Some of the horrors are inflicted on the body; rape, assault, grievous bodily harm, murder. But other horrors are perpetrated on the mind or emotions or soul; the theft of life-savings, systematic cheating people out of the money to which they are entitled, tax evasion which hits every tax payer because we all have to pay more to make up for one person's greed.
Then there are the more subtle and hidden horrors of pain to the soul caused by divorce or abortion or drug or alcohol abuse. The list of things which cause human suffering in a peaceful country is endless. Add to this list just some of the things which cause suffering in countries where the harvest has failed or countries which are at war, and it begins to seem as though this world of ours resembles hell rather than heaven. The kingdom of God still seems to be a long way off.
Some people are serial criminals and it's only when their current court case is over that a long string of previous ugly offences is revealed. They regard crime as their work and seem to have no remorse whatsoever, even when they have seriously damaged other people. What happens to these people after death? Are they forgiven because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross? Or is there really a hell where they remain for all eternity?
Most of us are not in any of these categories, although all of us will have experienced the pain of life in some way, such as the pain of divorce or redundancy or bereavement, or even the pain of being misunderstood and unjustly blamed for some trauma that has happened. And all these things continue daily, even in the best and most peaceful of lives.
If the death of Jesus on the cross hasn't removed the sins or sufferings of life, how effective was it? And if that death was all about forgiveness, as the writer of the letter to the Hebrews seems to be saying, does that mean that vicious, serial criminals are forgiven just like everyone else and will find their place in heaven?
When Peter asked Jesus what was going to happen to another person, Jesus shut him up very quickly (John 21:21-23). None of us can see with God's eyes and none of us fully understand why another person acts in any particular way, so none of us are in a position to decide with any certainty what happens to other people after they die. All we can do is take the promises and warnings which are set out in the Bible and decide upon them for ourselves. We can perhaps surmise that those who know nothing of God in this life and who care nothing for God or the things of God in this life are unlikely to recognise God or even wish to recognise God in the next life, but we must bear in mind that we might be wrong in our assessment of other people.
We also need to remember that God's forgiveness is always present, always waiting for human beings to simply take hold of it. Many human beings don't see God's forgiveness, perhaps because to notice God's forgiveness requires acknowledging our own sin and turning to God. But the forgiveness is always there, always ready, always waiting, however serious or despicable the crime.
The writer to the Hebrews reminds his readers that being sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls sanctifies them in order to purify them outwardly. Therefore, he says, how much more shall the blood of Christ who offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from any awful works which lead naturally to death, i.e. purify us from sin? The writer is quite clear that forgiveness is for everyone, through the blood of Christ.
This is good news for all of us, especially for those who are aware of their own sin and who actually turn to God and take hold of that forgiveness. Many of us Christians repeat the words, but then continue to beat ourselves over the head for remembered or imagined sins. What we need to do is to accept God's forgiveness, then refuse to keep revisiting our shame. We need to put our sins behind us and continue in the good life.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the crucifixion doesn't always seem to have been a very effective means of freeing the earth from sin and suffering. If we only pay lip service to the forgiveness of our sins, they remain with us to plague us and fill us with guilt over and over again. Thus we perpetuate them instead of getting rid of them as God requires us to do, and we fail to use the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as it should be used.
Since we are human beings, our earthly life is necessarily imperfect, therefore it will never be free of suffering. But Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was far more than just a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. He too suffered, and suffered far more horribly than most of us will be called upon to suffer. He was alone during his suffering, and at one point felt so alone that he even thought that perhaps God too had forsaken him. But he faced all that suffering with integrity and with love. Throughout his ordeal, he continued to offer love to those who placed him on the cross. Unlike our present culture of litigation in every possible circumstance, no word or thought of blame entered Jesus' head. Rather than seeking whom to blame, he said, "Father, forgive them" as he hung from the cross.
Through the cross Jesus not only gained for us forgiveness of our sins, but also showed us how to reach the new life of resurrection. By facing our own sufferings, we can grow closer to God. If we too can face our sufferings with integrity and love and with forgiveness in our hearts rather than blame, then we too will emerge from those sufferings as new people. We can find the Kingdom of God on this earth as well as in heaven. We can experience resurrection here and now as well as after death.
The cross was an amazing achievement for all time. It has given us so much. All we have to do is to take hold of all that Jesus has given us through his sacrifice on the cross. Then our lives will be transformed forever.
