A thick red circle around a red spot. A swoosh. Two ‘c’s overlapped, back-to-back. They’re logos. Target, Nike, Chanel. Iconic. There’s instant recognition and response. But what happens when the icon loses its luster? What happens when time and neglect drain the symbol of its significance?
I think that’s what’s happened to the cross.
In the Apostle Paul’s day, the cross could make you do a double-take in three different ways. Today, the cross is bling; the cross is a sign post to indicate where religious people gather; it’s something you carve into a tombstone. But in Paul’s day, the cross represented the height of Roman domination and the depths of personal shame. It was no demonstration of power and glory to be crucified. Rendered helpless and drained of life, you were humiliated; a laughingstock. So, what to make of Jesus, pierced through with Imperial spikes?
The first double-take is the Jewish response. Paul says that Jews look for miracles. They revere Creator God, the glorious Almighty. How could His chosen one, His liberator, be the gasping, waning man on the cross? Where is the glory and the power? Jesus is a scandal, not the Savior.
The second double-take is the Gentile response. Paul says that Greeks look for wisdom. The young Galilean sage had said that he was “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” But his way had led to arrest and torture and death, not life. Some say he came back from the grave - others said his body was merely stolen. Do we really know the truth? Why put faith in such foolishness.
But the third double-take is the response of the believer. Paul comes preaching, and in his own words, came with not much personal wisdom or power; nor did his hearers possess any surplus of these. But the gospel of a crucified Savior has wisdom and power all its own. The cross is the icon of power in weakness. The cross is the symbol of wisdom through foolishness. In the cross, what man means for shame, God means for glory. On the cross Christ becomes our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Has the cross lost its luster, slumped in significance in our thinking? Do we know people who would rather have a religion of spectacle? Do we know people who think their wisdom is wiser than God’s? Keep talking about the cross. Take them to the cross. The Spirit will do the rest.
Pray: Father, you are Lord God Almighty. All strength and wisdom are yours. Jesus, you are Savior; crucified and risen Redeemer of all who believe. Holy Spirit, you are the energizer of this great good news. Revive our understanding of the impact of the cross. Make us messengers of its life-changing power.
No comments:
Post a Comment