Even Glaciers Move

Change is hard for people. We like things settled, things we can count on. In my role as a police executive, I am responsible to keep our business practices consistent with current technology and to adjust our policing strategies to disrupt emerging crime trends. I challenge police officers and professional staff to think beyond the tasks they perform day in and day out and make changes where necessary. I typically get this response; “But we have always done it this way!”

The foundation for change is relationships. Relationships require patience. Preparing people for change takes what I call Time and Grind. It’s the willingness to spend time together, grinding out the details. Over time, even the most stubborn person can come around. After all, even glaciers move!

Thomas Kuhn was a philosopher of science. He is credited with the phrase, “paradigm shift.” He viewed science as long periods of normality interrupted by brief periods of revolutionary discovery. Revolutionary discovery resulted in mopping up operations or “crisis science.” Some describe police work in a similar way as hours of boredom punctuated by moments of terror. It is during these significant events when change happens and glaciers move.

This cop story was at the moment that Jesus died on the cross. Specifically, it is the story about a bunch of cops assigned to oversee the crucifixion. In Jerusalem, law enforcement was the responsibility of the military. Roman soldiers were the cops and Centurions were their commanding officers. Matthew 27:50-54 tells it like this: “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’”

To these soldiers, I don’t think the crucifixion alone was any big deal. Dealing with religious extremists was common for these guys. They were charged with keeping a delicate balance of peace between the Roman Empire and the ruling council of Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin. The Chief Priest was the mayor and the members of the Sanhedrin were the councilmen. Time and again, the Centurion and his men were called to put down uprisings and deal with trouble makers identified by the politicians: religious, political and sovereign.

I expect that these cops were around when John the Baptist was calling people to repentance. It is even possible that some of them carried out the order to behead John. They likely heard the stories about a guy named Jesus. They heard the rumors that he was a king preparing to lead a revolution, that he healed sick, that he fed 5,000 people from a few fish and some bread and he told people he was God. The story of Jesus played out right in front of them.

I think they took all this in stride. It was just another guy causing trouble and disrupting the way things were always done. It was just another day on the job when they scourged Jesus, beat him and forced him to carry the cross to Golgotha. But at the moment of Jesus’ death, everything changed and the glacier moved. All the evidence fell into place, the cops connected the dots and they were front and center at the moment that the power of sin was broken. 

Three days later, these same guys were probably guarding the tomb and witnessed the resurrection. Some of these cops accepted Christ as the Son of God, others took a bribe and perpetuated a lie that his body was stolen by the disciples. In the end the paradigm shifted, the world as they knew it changed forever.

The best part is that God continues to work in our lives each day. He is committed to the Time and Grind required to draw us closer to Him. He stands by us through the Significant Events of our lives and the Mopping Up Operations that follow our Moments of Terror. 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9