April 9, 2001
EDITORIAL:
Clarify the meaning of the Cross
___Is it the Great Divide or the Eternal Bridge? This week, we look to and celebrate the Cross, the most significant object in history. No other item has so severely divided humanity and at the same time so absolutely united unnumbered masses. Certainly, no other thing, symbol or event has shaped so many souls.
___This is Holy Week, and our eyes are fixed toward the eternal horizon that is Easter. But first, we must encounter the dark abyss that is the Cross.
___The Gospels recount the story: Toward the end of his ministry, Jesus increasingly "set his face toward Jerusalem." He deliberately did deeds and said words that set him at odds with the religious establishment. Through sheer wickedness, penchant for self-preservation and thirst for authority, the religious leaders determined the young rabbi must die, if not for the sake of their own place in society, then for "national security."
___Jesus effectively handed them his own hide. He returned to Jerusalem, where his adversaries waited, unable to conceal their utter hatred. He created a near-riot in the Temple, giving them one more reason to condemn him. And when the heat was on, he didn't run or hide. He struggled, but not with political powers. Instead, he fought the greatest battle of all time--with himself. All alone, he prayed for release. In the end, however, his wholly human will submitted to his wholly divine understanding that only his supremely sacrificial death could atone for the sins of all people for all time.
___So, Jesus accepted the Cross. He didn't have to, you know. As the song-writer correctly observed, "he could have called 10,000 angels" to rescue him and avenge his persecution. And yet he accepted the punishment and mounted the Cross, ennobling the most ignoble of all deaths.
___Through it all--through horrific crucifixion, three gloomy days in the grave and splendid resurrection--Jesus achieved for us what we could not achieve for ourselves. Try explaining that so any child can understand it. Impossible. But we know Jesus achieved the impossible. His loving, innocent sacrifice accommodated the demands of divine justice. Somehow, the blood he shed erased the stain of sin on the lives of all who will believe in him and accept his gracious gift of eternal life.
___Through the eyes of faith, the Cross is the most beautiful symbol ever seen. Its upright spire points toward God in heaven. Its horizontal beam spreads out from Jesus to cover all his followers. It is the sign of our redemption. In our finest moments, it draws us together, standing on level ground at Christ's feet.
___And yet the Cross has divided humanity. This has been true for 2,000 years. The Apostle Paul observed, "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness"(1 Corinthians 1:23). The rational mind could not/cannot conceive of greatness through degradation, of sovereignty through sacrifice. Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh told a Newsweek reporter Jesus' crucifixion "does not contain joy or peace, and this does not do justice to Jesus." We follow a Savior who offers life through death. This divine logic defies mere human comprehension.
___Tragically, the Cross has been tarnished by many who have brandished it these two millennia. Many Muslims and Jews, whose forebears were victims of the "Christian" Crusades and Inquisition, see hatred instead of love in the Cross. In this century, burning crosses in Polish ghettoes and Southern yards symbolized damnation, not redemption. In this day, people who manipulate the Cross for political, social or commercial gain denigrate its value and distort its meaning.
___Small wonder, then, that the Cross has marked the Great Divide. Still, it is the Eternal Bridge, the pathway from sinful, fallen humanity to a loving God whose only Son accepted the Cross in order to express divine love and offer unmerited salvation.
___Easter reminds us Jesus has done his work. On the Cross, in the grave and on Easter morning, he accomplished all that was necessary to offer salvation to all people. "It is finished" in more ways than one.
___Easter reminds us the rest is up to us. Jesus left the church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, with the task of helping people understand the Cross--the "stumbling block" symbol of division--is indeed the eternal bridge to salvation. We must remember mere words won't work. We'll never argue unbelievers to the Cross. But Jesus' model of sacrificial service will speak authentically, persuasively in every language.
___We must love people to the Cross.
___ Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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