A reflection on COVID-19 from Todd Luke
by Todd Luke
These days, everyone is trying to establish dominion over the COVID-19 virus. That makes perfect sense. We were literally made by God to do that. In Genesis 1 we read, “Let us make men and women in our image, in our likeness, and let them have dominion over all the earth...and over all the creatures...including viruses.” I added the last two words. We can argue about our effectiveness and methods for accomplishing this task, but clearly, we were designed to rule over God’s creation.
A few lines later, in Genesis 2, we read that God brought every living creature to Adam to see what he would name them. The human vocation to identify and name continues to this day. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses recently declared “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2) as the official name of a new virus. But the World Health Organization and CDC refer to this virus as COVID-19 when communicating with the public. Why remove “SARS” from the name? On its website, the World Health Organization states that it does not use the official name because using the name SARS can create unnecessary fear for the people who remember the horrific effects of the SARS outbreak in 2003.
So, the name “COVID-19” itself has an element of fear. The truth is palpable fear exists in our efforts to rein it in.
The Bible has something to say about both names and fear. As the human race works to not just survive but flourish in the face of this new viral challenge, Jesus calls himself the good shepherd who brings life in all of its fullness for his sheep. His sheep know his voice, and the shepherd calls his own sheep by name.
My wife, Maria, and her coworkers work at a grocery store. They prepare and sell food for thousands in our community. During the last few weeks, many clients and coworkers notice Maria’s demeanor and ask, “Aren’t you afraid?”
Her response is simple, “Ultimately, God controls everything. I trust him.”
When the wolf attacks, Maria and millions of believers like her, trust the good shepherd who knows them by name and loves them so much he laid down his life for them. Jesus did not abandon Maria. Maria trusts him with her life.
To conclude his good shepherd image, Jesus says, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice.” These days, church buildings closed, and programs canceled. This is altogether fitting. And now is the season for Christians across the world to work in their particular ways to gain control over coronavirus and trust the Father who knows them intimately and calls them by name. This is part of our unique vocation.
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