One man, one son of adam, jesus the lord is now living in glory and he is presently in charge of the universe. However, he did not descend from the cross, but made the cross ascend to heaven. Why did jesus say father, forgive them on the cross. Exegetes ahl altaw l have differed about the meaning of the death waf t of jesus here. In the earliest days christians recognized each other by declaring jesus is lord. This is a simple straightforward text of scripture, john 14. On the cross, jesus did more than anyone has or will ever be able to do, and he remembered to honor his mother parents. The cross is commonly thought of today as the symbol of christian faith. Human beings may have their reasons for wanting jesus out of the way. But only god can design it for the good of the world. The seven words from the cross sermon by owen bourgaize. It is not clear to me if the early christians used the symbol of the cross as something else than as a sign of recognition between neophytes and initiates of the christian myster. He, who is the king of kings and the lord of lords, might lawfully have taken some more highsounding title.
The central issue of jesus death is not the cause, but the purposethe meaning. By both words he declared his being the incarnated god, who was manifested. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. Three cries of christ on the cross introduction god placed clues in his word to resolve doubt as to the spiritual meaning of events such as the crucifixion of christ.
It is the same name as joshua in the old testament. By the word father he established his divinity and by that of god he established his humanity. Jesus is not merely referring to immediate family at this telling moment. He has been raised from the dead, and sits in heaven, fully in charge of the universe as a resurrected man. The deeper meaning of the cross sermon series keep. The true meaning of the cross was an enigma to me for many years because i only saw it as a means of torture.
Depending upon your calendrical dialect, this is the twentyfourth sunday in ordinary time. What is the significance of the cross of jesus christ. True, the letters of the apostles clarify the meaning of the cross. The parents of a ten year old public school boy who was failing fifth grade math decided to enroll their son in a private catholic school after exhausting all methods. Godss prevenient action in drawing people to faith in jesus christ. I have authority to lay it down, and i have authority to take it up again. May god stamp the meaning of this deeply into our consciousness. Thank god, we see it now as an empty cross because the seeming tragedy for good and apparent victory for evil was overturned by the power and purposes of god into the triumph of the resurrection of jesus. Jesus christ died on a wooden cross in the month nisan in a. The cross of jesus actually teaches us the exact opposite.
For i determined not to know any thing among you, save jesus christ, and him crucified. Ironside and i, brethren, when i came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of god. The translation of the bible into english by john wyclif, in 80, was one of the chief. The power of holy communion in the life of the church.
The reference to jesus as the lamb of god points back to the institution. One day your master caught you stealing and threw you into prison. Our response to such a god is to know him personally. Why might it have been a surprising choice for the first century. John is primarily concerned with the meaning of what happened. The sayings of jesus on the cross sometimes called the seven last words from the cross are seven expressions biblically attributed to jesus during his crucifixion. At the same time you can be freed from rebelliousness, and the consequences of rebellion, because jesus took it for you. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river. Matthew, mark, and luke refl ct on the meaning of jesus sacrifi by describing the initial celebration of the lords supper. Christian theology teaches that the death of jesus christ on the cross provided the perfect atoning sacrifice for the sin of all humanity, thus making the cross one of the defining symbols of. Crosby 18201915 was the author of over 8,500 gospel songs. Jews demand miraculous signs, and greeks look for wisdom, but we preach christ crucified.
Thus says the lord, let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches. The power of holy communion all of my christian life i have heard sermons that said the communion table or the lords supper was an ordinance of the church that was of a personal nature and that we were to prepare ourselves for the partaking of communion with selfexamination and personal remembrance of the sacrifice that jesus gave on the. Skinner ccording to the lectionarys distribution of scripture texts, the reading of mark. Yet, it is much more than a symbol and has great meaning and significance. Even though he had been around christians all his life and had heard hundreds of sermons, he held the typical martyr view of the death of jesus. The second word from the cross was spoken to one of the thieves who was hanging beside him. Christs death on our behalf is the supreme demonstration of divine love. The divine author identified in the opening verse, jesus the messiah, has authority from god. And it is a great encouragement to our faith that he illustrates the meaning of the church the way he did in the relationship between john and mary. The cross in the new testament also has a more personal and individual meaning as a symbol or an image for the path of transformation, for what it means to follow jesus. This cartoon is humorous, but it does show how far from biblical understanding most of the world has come. The esv crossreference system is adapted from the original english revised version. These dying words hold too broad and rich a meaning to be minimized in such a fashion. We have often thought we were denying self, when we were only building self up.
The following article will uncover the true meaning of the words it is finished that the lord jesus. In his discussion of the meaning of mutawaff in l imr n 3. Glory of christ the scriptures glory of the the church boasting self righteousness, and the gospel. 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. In christianity, the cross is the intersection of gods love and his justice. The meaning of the cross christian faith about jesus. But, concerning deep mysteries words can be inadequate. The cross of jesus is the centerpiece of christianity. It is on the banner that is raised above us, as we, like an army, go out into the world. As we read the scriptures, we see that the cross symbolizes. Strength, spiritual attention seekers boasting, legitimate boasting in god. Therefore, one of the gifts jesus gave to us from the cross was the church.
It is simply not true that he died just like all the thousands of others who were. The primary sources for the life and teachings of jesus are the four gospels. The cross itself did not effect our salvation, but it was the shedding of blood of the perfect, sinless, spotless lamb of god on the cross that has made it so that our sins could be forgiven. Three of the sayings appear only in the gospel of luke and two only in the gospel of john. The cross of christ the message of the cross the apostle paul wrote to the church at corinth. You can be blessed with what jesus deserves, because he gave it to you through the cross and the giving of his own blood life. His body was wrapped in cloths and buried in a tomb. The problem of evil is the most baffling of philosophy. Traditionally, the brief sayings have been called words. The bible book of luke records the final words of jesus before he died on the cross. Thus, the emphasis must always be on the sacrifice of christ, the ultimate event.
One of the ways christians have traditionally meditated on good friday is by reading and reflecting on the seven last words of jesus from the cross. The cross of our lord jesus christ is the corner stone of our faith. Relevant bible teaching the significance of the cross. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. No one takes my life from me, but i lay it down of my own accord. There is only one actual cross in the world, and that is the cross of jesus christ. So then, and much more so, do the names of god convey the manyfaceted character and work of our god. Jesus, keep me near the cross, there a precious fountain, free to all a healing stream, flows from calvarys mountain.
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Christ is also calling us to embrace gods family, the larger community of faith. I knew that jesus had died on the cross for me, but my eyes were only focused on the physical cross the shame, suffering and torture and this blinded me to the spiritual. Christ not only redeemedjewsfrom the lawscurse, he also removed the impediment that. Jesus said, father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Lets look at the importance, meaning and explaination behind what jesus said.
The roman soldiers had already beaten him and placed a crown of thorns on his head john 19. The meaning of the word blood in scripture, especially with reference to the blood of the sacrifices in the old testament and to the blood of christ in the new, has been the subject of some discussion, and the writings of w. Let me explain how in a very practical way the biblical theology of the cross gave us hope and a very real assurance that jesus was walking with us, even in the midst. The cross of jesus paperback february 1, 1988 by leon morris author visit amazons leon morris page. We dont realize what sin is in the sight of godhow deeply it offends him and how it separates us from him.
It took several generations for the cross to become the universal symbol of the christian faith. The cross of jesus christ is central to the christian faith. The seven last words of jesus explained in a simplified way. The lord jesus said in his high priestly prayer in john 17. He has broken the power of sin once for all time heb. Jesus christ is the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world john 1. Many brothers and sisters believe that what jesus meant by saying it is finished when he was on the cross was that gods work to save mankind was completed. Unfold the cross as you say this now for the amazing part. We have no natural concept of cross apart from what. And it is given to our lord because he saves his people from their sins, matthew 1. The christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of jesus, is the bestknown symbol of christianity. The work of jesus on the cross, as far as we are concerned, is completely finished. Relative to the day of atonement, nthe pharisees wrested the power of. Pain is common to all men, old and young, rich and poor, educated and illiterate.
Jesus bore our sins upon the cross and died in our place so we could be reconciled to god and receive eternal life. Jesus is a very encouraging name to weighteddown sinners. However, because of christ and his death on the cross, the meaning of the cross today is completely different. The easter story, the crucifixion and resurrection of jesus christ, has made the cross likely the most recognized icon on earth. Jesus looked down from the cross upon a scene that must have been distressing to him. The significance of that death was not agreed upon by those who were a party to it or spectators of it. As with the previous three sayings made intercession for the transgressors, numbered with the transgressors, sword piercing the soul of mary, it was a fulfilment of prophecy, this time of the opening verse of psalm 22. At the cross jesuss seven sayings help for christians. Jesus offers bread and wine as symbols of his death. John is, therefore, much deeper in its symbolism than the three earlier ones. The four dimensions of the cross 2,000 years ago, the lord jesus laid down his life for us on the cross so we could be eternally rescued. The roman soldiers were gambling for his clothing john 19. He died because some jewish leaders plotted to pressure pontius pilate, the governor of judea, to put him to death by crucifixion matthew 27. Lewis, the oxford don, has written a very interesting and thoughtprovoking book entitled the meaning of pain.
The bible teaches that there was a crucial event, the event of the cross. It is likely that jesus was thinking on this psalm when he was on the cross. Jesus rose in spiritual ecstasy to the heavenly presence is a symbol of glaring. The berean study bible text is the result of a meticulous translation and styling process to maintain core meanings and produce an english text of high literary quality, effective for public reading, study, memorization, and evangelism. Denying self, bearing a cross, and following jesus. The study of gods many names will give us a greater knowledge of our wonderful god. Perhaps the cross is little more than a symbol to many people. What is the significance of the cross and the crucifixion. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to christs cross. Another language god uses to communicate is numbers.