YOU ARE HERE!

The following is a story by Timothy Tennent, President of Asbury Theological Seminary.


Most of us have had the experience of going to a shopping mall and trying to find a place to eat or a certain shop to shop in. At the entrance of most malls there are large maps showing all the stores in the mall, and there is, mercifully, a large red arrow pointing to a certain spot with the words in large letters: YOU ARE HERE! This allow us to situate ourselves within the larger map, and, without it, the big map is useless. The Bible is like a gigantic map which reveals to us the over-arching work and unfolding plan of God for his creation. However, many of us wonder how we fit into this big plan of God.


There are two main places where God, in this inspired map, has lovingly placed the words "YOU ARE HERE!" The first is in the Garden of Eden where Adam rebelled against God. Scripture teaches that in one act of rebellion the entire human race was bound up in sin. When we read the story of the Fall, we should not read the story without seeing ourselves in that story of rebellion. However, the other place where God has placed the words YOU ARE HERE is in Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. Just as Adam's sin brought condemnation to the human race, so the righteous obedience of Christ brought salvation to the human race (Rom. 5:12-19). In the final analysis, the entirety of creation is either "in Adam" or "in Christ." This is why Jesus is called "the second Adam." He provides an alternative to the story of sin, rebellion and pride. The story of Christ is the story of righteousness, obedience and humility.


May you also find the words "YOU ARE HERE" in the life of Christ during this Lenten season.