomed to it, we almost take it for granted without a second thought. For Adam, the jolt of seeing something die must have been horrific, but we’re somewhat selective in our reaction. We’re funny that way. Should it require the death of a bothersome insect, that’s all for the best. Death of a reptile, such as this Red-tailed Hawk consuming a Garter Snake, seems almost justified in some distorted way. But when we see the death of a warm-blooded creature, somehow we seem to instinctively cringe, as though something isn’t quite right.
We use Romans 6:23 in a spiritual sense, for that is the context in which it is given: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV) However the truth goes far beyond that, to the ugliness of death itself. Hebrews 9:22 continues this same line of thought: “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (NIV) I don’t pretend to understand that passage, but it’s there whether I understand it or not. I suspect part of my confusion comes about because I tend to blur the distinction between the Jewish sacrifices which were to point the believer to the love of a God who would offer His own Son as payment, and the pagan sacrifices which were given to appease an angry god.
But there is another difference that is even greater. That difference centers on the nature of the death itself. In all the examples we see, the motive centers upon the Darwinian idea of survival, whether that be consumption of another for food, or dominance of another for power. The one glaring exception is when the Lamb of God offered Himself for the redemption of another. Such selflessness is almost beyond our comprehension. Perhaps it shouldn’t surprise us that those who subscribe to a survival of the fittest mentality find this impossible to comprehend.