God Doesn't Work Like That
Why Josh Howerton's Story Reveals the Wrong God
I keep seeing Josh Howerton's "king and the 40 lashes" story pop up everywhere. People are sharing it and talking about how beautiful it is. And I understand why…it's got all the ingredients of a powerful story. A king, his daughter caught stealing, the law demanding punishment, and then this dramatic twist where the king takes the beating himself. If you haven’t seen it you can watch it here:
The story hits you right in the chest. It's supposed to show how much God loves us, and honestly, the image of someone taking pain for another person is incredibly moving. But the more I watched it, the more something felt off. Not because I want to tear Josh down or start internet drama. It's because when I really think about what this story is saying about God, I don't see the same God that Jesus came to reveal.
If our stories end up making people love Jesus for saving them from the Father instead of revealing how much the Father loves them, we've actually missed the whole point.
