Arfaith Miranda

THE CROWN OF THE VIRUS AND THE CROWN OF CHRIST By Arfaith Miranda May 2020 Throughout history, infectious diseases always have been constant companions of humans. Here are some of the recorded catastrophic plagues that happened on earth from the second century to the present with its estimated number of deaths. PLAGUE Antoine Plague Justinian Plague Japanese Smallpox Epidemic Black Death (Bubonic Plague) Smallpox Cholera 6 Outbreak Spanish Flu HIV/AIDS SARS Swine Flu Ebola MERS Novel Coronavirus (Covid19) YEAR (A.D--Present--Present 2019-Present DEATH CASE 5M 30-50M 1M 200M 56M 1M 40-50M 25-35M 770 200K 11.3K 850 330, 840* (as of May 21, 2020) *Number of deaths are still rising as of WHO. More than millions have lost lives from these different viruses that shatter the world. Though pandemics may have had reportedly started in the 2nd century but the discovery of bacteria only happened on the 17th century. On April 24, 1676, Anton van Leeuwenhoek surprisingly discovered several kinds of micro-organisms in the water, which is now called bacteria on his attempt to study the sense of taste, and according to the microbiologists at the time, it was considered to be his greatest discovery (Bardell, 1983). Moreover, viruses as a concept are but a little younger than bacteria. The first description of viruses was stated only in the 1890’s – yet most likely they “have co-existed with cellular life through nearly the whole of evolutionary history on this planet”(Rybicki 2015). The word “virus” comes from the Latin word simply meaning “slimy fluid.” The first invention that lead to the discovery of viruses was the Chamberland-Pasteur filter, developed in 1884 in Paris, France by Charles Chamberland who worked with Louis Pasteur. It was used to remove completely all bacteria or other cells known at the time from a liquid suspension. In 1892, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Dmitri Ivanovski reported what we know now to be a virus with the first use of porcelain filters by showing a filter candle on an infectious extract of tobacco plants with mosaic disease and revealed that it remained infectious. Then, on 1898, a Dutch scientist, named Martinus Beijerinck, “reported similar experiments with bacteria-free filtered extracts, but made the conceptual leap and described the agent of mosaic disease of tobacco as a ‘contagium vivum fluidum’, or contagious living fluid, because he was convinced the infectious agent had a liquid nature” (Rybicki, 2015, p.4). Later on, the term virus was used to describe such fluids. The first recorded virus causing the 1 mosaic disease was called Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Ivanovski and Beijerinck, they were the first people responsible for the discovery of the virus. Since then, the science of virology has developed. The Bible also has references to diseases and plagues. It has to be noted that the Scripture writers were no scientists, thus, they only recorded what was observed by their own eyes, yet these references were of great help in the latter discovery of the scientific details of these diseases. The first mention of plagues was recorded in Exodus when God, through Moses punished the Egyptians. One of the plagues was the plague of boils that struck both humans and animals. It was an epidemic. God commanded Moses to take handfuls of soot from the furnace and have it tossed in to the air in the presence of Pharaoh. “It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land. So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals” (Ex. 9:910). Another biblical reference to a disease that is still present and dreaded today is leprosy. In modern times, it is also called Hansen’s disease because a Norwegian physician, Dr. Hansen first observed this organism in 1873, thus it was referred to as Hansen’s bacillus. “Many have thought this to be a disease of the skin. It is better classified, however, as a disease of the nervous system because the leprosy bacterium attacks the nerves. The agent of leprosy is Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast rod related to the tuberculosis bacterium” (Gillen, 2015. P.2). One example of leprosy in the Bible is the man whom Jesus healed with withered hand (Matt. 12:13; Mark 3:5; Luke 6:10). “The man with the ‘withered hand’ most likely suffered from tuberculoid leprosy. The deterioration and shriveling of limbs is indirectly due to leprosy bacillus. Hansen’s disease causes poor circulation and the loss of control that provides life-sustaining materials (oxygen and nutrients) from the blood. Without blood there will be deterioration and a lack of harmony, order, symmetry, and design” (Gillen, 2015. P.3). The term leprosy (including leper, lepers, leprosy, leprous) occurs 68 times in the Bible: 55 times in the Old Testament (Hebrew = tsara’ath) and 13 times in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the instances of leprosy that were mentioned most likely meant a variety of infectious skin diseases (including Hansen’s disease) and even mold and mildew when mentioned on clothing and walls (Lev. 1314; 2 Kings 5). In the New Testament (Greek = lepros, lepra), it is then likely to be discussing Hansen’s disease. The exact meaning of the leprosy in both OT and NT is still in dispute. It is a comprehensive term that probably includes the modern Hansen’s disease (especially in the NT) and infectious skin diseases (Gillen, 2015). There is no written historical record with regards to the origin of infectious diseases. How, when, where, or why it started and evolved remains a puzzle to mankind. The attempt was always to find cure and ways to prevent such disease but never its origin, the first infection per se. However, in the biblical perspective, plus the support of the current microbiological research, “one can conclude that the deadly microorganisms can be attributed to the fall of man and its subsequent curse that lead to an overall decay of the originally good creation of man, microbes and mobile genes” (Gillen, 2015). The Story of Mary Mallon -) An Irish immigrant by the name Mary Mallon, also known as “Typhoid Mary” was the first healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the United States. She was a picture of a human body’s interaction with Salmonella typhi. At some point, she contracted the bacteria that caused typhoid fever but she was 2 showing no noticeable symptoms. Her body apparently remained safe to handle salmonella typhi and stayed healthy, however, she was still capable of spreading the bacteria to others. In New York City area, between-, Mary used to work as a cook. During this period of her working carrier, she infected more than fifty people with the disease, of which some have died. She was a cook in several homes in New York when the residents showed symptoms of typhoid. She spent months helping to care for the people whom she made sick, unwittingly, it has worsened the situation. She managed to change employment many times but she infected other people where she worked. Not until a sanitary engineer, named George Soper, carefully investigated and found out that Mary was the carrier of the typhoid epidemic. As the investigation progressed, Mary was put into isolation for three years at a hospital in New York. After a series of isolation and release, the result remained the same, Mary was still healthy and fine, showing no defective symptoms. That was then that the authority decided to confine Mary in quarantine for life. She died in 1938 of pneumonia and was buried in Bronx, NY. Interestingly, the autopsy of her body showed that her gallbladder was still actively shedding typhoid bacilli. Novel Coronovirus (COVID-19) The new coronavirus (COVID-19) was first detected in Huanan Seafood Market where different livestock animals were also traded in the province of Hubei, in the state of Wuhan, China in the late 2019 and has set off a global pandemic. Coronaviruses (CoV) are pleomorphic RNA viruses characteristically containing crown-shape peplomers with 80-160 Nm in size and 27-32 kb positive polarity. With its high mutation rate, Coronavirus are zoonotic pathogens that are present among humans and various animals with a wide range of clinical features from asymptomatic course to requirement of hospitalization in the intensive care unit; causing infections in respiratory, gastrointestinal, hepatic and neurological systems (Sahin, et.al. 2020). It was on December 12, 2019 that an unknown pneumonia case was detected and the Chinese authorities announced later on January 7, 2020 that a new type of Coronavirus was isolated. On January 12, 2020, the virus was named as Novel Coronavirus WHO (novel means new—a new mutation from other coronaviruses outbreaks like the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and on February 12, 2020, it was called COVID-19 up to this time. The origin of the first case was probably an infection transmitted with zoonotic agent (from animal to human) but the increase in the number of cases in Wuhan and later in other parts of Asia, then reaching towards the West like Europe and USA, indicated a second transmission from human to human. Since then, it has become a global issue of pandemic. Treatment of COVID-19 is still in the process as scientists and virologists are constantly devoted to finding a vaccine that will eventually stop the pandemic. While it’s good news that some patients have recovered from it but sadly, some of the victims affected by the virus have never recovered and eventually died. Since the vaccine is still pending, authorities made sure that the virus will not spread exponentially by implementing strict measures like social distancing, cancellation of big events, keeping a good sanitary hygiene, wearing of face masks, and closing of areas where people used to flock. The constant urge of the governing authorities to “flatten the curve” may reduce the risk of more unwanted deaths. 3 THE CROWN OF THORNS OF THE CHRIST “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head, and when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.” (Matthew 27:27-31) What is new about COVID-19 is its distinct crown-shape feature. Ironically, this is not a crown of honor but a complete suffering to its victims, to the rescuing frontliners, and to the family members of the victims. Interestingly, suffering is not an experience alien to Christ. A group of cruel barbaric soldiers painted a clear picture of the suffering that Christ had experienced. The pain is not only physical but also emotional and mental. The soldiers’ job is mainly to serve the king, this time they mocked an accused king. The scarlet robe forcefully worn on him delights them to see a mocked king and the crown of thorns inserted on the head of Christ pleasures their moment seeing a bleeding helpless nobody. However, the task is not simply to cause suffering but to end the suffering by being put to death—a kind of death that only people of shame will experience. Shame, pain, loss, disgust, mock, neglect, suffering, even death are but a summary of the crown of thorns. Not all crowns are a symbol of majesty and victory; this one specific crown of thorns impaled on the head of Christ is never a crown admired by anyone, nonetheless, Christ carried it on his head until his last breath on the cross. Why crown of thorns? In the biblical account, thorns were first mentioned in Genesis as part of the result of Adam’s fall. God pronounced judgment to man saying, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19). Other biblical references to thorns speak about pain and punishment, serving as a reminder of the fall of man. In Numbers 33:55, God carefully warned the Israelites that if they don’t totally drive out the Canaanites, they would serve as a problem to them, they would be “thorns in your sides.” In Isaiah 34:13, God judged the land of Edom and thorns were part of the consequences, “Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses.” In Matthew 13:3-8, the parable of Jesus has reference to thorns as part of the inner workings of a corrupted heart, “Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.” All throughout the Scripture, thorns are a symbol of pain, as well as the physical feature of thorns, like any gardener would know. The Roman soldiers were very much aware how painful it is for a criminal to be impaled with thorns. The moment the crown of thorns was put on Christ’s head, he was bearing a kind of pain no one else can commit to. 4 What the world is going through right now caused by the coronavirus is pure pain, especially to the most affected but Christ understands it all. He sees it right through our hearts. The followers and writers of the account of Christ have understood that he understands our suffering. They never failed to emphasize this point in their writings exhorting and encouraging their readers to realize how Christ has suffered for their sake. The apostle Peter encouraged the scattered suffering Jews that Jesus’ suffering resulted into something better when he writes, “for Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18). He also added that “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you and example” (1 Pet. 1:21). Matthew made sure to record the words of Christ when he has hurting on the cross before his death when he cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46) John, one of the closest disciples of Christ, described the brutality he saw from the Roman soldier who “pierced His side with a spear” (John 19:34). The writer of Hebrews also understands that Christ’s suffering caused him to “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15). Paul, the one responsible for the suffering of the early church, when he became a believer, went to the different regions of the known world preaching about Christ, whom he encountered in his trip to Damascus, and he wrote to the churches indicating also the sufferings of Christ. He writes to the Romans that they “suffer with Him” (Rom. 8:17), and he expressed his desires to the Philippians that he wants to “know Him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings”(Phil.3:10). Moreover, the Old Testament prophets were also aware of the sufferings that Christ will have to experience. Isaiah penned down what he sees regarding the Christ: “He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…He was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Is. 53:3-4). The Psalmist described the suffering of the Christ as well, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within me” (Ps. 22:14). No suffering is pleasant to bear. Nobody in his right mind would dream and desire to lie on a bed of thorns, yet this is reality. Man is always accustomed to pain. We see pain. We hear pain. We feel pain. A living person on earth cannot be exempted with it. Yet, in all of this, Christ has willingly experienced pain in the most unimaginable way. THE CROWN OF CHRIST AS KING “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in a human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:6-11). 5 The crown of thorns was not the end of the story. Death never had its victory, for Christ has overcome it and crashed its sting to nothing. The writer of Hebrews declares that Christ was crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death” (Heb. 2:9). It turned out that the crown of thorns which is a symbol of his suffering, lead to his exaltation as King. But, what kind of king? Just few days before the death of Christ, he entered into the city of Jerusalem—a known city where Israelites’ kings resided, including King David. On his entry, this man from Nazareth, riding on a low donkey, was greeted with adoration and acclamation, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! (Matt. 21:9) An expression only given to kings is now thrown at this man Jesus. The wishful desire of the Jews didn’t last long because few days after, the same Jews who shouted “Hosanna!” could be the same people who shouted, “Crucify him!” They must have realized that they don’t want a dying helpless king. So, they turned him to the Romans, who didn’t regard anyone like a king figure except their own king. With brutality, they treated Jesus like a criminal in the image of a king, before the very eyes of his own people. The soldiers made sure that the Jews witnessing the gruesome execution of their rejected king, would see the kind of embarrassment they project as they put an engrave charge on top of his head on the cross: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Matt. 27:37). He was last seen with this inscription on top of his head. Poor man from Nazareth. Rejected by his own people. Gasping. Agonizing. Dying… Dead! He was let down from the cross. He was wrapped in linen clothes and placed him on a tomb—a rich man’s tomb. It was quiet and dark. And the world seemed dead for three days. Until the rock that sealed the tomb was rolled away. No soldier can stop. No power can prevent. He is gone leaving the fine clothing wrapped around him. Nobody has seen an event that would change the course of man. Yet, he did not remain unseen, he showed himself to few women, then to his close disciples, then to a hundred more. He is alive! He has risen from the dead! They cannot not believe. A man from Tarsus who rejected this message, even caused harm to those who believe in the message of the witnesses, has seen this man alive. “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4-5). After this extraordinary encounter, Saul’s life was abruptly changed and transformed, believing and proclaiming the message that he once rejected. He wrote a letter to the believers in Philippi, and stating the kind of king Jesus had become. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil.2:9-11). His kingship goes far beyond the tongues of the Jews, it goes beyond the knees of the Jews. Far beyond! His exaltation reaches beyond the heavens, encompasses the whole earth and penetrating even under the earth. Supremacy at its finest. 6 The Kingship of Christ means that he is supreme in everything. His sovereignty is all over everything. This sovereignty is capsulized in a brief summary: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:15-17). The disciple John had seen a vision regarding Jesus Christ as king and wrote it in his last book: “His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dripped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has the name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:12-16). What does his kingship have to do with this pandemic? Christ is King whether we like it or not. He is King whether we believe it or not. He is King whether we accept it or not. He is King whether we understand it or not. Our belief of Christ does not change who he is. Even if he seemed silent, or far, or unreal in times like this, He remains to be King. Therefore, He is in control of everything like he always had, and always will be. People may blame God for this pandemic. People may point their fingers on other races for the damage done. People may fight against their government for the unlikely response. People may run wild from this threat. People may go hungry from this horror. People may press forward and start something new. People may look for answers and cure. People may pursue new meaning and lifestyle. People may see either the good side, like the ease of pollution or the healing of the mother earth, or we may see the bad side, like the deaths and the cries of the helpless. But one thing that bothers me, as one friend of mine told me, “the saddest thing is when this pandemic is over, and it will be over, but people still don’t believe in God.” 7 Reference List: 1. Bardell, D. 1983. The roles of the sense of taste and clean teeth in the discovery of bacteria by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek. American Sociey for Microbiology: Vol.47, no. 1. 2. Gillen, A. 2015. The Origin of Disease: A Creation Perspective, Part 2. https://answersingenesis.org/answers/books/genesis-germs/origin-of-disease-creationperspective-2/ 3. LePan, N. 2020. A Visual History of Pandemics. World Economic Forum: Visual Capitalist. 4. Rybicki, E. 2015. A Short History of the Discovery of Viruses. University of Cape Town. Buglet Press. 5. Sahin, A., Erdogan, A. et.al- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: A Review of the Current Literature. EJMO 2020;4 (1):1-7. 8