April 1st, 2012
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Looking at the World through the Cross
Isaiah 53:2-6, Matthew 27:46, Galatians 6:14-16, Romans 8:22-25, John 14:5-7
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:2-6)
A. 2 mistakes in faith
1) Faith that focuses on the cross to the exclusion of resurrection
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
2) Faith that focuses on the resurrection to the exclusion of the cross
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:14-16)
B. The significance of Black Saturday
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:22-25)
1) We live in a world that is like the Saturday between the cross and the resurrection
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:5-7)
2) The Lord is with us even when we don't understand our suffering
Bridge Over Troubled Water （by Simon & Garfunkel）
When you're weary, feeling small When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all. I'm on your side When times get rough And friends just can't be found Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down
When you're down and out. When you're on the street When evening falls so hard I will comfort you I'll take your part When darkness comes And pain is all around Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down
Summary
The cross is not a tragic end, nor is it a prologue to the resurrection. The cross and the resurrection are two sides to the most significant event in human history. We cannot forget either of those events because that will cause our faith to distort the gospel. There is no other God who faced the kind of suffering and abandonment as Jesus did on the cross. Jesus gave us the ability to see the world from the perspective of the cross. This perspective is key as we live in a world full of contradictions and absurdity, longing and hoping for a future in which all will be redeemed.
For Discussion
1) What does the cross mean to you?
2) What is the perspective of the cross?