But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. -- Galatians 6:14
Holy Week seems a good time to consider the Cross, its
meaning and its implications for us. It
is central to Christianity, as Paul makes plain here and in many other
places. There is the historical cross, a
real piece of wood to which Jesus of Nazareth was nailed and upon which He
died. The cross has, too, a metaphorical
meaning. We are to take up our cross
daily, bear our afflictions and troubles as Christians and learn to walk in
faith with our eyes upon God’s truth and our hope in Him. The Cross is also a figure of speech for all
of the doctrines that make up the gospel as well as for the death of Jesus.
Death by crucifixion was an ignominious, inglorious, humiliating
public death. It spoke of the weakness and
insignificance of the individual against the power and prestige of the
corporate state. To the world, the death
of Jesus is a shame, both in the sense of being tragic and in the sense of being
a disgrace. We will say of a person who dies
“too soon” in some accident that the death is a shame. We feel it was unnecessary, even
pointless. The world will say of Jesus
that He was a great teacher or a great philosopher, that, like Socrates, He was
put to death for the sake of jealousy, envy or religious conflict. It was really too bad.
Jesus does not allow those who believe in and follow Him
that option. We have to understand that
He came to die: Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from
this hour? But for this purpose I have come to this hour (John 12:27). The Cross is both pit and pinnacle, His
darkest hour and His greatest triumph.
The Cross shows us the vanity and futility of the world,
putting it to death, crucifying the world to us. We are, in turn, crucified to the world. Our judgment about those things held in high
esteem changes. We judge now according
to the standard of Christ, considering righteousness and a good conscience
superior to worldly ambition, popular acclaim, and material acquisitions.
Like the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness,
the Cross is transformed from an image of loathing and fear to an object of
hope. It heals and counters the poison
that has invaded the soul of man, offering an antidote and the new resurrection
life in Christ. We rejoice in the Cross
which signifies the defeat and destruction of the enemy of our souls.
5 comments:
Fine post. And a busy week this was/is.
Father Barron's latest video post is on the cross and is a good one.
I watched The Greatest Story Ever Told yesterday. Good to look at the story through different angles and media. The dialog seems to be pretty faithful to scripture, at least Jesus' words. A few scenes are quite beautiful. And it still stirs new insights for me.
I'll have to take a look at Father Barron's. The pastor mentioned the various media depictions Sunday morning. He likes the one from "the 80's" -- Jesus of Nazareth, I think.
Father Stephen's prior post, A Lesser Atonement., is good, too.
That is some congruence.
"The Cross shows us the vanity and futility of the world, putting it to death, crucifying the world to us. We are, in turn, crucified to the world. Our judgment about those things held in high esteem changes. We judge now according to the standard of Christ, considering righteousness and a good conscience superior to worldly ambition, popular acclaim, and material acquisitions."
This would explain why the cross offends so many people.
I know those who are offended often use the excuse that they simply don't want religion forced on them (although no one can say how a cross can force someone to believe, because that's ludicrous), but I think it's just that, an excuse, because they either cannot or will not admit it's their own envy, hatred, jealousy, guilt, shame or pride that is the real reason they are offended.
Indeed, it is an offense to many. I see the reality of my own sin when I look to it.
Post a Comment