The Offense Of The Cross

The Apostle Paul will say that the message of the cross is foolish to some and actually offensive to others. As a follower of Jesus my knee jerk reaction is to be taken aback by this statement. Why would anyone be offended by the cross? Every Sunday we thank and worship Jesus for His cross.

I think the cross can be offensive in 3 ways:

The cross offends  our righteousness.  A core part of the message of the cross is that we are sinners in desperate need of grace. We live in a culture that is, by and large, desperate to be seen as moral. You can see this desperation played out in our judgment of others and our use social media to preach and declare our righteousness. The cross confronts that sense of righteousness. It reminds us that we are sinners in need of God’s grace.

The cross offends our ability. Our culture is desperate to be seen as able. We can accomplish anything at any time. The cross reminds us that we are unable to deal with our sin and the consequences of it, but Jesus is able. We need Jesus to lead us, forgive us, and empower us.

The cross offends our authority. We are a culture that knows. We know what to do, we know what is right, we know what you should do, we know what the president and congress should do, we have the answers to all the worlds  problems. The cross reminds us that in our authority we will lead ourselves to death just like Adam and Eve did. We need a savior who will lead us to life.

The cross can be offensive. The question becomes, what do you do with the offense?

Some people choose to lash out. They have an angry response toward Jesus and His cross. They perceive an attack on their righteousness, ability, and authority and choose to attack in return. This was the response of the religious leaders toward Jesus in the New Testament. They end up living in their hypocrisy, judgment, and self righteousness. There is a better way and a better response.

Some people look in. They understand that a feeling of offense is something to pay attention to and address. Sometimes being offended is the thing we need most. They ask great questions like: Why am I so bothered by this? Is it possible that my righteousness and ability needs to be confronted? Is it possible that Jesus, His cross, and resurrection shows me a better way? These are the questions that I believe will lead you to life.

Be a person that looks in.