He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12 (NIV)

Did you hear what happened to the Iraqi man who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a 2008 press conference?  After his release from a reduced one year sentence for his offense, Muntazer al-Zaidi held his own press conference.  In a surprising role reversal, al-Zaidi was forced to evade a shoe hurled at his head.

Noting the irony, al-Zaidi reportedly said, “He stole my technique.”  His brother, on the other hand, chased the shoe-thrower and threw his own shoe at him.

We don’t really “get” shoe throwing here in the US.  In the Middle East it is seen as a serious insult saved for someone you hold in extreme contempt.  For greater impact, one might even add a grave verbal insult such as calling the other person a “dog” (which al-Zaidi in fact did).

As demeaning as these words and deeds are intended to be in that culture, they do not generally get someone thrown in prison.  In fact, the man who threw his shoe at al-Zaidi was not arrested, nor was al-Zaidi’s brother.

The intent of all these men was the same: to insult, not physically harm.  Why the discrepancy in treatment amongst three similar incidents?  Why was al-Zaidi arrested and sentenced for his deed?

The answer is probably obvious.  It is one thing to insult a convicted criminal or even your neighbor.  It is something else altogether to act against a head of state (as in President Bush).  Slapping your neighbor can be overlooked as rude.  Slapping the Prime Minister will get you arrested every time (see Italy’s Berlusconi).  Offenses against those in higher authority are more serious than those against a common citizen.  Sentences are longer.  Punishments are more severe.

So, if we think it just to punish offenses against heads of state more severely, how much more rigorously should offenses against the head of all things be judged?  In other words, what would justice look like if the offended party were “the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:15-16)?

No mere human could serve a long enough sentence to satisfy justice.  When the offense is against the Authority to whom all worship, honor, respect, and obedience are due, an eternal sentence is just.  We are left with the horrible necessity of eternal punishment for our offenses (cf. Matthew 25:46).

In light of that, thanks be to God for the incarnation and crucifixion of the eternal Son of God!  The offended God willingly took on human nature, lived obediently, and served our eternal sentence in a relatively short space of time.  In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the mercy and justice of God are fully satisfied.  Our debt is paid.  It is finished.  We have eternal life rather than eternal death (cf. John 19:30; Romans 4:25; 8:3; Galatians 3:13; etc.).

Happy Easter!

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. — Hebrews 9:15 (NIV)