scared of scripture

I read the Bible a lot.

Actually, what I should say is that I read the Bible a lot to my three year old son, Carson. At the very minimum, Carson and I read multiple chapters of The Jesus Storybook Bible or the Big Picture Story Bible before every nap and each night before bed. He loves it. "Just one more story Dada?!" he'll proclaim at the conclusion of every chapter regardless of how many we have just read.

But, there is one part of scripture that he does not like - and by "not like" I mean is deathly afraid of. His little body starts to shake with fear as we are finishing the chapter before it. "Not this one Dada, not this one." There have been multiple times that instead of skipping it, I have tried to calm him reminding him that God is our courage, and that He will always protect us; but his fear is not assuaged and the trembling Carson demands we move past this part of God's story.

Can you guess which part of the Bible he is afraid of? No, it's not the crucifixion, or the resurrection for that matter. He's not scared of Daniel's lions, or David's giant, or even Jonah's whale. "It's a fish Dada, not a whale." Thanks Carson. The part of scripture that scares my son to the point of mortal trembling is not the storms, shipwrecks, snakes or Pharaoh, but is Judas and Gethsemane.

It's not that Jesus gives himself up to die that is frightening, or even that it is a horrible tortured death on a cross. What is scary and revolting and causes my tiny son to tremble, is that we put him there. Our sin, our deceit, our rebellion betrayed the One who loves us. True, it was Judas who was paid for the betrayal, but was it so different when Peter, James, and John traded in Jesus for a little bit of sleep in the garden? Is it different it when we trade Jesus for a second lustful glance at a woman in the parking lot, or just one more little white lie to our spouse, parents, or boss? No. Our sin, our deceit, our rebellion.

If we could only understand, as Carson does, that the Jesus' death on the cross is not the scary or sad part of scripture, but is the victory! What is scary is not the cross, but what, or should I say who, put Him there.

The spirit you received does not make you slaves so that you live in fear again;
rather, the spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
Romans 8:15