7TH Epiphany 06 I.N.I. I CORINTHIANS 1:22-25
What do you think the cross means to the average person? You see crosses everywhere, don’t you? Sometimes you see them in the most unexpected places. For example, crosses are often worn around the necks of those whose morals in public and private are very loose, to say the least. Members of gangs who steal, plunder, rape and use foul language often have crosses dangling from their necks. Why is that? Is the cross supposed to somehow cover up their evil deeds? Is it supposed to deceive people into thinking that they are really good people? Or is there some other superstition connected with the cross?
The cross is very special to you and I as Christians. It’s very humbling. The whole concept of the cross was made necessary because of our sins. It reminds us that Jesus died on the cross as if he were the worst of criminals; that he died the death we deserve; he died in our place, for our sins.
However, just as the cross is a reminder of shame, it is also an object of special love and beauty. That is why we wear it in jewelry, that is why we have crosses on the walls of our homes and in various places in our homes and churches. It is a constant reminder that in the cross we have the bases for all we preach and believe. Therefore as the apostle Paul implies here:
WE PREACH THE CROSS OF CHRIST
The cross represents: 1) God’s wisdom and 2) God’s power.
1) First, let’s talk about wisdom. Most people want wisdom. It is said that it would be good if we were all wise enough to know that God is watching our actions and listening to what we say because we will want to do what we can to get on his good side. But how do we do that? How do we get along with God? How do we get on his good side?
Many people look in all the wrong places as they try to figure that out. Some adopt the philosophy; “if it is to be, it’s up to me.” In other words, they have to do something to please God; it is up to them to get on his good side. Others say; Just give us a little more time, and we will become better and better in every way.” Such people think of weighing their good deeds and their bad deeds on a scale, hoping their good deeds outweigh their sins. Then they will be on God’s good side. That is also what was probably behind the poem in an obituary in the newspaper. The last line said that God only takes the best to heaven.
Others believe that wisdom which comes from education is the real secret of knowing God and how to get along with him. I admit that education is impressive in the fields of medicine, finance, technology, astronomy and many other fields. But that kind of education will not lead us to know God.
Some people also believe that the accumulation of all wisdom will someday put us in charge of our own destinies. That‘s interesting since even the wisest of our negotiators have not been able to peacefully settle conflicts between nations. They also have not been able to prevent war. The wisest of scientists cannot agree on how life developed. The wisest minds in government are not making any real progress in fighting moral decay in our nation. The wisest medical people have not found a way to stop the aging process.
The truth is that human wisdom has too many limitations and imperfections to be the answer to the question; “how do we get along with God?” The reason is that we all have a deep infection called sin. Sin alienates us from God. It condemns us. And there is only one cure for that sin which separates everyone from God; the cross of Jesus Christ.
The cross points out the seriousness of sin. It reminds us that we humans will always fail to find a cure for sin by ourselves. To those who believe that “if it is to be, it’s up to me,” the cross of Jesus Christ says you have failed. To those who hope their good deeds will outweigh their sins, the cross of Jesus Christ says that in your case, your sins have tipped the scales in the other direction. Your sins are in control of the scale. To those who think that God takes only the best to heaven, look at the cross again, Jesus died for the worst. So much for the solutions of human wisdom. They are all failures. They represent the wrecks of time.
The only solution to the problem of sin is the Lord Jesus Christ. It had to be his way. The cross of Christ had to play a prominent role. That was God’s plan. Throughout Jesus’ passion, God the Father carried out his justice on his innocent Son. With all the sins of all people of all time upon him, Jesus became the target of his Father’s punishment. While Jesus was on the cross God treated him as though he was guilty of every sin ever committed.
For example, for every grudge you or I have ever held, for every time we gloated when someone who irritated us had a problem, for every time we opened our mouths and said something that was unnecessary or unkind or untrue, Jesus bore the guilt. For every time we have stretched the truth, for our everyday failures to love our Lord and our neighbor, Jesus felt it all on the cross. But that was God’s wisdom, not man’s!
Of course, not everyone agrees. Paul says that for the Jews it was a stumbling block. That is, by rejecting God’s wisdom for sinners, the Jews condemned themselves. Unbelieving Jews have triggered an eternal death trap for themselves. Gentiles think God’s wisdom is foolishness. Unchurched people think it is ridiculous that anything good could come from the Son of Man’s bloody death on the cross. They go so far as to call God a blood thirsty barbarian.
The truth of the matter is that God knew the world could never get close to him, never be reconciled to him through human brilliance. Not one single human being knows how to save themselves nor can they. Because of the nature of sin and because of inbred sin it had to be that way. Call it foolishness or whatever, but that so called “foolishness” of God is wiser than any plan that man could come up with. It is a plan so profound that no one but God could come up with it. Yet, it is a plan so simple that even little children can know and believe it. Jesus on the cross spells forgiveness! The innocent died for the guilty. God has taken away our guilt forever.
The real trouble with those who do not see the wisdom of God on the cross is this. They have eye trouble. The things of the Spirit of God are foolishness to those without the Spirit of God. Spiritual truths must be seen with spiritual eyes. And God provides that too, because the cross of Jesus is the power of God.
2) The power of God.
To be able to demonstrate power is often proof of one’s reliability or of who you are. In Paul’s day, Jews demanded signs that would prove that Jesus was who he claimed to be. So Jesus demonstrated his power by healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and raising the dead. However, the Jews were not interested in signs of grace and mercy. They wanted proof that he could be their bread king, and that he would free them from political oppression. They were not interested in a Savior from sin. So it was they missed the whole point.
The same kind of thing happens today too. People still demand the wrong kind of power. Do you think that chaplains in the United States Congress are asking God to demonstrate the power of Jesus’ cross in the hearts of people? No, instead they are asking God to demonstrate his power by ending blood shed, assuring civil rights, and eliminating poverty and illiteracy. Now don’t get me wrong; all those things are important. We also realize that congress is not a church. But wouldn’t it be a great blessing if the leaders of our country knew that the solutions to all problems lie in the power of the cross of Jesus Christ in human hearts?
Isn’t that the power that has been impressed upon us by the Holy Spirit through the teachings of Jesus cross? There was no changing our doomed condition until Jesus went to the cross. There he changed our status completely, not by exercising his power, but by surrendering and taking the consequences of our offenses upon himself. When he was shamed and crucified in our place, the power of God’s wrath was inflicted upon him to the fullest. Because of that his power does not crush us. When death was inflicted upon Jesus, we who are unworthy violators of God’s standards were not only delivered from damnation, but we were transformed into forgiven and redeemed citizens of God’s family. That’s power.
Think also of the influence this wisdom and power exerts on our families. The cross of Jesus guides the attitude and atmosphere in our homes. It begs us to love the Lord our God. It challenges us to love spouse and children and neighbor like God loves us, unconditionally and with complete forgiveness. The cross is a place we can go for personal confession and where our wounds are healed. It is a place that we can come to with all the injustices that others inflict upon us and view them as Jesus did; Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
The cross is the place where Jesus puts all suffering in perspective over and against the pain and agony he bore for us. It is also a place where blessings of every kind are promised. Recall the passage? “Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, shall he not also with Jesus freely give us all things?”
Many look at Jesus on the cross and see how defenseless and powerless he looks. So they just ignore him, throw him aside. But for us who are saved, for us who believe, the cross of Jesus Christ is the height of wisdom, the greatest of all wisdom. And it will remain the power of God for the eternal rescue of everyone who in the future will believe. So let us all continue to share the wisdom and power of the cross of Jesus Christ. Amen.
|
