The Cross of Christ

1 Corinthians 1:23-25, “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
The apostles were preaching to a very mixed and divers crowd after Christ went to the cross. What was their message? Christ and Him crucified.
It was a lesson how something good could come from a tragic example. As the book of 1 Corinthians and most of the New Testament states it was the crucifixion of Christ which put away our sins and provided us a way to get to the righteousness we needed for salvation.
Why was this message a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks? The Jews were sure all their prayers, sacrifices and obedience to the laws Moses gave them would save them. It really gave them problems to think they had to believe a lowly man of Nazareth could provide them salvation. The Greeks on the other hand were scholars and technocrats and by that any message salvation through a crucified carpenter was totally nonsense. Their philosophical minds just could not comprehend this simple concept. Their theory about life, purpose, and meaning and to some since salvation was way more complicated than the death of a man they did not trust nor believe.
The Jews were religious and the Greeks were educated. Sounds a lot like us today. Many just can’t grasp the fact that salvation is as simple as asking God for forgiveness and accepting Jesus died to pay their sin debt. Many are hung up on religion and traditional symbolism. Jesus plan of salvation just does not make rational sense.
Many Jews did receive the message of Christ crucified, and countless Greeks embraces Jesus as their Lord and Savior. What made the difference to these? Some, Paul says, were called. The message of Christ was powerful enough to convince them the law they had been trying to follow was dead and wise enough to transcend their best philosophies. To them Jesus was not offensive or foolish; he was salvation. His was a message of freedom and a life of peace.
The message is the same today yet there are many who thing it foolishness and others who are offended. Many more try to put mans ideals into a simple plan only to find man’s plans do not work. Religion won’t save anyone, education won’t direct you to Jesus, membership in a church or organization is not a ticket to heaven. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
How do you view the cross? Is it offensive and foolish, or powerful and wise and liberating?