March 7: The Paradox of the Cross
Read: Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 18-25
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 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; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Many of you have heard me tell the story of our failure at planting a church while we were in Jordan. We had gathered three couples. They had believed and been baptized. We had Bible study with them for a long time and we were ready to begin handing off the leadership to them. Within weeks of discussing this possibility with them, the group had fallen apart. They were no longer meeting with us and we were left dazed and confused and wondering why God would let us fail so miserably.
Eventually we would form a new church planting team and with lessons we had learned from the first experience and a few more along the way, the new team saw God move in incredible ways and not only start one house church, but hundreds!
What we thought had been a failure turned out to be a blessing. It was an opportunity to learn and to grow. It was a practical example of how seemingly two opposite things can be true at the same time. An event can be both a tragedy and a blessing, a failure and an opportunity. As Joseph realized with his brothers, an event that was intended for evil can be allowed by God to accomplish his purposes (see Genesis 50:20).
Today’s two texts seem to be opposites. On the one hand there is Exodus 20 which lists the Ten Commandments. It is the heart of the Old Testament Law. It can be summarized, Jesus tells us, in two great commands: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. It’s a list of do’s and don’ts. It’s Law.
On the other hand, Paul writes to the Corinthians about grace and about how God, in his infinite wisdom, used the foolishness of the cross to shame the wisdom of the world. We couldn’t keep the Law’s requirements, so God sent Jesus who did it for us. Our sin deserved punishment, so God sent Jesus to the cross to die in our place.
We can’t love God the way we’re supposed to. We constantly put other gods before him. We may not commit adultery or kill literally, but our minds are filled with hate and anger and lust. Our inability to keep the Ten Commandments is part of why Jesus came and went to the cross. As Paul wrote in his second letter to the church at Corinth, 21” For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).” That’s grace.
The cross is the place where Law and grace collide. The Law is fulfilled. The Law sets a perfect standard we cannot reach. Jesus lived a sinless life that is credited to us by faith. Our sinful lives deserve punishment, eternal separation from God. Jesus died in our place, taking our punishment upon himself.
But there are people who struggle with the paradox of Law and grace. They struggle with the cross as the way God solves the dilemma. They cannot conceive of something so horrendous; so evil; producing something so good. They cannot understand how powerless they are apart from the cross.
The word of the cross always produces one of two reactions. First, the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. It seems like nonsense to them. In our society that rewards self-sufficiency, the cross is folly. People want just enough Jesus to bless what they’re doing, but not so much they actually have to change. They can take care of themselves, thank you very much! To come and tell such a person that all his/her efforts and all his/her achievements are worth nothing in God’s sight, will immediately bring us to the offense of the cross.
The second reaction to the cross understands its powerlessness. It accepts its own inability to do what is needed. It sees that the word of the cross is power. It is the power of God to everyone who is being saved. To them, the cross is the center of history and life. It is the key to experiencing whatever blessing and goodness God has for us in life. It brings healing to our hearts, deliverance from the bondage of sin, and the entry into peace with God and abiding joy. The cross is God’s wisdom in meeting our deepest needs in a way only he could.
The device designed for execution of criminals became the example of unconditional, redeeming love. It became the place where lives are saved and captives set free. As people walked by and mocked Jesus as he hung on the cross, they had no idea the beauty and glory of that act. They couldn’t see the opportunity in what they called a failure.
Questions for Reflection
Has the cross been a stumbling block in your life? Why or why not?
Have you ever had a situation in your life that seemed hopeless or so bad you couldn’t imagine anything good coming from it? How did God meet you in that place? Has he brought good from those difficult circumstances?
Who is someone around you going through a difficult time? How might you encourage them to see the potential blessing in the midst of hardship?
Readings for this week:
March 8: 1 Kings 6:1-4; 21-22; 1 Corinthians 3:10-23
March 9: 2 Chronicles 29:1-11; Hebrews 9:23-28
March 10: Ezra 6:1-16; Mark 11:15-19
March 11: Genesis 9:8-17; Ephesians 1:3-6
March 12: Daniel 12:5-13; Ephesians 1:7-14
March 13: Numbers 20:22-29; John 3:1-13
March 14: Numbers 21:4-9; Ephesians 2:1-10