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Look At the Cross 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-25
Look at the cross. What do you see? Some see hatred. They mount a cross on someone’s yard and set it on fire. Some make an ornament of the cross and hang it on their rearview mirrors. The cross wasn't the hood ornament on Paul's theological vehicle, it was the engine. The hymn we have just sung gives us the real picture, "..old rugged cross, emblem of suffering and shame, stained with blood." Paul warned the Corinthian Christians (I Corinthians 1: 17), "lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power…the ·word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Those who are perishing look at the cross—the old rugged, blood-stained cross on which Jesus died—and see weakness. They call Jesus weak according to their standards. Why didn't he fight back? Why didn't he organize his forces and overthrow the Romans? Jews historically do not accept Jesus as the Messiah because he died. If he were the messiah he would have overthrown Roman rule. He would have conquered. The cross is a stumbling block, an obstacle, to the world; folly, foolishness they call it. Look at the cross. What do you see? Do you see humiliation? It was humiliating for anyone to be crucified on a cross. Common criminals, murderers were executed on a cross. Oh, what had become of Jesus' movement? Jesus had preached and taught, "the kingdom of God is near." And, this is the kingdom? Death, a humiliating, shameful death on a cross? Where were the faithful disciples when the soldiers took him before Pontius Pilate? Where were his loyal friends when the soldiers taunted Jesus, teased him, put a mock crown of thorns on his head and jeered, "Hail to the king!" Where were his followers when Jesus was led to the hill of Golgotha? Where were those who had seen a glimpse of the kingdom, a vision of what life on this planet could be like, where were they when the soldiers laid Jesus on the cross, pounded in the nails, and raised it to let him die in the hot sun. Jesus died alone, a humiliating death. A Sunday School convention was held in Houston, Texas. Thousands of persons participated, including eight from our conference. On Sunday morning two women from our northern California delegation decided to worship at a nearby United Methodist Church. The church seemed to be quite full when they arrived. They approached an usher who shook his head "no." They approached another usher who shook his head "no." They approached a third usher who shook his head "no." None of the ushers spoke, offered any explanation, or apologized. One of the women was an African American woman from Oakland; the other was an Indian woman from the Shasta District. Humiliating! Minority persons still bear crosses of humiliation. But, look at the cross. The humiliation of Jesus crucified as a criminal, an enemy of the state on a trumped-up charge, was not the last word. God raised Jesus from the dead.. Look at the cross and see humiliation transformed into hope. God took what the world calls weak and made it strong. God turns the world's values upside down, or shall we say, upside right. God takes what the world calls foolish and uses it as a means of changing the world. God takes what the world calls simple---fishermen, tax collectors--and calls them to change the world. God actually uses people like you and me! Paul wrote, (1:25--27), "For the foolishness of God is wiser than people, and the weakness of God is stronger than people. Consider your call; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” Consider Mother Teresa, a tiny, "weak" woman missionary from Yugoslavia who was deeply moved when she arrived in Calcutta and saw a homeless, dying woman lying in the gutter, being eaten by rats. She persuaded the government to let her use an abandoned Hindu temple and convert it into a crude makeshift hospital. She said, "Nobody should die alone." Mother Teresa was once asked, "How do you measure the success of your work?" She looked puzzled and then replied, "I don't remember that the Lord ever spoke of success. He spoke only of faithfulness in love." Who can measure the influence of this one small, seemingly weak woman who is not motivated by success but by faithfulness to Jesus Christ. Look at the cross and see weakness transformed into power. Look at the cross--the rugged, blood-stained cross—and you see pain and death. Jesus experienced pain. In a moment of despair, he even cried out, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of you bear a cross of pain and cry out, "Why is this happening to me? Why is God punishing me?" Jesus knew pain and suffering. God knows what it is to suffer pain, torture and death, but pain, torture and death are not the end of the story. God raised Jesus from the dead. Look at the cross and see pain transformed into glory. Look at the cross and see the heart of God breaking in grief and love. The essence of God is revealed in the cross--suffering love. God let Jesus die. Rather than save him, rather than retaliate, rather than giving humankind what we deserve, God let Jesus die because of love for you and me. John 3:16, ”God so loved the world that he gave his Son." God suffered in love. True love is a suffering love. A little girl defined love: "Love is when my mother reads me a bedtime story. True love is when she doesn't skip any pages." True love suffers through the story, reading it over and over again! True love bears all things. Some of you bear a cross on which your heart is breaking. You watch your children or grandchildren, agonize for them when they make a mess of their lives. A son or daughter goes in with the wrong crowd and gets hooked on drugs. What does a parent do? Kick him out of the family? Ostracize, excommunicate her? No, a loving parent suffers, bears the pain, their heart breaks in love until the child asks for help, wants to change. Look at the cross, see God's heart breaking, and respond with remorse and repentance, "My God, what have we done? What are we capable of?" Look at the holocaust. Look at the shootings. The tragedy of Jesus' death and what we do to one another will be repeated again and again until we see who and what we are, and make drastic changes. Look at the cross and see God's heart breaking with suffering, agonizing love, and cry, "Oh, God, forgive us!” Look at the cross and you see Jesus laying down his life, not necessarily willingly, for he prayed in the garden, "Oh, God, let this cup pass from me;" but he concluded with total commitment, "Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done." Jesus laid down his life for the kingdom of God. Jesus laid down his life for you and me, and all humankind, out of love for us, that we might see, repent and turn to God. Do you love anyone or anything so strongly you would lay down your life? You have a calling. You have a mission on this earth. You have been placed here to do God’s work. You are called to be totally committed to Jesus Christ and be willing to lay down your life—your dreams, your time, your service, your money. "Take up your cross," Jesus said. Bear it willingly. Bear it gladly. For in the carrying of your cross you will find weakness transformed into power. You will find humiliation transformed into hope. You will find pain transformed into glory. You will find suffering, heart-breaking love transformed into redemption for those you love and serve. We will be singing "When I survey the wondrous cross, love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." © 2023 Douglas I. Norris |