The One God didn't save

Sunday afternoon I went to visit my Iraqi family (I developed a strong bond with them while teaching the refugee ESL class this summer.) Visits with them are always full of laughter and affection and fantastic conversation. This time we talked about fall traditions and holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving and black Friday. Eventually the conversation turned (as it often does) to religion. This time we started out discussing the details of Moses. Some of the story appears to be similar between the Qur'an and the Bible but there are definite deviations. We talked briefly about the Occultation which led us into a discussion about the other prophets who had been removed from the earth without experiencing a physical death. (According to the Bible there have been 2 that we know of - Enoch & Elijah.)

According to my friend (and substantiated by additional google research on my part) many Muslims believe that the Qur'an teaches that Jesus never died either. This poses something of a problem for me... I asked what did he mean? He said that because Jesus was God's prophet, God saved him and replaced him with Judas so that the Jews just THOUGHT they had killed Jesus. This is because God was wise and knew not to let humanity harm his prophets. Just like he saved Moses from the Red Sea and his other prophets from what appeared to be unavoidable harm.
I asked how saving Him and replacing Him with someone else showed God's greatness more than allowing Him to die and then raising him again? They said, "Don't you see? God never lets His prophets die before they have finished delivering their message."

Oh, my friends. Isn't that the point? The one 'prophet' that didn't deserve to die, that deserved to walk in the fiery furnace, be saved in the belly of the whale, cross the red sea, be saved from the mouth of lions, be taken away in a chariot of fire - THAT prophet, that SON, SHOULD have been spared. But He was not! His death (and resurrection) WAS the way He finished delivering His message. His message was that He was NOT spared.

How different the wise and distant Allah of Islam, testing and judging the sinfulness of humanity, is from the all powerful yet grieving, sacrificing God of the Bible; a God that would with hold nothing from His children because of his great desire to be reconciled to them (even the death of His own perfect son!) How complete His great and abiding love for the ruined, hopeless, helpless humans that He chooses to be in fellowship with and glorified through.

Romans 8:31-33
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

There is a big difference between judging and justifying. And there is no doubt in my mind that of all the Prophets which God has sent, my salvation lies in the One that God didn't save.

I can only pray that someday theirs will too.