Butter or Margarine?
- Maralee Allen
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 9
When my daughter was in the third grade she made a startling discovery. The “butter” I had been putting on our table for years… wasn’t butter at all. It was margarine.
She had a full, “I can’t believe it’s not butter!” moment. Had I been lying to her all this time?
In my defense, that’s how I was raised. My Mom calls every yellow, buttery spread butter.
The funny thing is that little bit of misinformation had been passed down from one generation to the next. Thankfully, it wasn’t life-threatening, but it makes you wonder what other “truths” from childhood may not be completely accurate.
Take this famous Easter verse:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 NIV)
Growing up, I heard that when Jesus said these words on the cross, God had turned His back on Him. Jesus had taken the sins of the world upon Himself, and since sin cannot exist in God’s presence, God had pulled away.
But as I got older, that explanation started to bother me.
Since when does God turn His back on sinners?
God came to Adam and Eve and promised them a Savior after they ate the forbidden fruit.
God came to Cain and promised him protection after he murdered his brother.
God sent the great fish to swallow Jonah before Jonah prayed for forgiveness.
Over and over in the Bible we see God pursuing sinners, not abandoning them.
Plus, there are so many promises about God’s unfailing love, like this one:
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” Romans 8:38 (NLT)
So, I was puzzled.
Eventually, I heard a different explanation. Jesus was quoting a Bible verse, specifically Psalm 22:1.
That sounded interesting, but it raised another question for me. Of all the verses to quote, why that one?
When I’m hurting, my go-to verses sound more like this:
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
Why wouldn’t Jesus quote something comforting, like that?
Then one day, I sat down and read all of Psalm 22.
Wow.
Actually – wow and double wow!
Psalm 22 mirrors the story of the crucifixion in astonishing detail. But it doesn’t end in despair. It ends in victory!
The final verse says:
“They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!” Psalm 22:31 (NIV)
Does that phrase sound familiar?
Right before Jesus died, He said, “It is finished.”
To me, that sounds a lot like, “He has done it.”
Instead of simply announcing His death, Jesus was announcing His victory!
Throughout His life on earth, Jesus used Scripture constantly. He quoted it to resist Satan’s temptations. He used it to answer the Pharisees’ trick questions. God’s word was deeply rooted in His mind.
Personally, I imagine Jesus on the cross reciting the entire chapter of Psalm 22. He was suffering for hours. Perhaps He started at Psalm chapter 1 and made it through 22 chapters.
On the cross, it was God’s word which gave Him strength and encouragement.
What a super life-lesson for us!
We may not always get every spiritual explanation perfectly right. But the more we read the Bible, and store its words in our memory, the more truth we will carry with us. When life is painful or confusing, those words will be there – ready to give us strength and hope.
As the psalmist wrote:
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalm 199:11 (KJV)
And yes, I had to quote that one in the King James Version. It’s a little shout-out to my parents, who helped me memorize Bible verses week after week when I was growing up. I learned them in the KJV, and after all these years… that’s still the version that comes back to mind.
Note
Memorizing Bible verses doesn’t have to be a chore. Check out my “Activities for Kids” for some fun, active ways to get God’s word to stick!
