The cross is a difficult concept
Among some of the most difficult religious ideas for 21st century people to understand are the reasons given to them for the death of Jesus Christ.
We Christians think because we repeat a piece of scripture it will make sense to anyone who hears it or reads it.
Now I realise that the Holy Spirit is the great revealer of truth however do we not have a responsibility for the way we communicate?
I remember I used to pass an advertising board on the Glasgow-Kilmarnock Road; written in big letters were the words "Christ died for our sins". The people who put it there meant well, but how many of the motorists passing by understood the implications? It's hard to understand why Christians talk the way they do. Too often it requires an understanding of the sub - text, indeed for some Christian talk you require a degree of understanding in theological terminology.
Yet why is it that even these five simple words, "Christ died for our sins", appear meaningless to the average motorist? At a very practical level it is because we no longer live in a culture where sacrifice is part and parcel of living. I think this is why some people say to me "it's all a bit too deep for me". In reality, I wonder if what they are saying is, " I don't really want to think about such an idea because it is too disturbing. "
You might wonder why anyone would even want to ask the question,"Why did Christ die?" Has the death of Jesus, a first century Jewish religious teacher, really got any bearing on my life in the 21st Century?
Well for a start, think about it, the western world measures time from his birth. So what was it about this man that has so influenced the course of history?
The life and death of Jesus invites us to think more deeply about things. It takes us to the place where we begin to think about sin. These days, even to use the word 'sin' is to court laughter, or at least a rye smile in some circles. However mention the word ‘bankers' and all of a sudden sin is a meaningful word.
Others still question its validity in a secular society and view ‘sin' as an incursion into the well patrolled waters of political correctness. The prevailing culture is that to recognise the existence of sin is to restrict or endanger personal freedom and growth.
Yet ‘sin" as a word, describes activities with which we are all involved and ashamed. It reminds us that personal rights also carry with them the responsibilities of living in community.
So what is sin? In the Bible sin is described as self-adulation. It is a word to describe what we do when we put ourselves in the place of God. When we neglect to give God the respect that is due to him because he is God. It is the times when we try to exclude God from our lives and take control ourselves. When we do this, very soon we find being God isn't as easy as we first thought. Ask "Bruce Almighty"? It doesn't take long for Bruce to realise that he is a sinner.
We humans are a strange lot. I remember listening to a radio broadcast from Madrid Spain. It was the memorial service for the hundreds who were killed by terrorist bombs in a railway station in early March 2004. The grief of the Spanish people was overwhelming; indeed as you ponder the ramifications of such heinous acts you become aware of the inescapable pain that lies at the heart of humanity. The human predicament is that we are capable of doing the most grotesque and selfish acts, yet we have the ability to carry out some of the most self sacrificial acts of love.
If you are still with me, then perhaps you are beginning to see where the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth connects with 21st century humanity. He speaks to us all about the personal and communal struggle we all face with the choices of good and evil.
The key to understanding the death of Jesus is found in understanding the identity of Jesus. The source documents (known as the gospels} give a detailed account of his life. In these writings the writers are under no misapprehension; they are certain that Jesus was God come among us.
Now that might seem far fetched to you; but ask yourself, if God exists how would he reveal himself? Why not take the form of one of us? The story of the gospel is God's way of righting wrongs. God's personal commitment and integrity to bring about a relationship with people like you and me. God in Christ has done what we could not do for ourselves. The Bible teaches that in some amazing way the death of Jesus atoned for our wrong doing.
I guess what I'm suggesting is that we find ways to unpack our theological terminology so that the motorist might begin to connect with the biilboard. Lets have a white background a smoking revolver and a wooden cross with the caption " How do you make a wrong right? " with a smaller caption Check out www.italker.org.uk . The lengths I'd go to promote this blog! Check this cross reference out
