Stomping on Jesus

In 1st Peter 2, we see Jesus described as the stone, the foundation, that many rejected:
4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Jesus is the one Master Builder, and told Peter that "upon this rock" - the rock of the knowledge of God and who Jesus is - would form the foundation for the Church, the body of Christ.   The so-called "builders" rejected that knowledge, and you might say that to craft a system of religion that is not predicated on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, His perfect sacrifice, is building on the wrong foundation.  He is the One True God, and we can experience stability and security in our lives as we accept His sacrifice and follow His principles.

In Isaiah chapter 53, the prophet gives us a picture of the suffering Savior, our Lord who was rejected by men so that He could pay the price for our sins:
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Florida Atlantic University has issued a formal apology to a student that was facing academic charges after he complained about a professor who ordered the class to write the name “Jesus” on pieces of paper and then stomp on the paper.

According to Todd Starnes of Fox News, Ryan Rotela, a student at FAU, was accused of violating the student code of conduct after he reported his instructor to university administrators.  He was removed from the class, ordered not to contact fellow students, and was facing possible suspension or expulsion – pending the outcome of a student hearing.

Corey King, the university's dean of students, said, “First and foremost, we are deeply sorry for any hurt regarding this incident, any insensitivity that may have been seen by the community and the greater community at large."  King said that,“upon reflection, the university has decided not to move forward with any disciplinary action against any student regarding this matter.”  King said it was obvious the lesson caused “hurt and pain” within the community and within the university’s population.

It is unclear if any action will be taken against the professor.   The assignment said this: “Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper,” the lesson reads. “Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up. Ask the students to think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can’t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”

Liberty Institute defended Ryan, and attorney Hiram Sasser said the outcome of Rotela’s case should serve as a lesson for other Americans facing religious persecution. “It just takes one person to stand up against this type of aggressive nonsense,” he told Fox News. “It also takes like-minded people standing together to say we are not going to tolerate this type of religious bigotry.”

This is an especially pertinent lesson during Holy Week, when Jesus Himself was severely persecuted, beaten, humiliated, and eventually crucified - for a higher purpose, for the forgiveness of our sins, bearing sin upon Himself so that we could be free.   He was put to death by sinful men, so that He could redeem sinful humanity.   We do well to reflect on and gain a deeper appreciation of what He has done for us, so we can appropriate a greater degree of His presence in our lives.

But, there are those of us that take His sacrifice for granted - some outright reject that sacrifice; some have called on the name of Christ, but by their actions, they deny Him.  In Hebrews 10:28-29, we read:
28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? This is part of a passage describing the actions of God, our consuming fire, upon those who have known to a limited extent, but turned their back on God.   John Piper writes that there are 5 descriptions of these people:
Verse 26: they go on sinning willfully...
Verse 27: at the end of the verse they are called "adversaries."... 
Verse 29: they have trampled under foot the Son of God. The Son of God laid his life down for them to receive as their substitute, and instead of receiving him as their life and hope, they paused, got some religion, and then stepped on him and went on to other things...   
Verse 29b: they regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant...They drank the cup of the new covenant, said, "Nice juice," and went away to sin - as if it were not the most precious reality in the universe...   
Verse 29 at the end: They "insulted the Spirit of grace." They tasted the grace of God in their lives, were influenced by it in some measure, but then they began to turn it into license and used it to justify their love of sinning, and eventually threw it away as unnecessary.

So, while this professor in Florida missed it when he asked his students to "stomp" on the written name of Jesus, we also recognize that there are actions that we take that in essence do something much worse - to reject the sacrifice of the Son of God for us and to follow our own course.   That is why it is so important that when we sin, that we confess our transgressions so that we can be restored by God into a right relationship with Himself.