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The Mystery of Settlement on the Cross

All Have Sinned Is Not All Are Sinning - Part 3 of 3

The cross is a tree of shame and disgrace. It also represents the point of where man crosses from trust in the physical to appreciate the existence of the celestial. When man chooses to accept the reality of God and to submit to God’s authority. The cross represents where one submits their smartness in exchange for supernatural guidance as a reward for salvation. Was the Carpenter’s Son on The Throne or The Tree of Shame?

The parable of the prodigal son may be a good place to start this part (Luke 15:11-32). One lesson to learn from this parable is the joy that the father had when his son returned home. How else will an old man whose ambivalent son just disappeared into thin air for years suddenly discovers that the son has repented and came back home. Parents are excited when their children grow up doing good. However, when those kids turn to something else after several years of bringing them up, it becomes a real issue for the parents. Hence, parents will carry their kids however sick to any hospital to find any ray of hope to bring the child back to normal. Therefore, when the prodigal son returned home after the public disgrace, the shame from neighbors and personal regret for not poor parenting that caused the son to run away were removed, he naturally sprang forth into joy. Hence, he called a party.

This is exactly how God feels when we are reconciled to Him, and He is willing to pay any price for it (Isaiah 1:18-20; Luke 15:10). People love to hide under the phrase ‘we are all sinners’ as if it is true (Romans 3:23). Yet, that scripture does not say that we can all continue sinning. In fact, the entire New Testament is about us stopping sin, not going on with it (1 Peter 1:16). Reconciling to God means coming into holiness and avoiding sin forever. I was feeling Peter’s type of guilt by not preaching to an openly gay colleague who was hysterical about the corona virus pandemic when I overhead another colleague talking to him about it. I shied away from opening the discussion because I kept getting some intuition to take it easy with him along those lines. I was surely concerned that if anything happens to either of us, then, I will be guilty of not telling him about the grace in Christ Jesus. This is the same thing that the disciples did when they deserted Jesus in the face unbearable violence against him. What voice to listen to the moment when it matters most, not later matter. And that could be only a matter of minutes. King Darius did not have another day to repent, even though his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar had more than a year to think about his own challenge.

Even, Peter openly denied Him, and the scriptures recorded that incident in clear terms for a reason. It is true that Peter was caught telling lies, but he was reinforcing the sin of abandoning Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior. We all run into these kinds of situations, not because we want to, or plan it. Even so, they are not correct or excusable, and we must ask for forgiveness of these sins as well. That is adding value to the gift of His sacrifice on the cross, the seal of our salvation. It is not an excuse for stealing or engaging in abominable acts. The question is when we will mature enough to recognize that there are fine prints to be cared for as well. It was great for the prodigal son to repent and come back home, but it was greater to remove the father’s shame. In recent time, just before the corona virus outbreak, people shared and laughed at videos of Asian children eating animals live. Animals smaller and bigger than themselves. Supervised by their parents, they ate live frogs, tore at snakes, and devoured screaming chicken and mice. Everyone thought that this was funny and interesting culture. Funny enough, when the corona pandemic hit, these pictures disappeared from the main social media channels or blamed the culture for harboring the invaders.

If man can be gored by these, how do we think God views the actions of their supervising parents? Hanging on the cross was for an opportunity to be sober once a while before getting involved in extremes such as these. When we remember the cross of Jesus Christ and the pain that it represents, we are unlikely to want to ignore the gift of grace offered through that opportunity. We will shy of getting involved in anything unholy that will turn the eyes of God away from us. Balaam could not curse the Jews on behalf of the Moabites, instead he prophesized the eventual reign of the Messiah (Numbers 22-24; 24:17-19). They remained too sacred to curse until they fell into sin and turned away God’s eyes of protection from themselves by allowing the Moabite culture of prostitution and idolatry to entice them into sin. Thereby, they offended God who allowed a plague to engulf them (Numbers 25). Pornography and pedophilia are becoming socially acceptable, and no one seems to consider preaching strongly against these maladies in modern time. Yet, it provokes the anger of God and wastes the point of atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross – the recompense that turns away the fury of The Lord.

The cross, instrument of torture and mockery becomes the universal flag of Jesus Christ, the instrument of salvation. Saint John compares it to Moses serpent in the wilderness. Jesus was the son of a carpenter. Even if he chose not to practice carpentry as a profession, he must have driven a few nails into wood before. In other words, he was very conversant with different types of nails and their abilities when used to hold wood or items on wood. Ironically, this was humiliating way that he chose to appease God on our behalf.

Even, if we discount all the slapping, all the beating and the scourging that he went through as he carried that cross to Golgotha, he must have known how painful the death will be and refuse to go on with the plan. We must remember that he prayed against it sweating blood in Gethsemane, yet, he submitted to the will of God according to the original arrangement, the mystery of which Apostle Paul was to decode for us (Numbers 24:17-19; Daniel 7:13-14; Galatians 4:14; Ephesians 3:1-10; Colossians 1:15). The carpenter’s son groaning with each nail driven down his body, a sinless man shouldering the burden of sin for the entire world (Psalm 72:9-10; John 4:23).

Therefore, the cross represents the point where the scriptural reference to God’s people changes from the Jews to the entire world of people who confess their faith in Christ Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, that is, everyone with the Jewish mindset of fastidious love for God (Romans 8:7; Acts 20:22; Galatians 3:29; Ephesians 3:10). It represents a crossover point of exchange from imminent death to life in eternal abundance according to the promise of salvation (1 Peter 1:16).

The cross is a tree of shame and disgrace. It also represents the point of where man crosses from trust in the physical to appreciate the existence of the celestial. When man chooses to accept the reality of God and to submit to God’s authority. The cross represents where one submits their smartness in exchange for supernatural guidance as a reward for salvation.

Those who go on their knees penitent at the cross and look up for mercy receive the grace of salvation and rise, washed clean of their sins as they cross over to a life of righteousness from the only One who can give it. Jesus was there before creation, was there when it was all planned out, bore the cross of shame without sin decreeing healing for all our infirmities and unrighteous acts when He declared that “It is finished”; only to rise and cross over into the glory of the resurrection. No prophet prayed for Him, He just walked out of the cave. And people saw Him after that.

Mystery of the Cross

A three-part discussion that reviews the significance of the cruxicifion in view of the spiritual gift of salvation within the prevailing political climate that the Jews found themselves and how that affects everyone else who is not a Jew.