Big Idea - Theologians talk about the scandal of the cross. How could Jesus claim to be the Messiah sent from God, the very Son of God who is full of all the authority and power of God, and at the same time be convicted as a criminal and die the most shameful death possible? It is a scandal - completely unexpected, shocking, mind-boggling. What makes it most shocking is that by all appearances, it looks like Jesus lost and His enemies won. Even Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:4 that Jesus was crucified in weakness. Who would want to follow someone who is seen as weak? The world certainly does not follow those who are weak instead they mock and ridicule the weak. And that is exactly what they do to Jesus. What does the scandal of the cross tell us about Jesus, and what does it mean for how we are to live as followers of Christ?
First, we see that Jesus chose the path of weakness. His enemies had already made up their minds about who He was. They did not give Him a fair trial. They were not seeking truth and justice but murder. But, their plans almost failed because they were seeking to do a great injustice legally. Jesus could have easily evaded the charges. But He gives no defense. We see that Jesus is in control. He is not weak, but He chooses the path of weakness. Jesus lays down His own life. They do not take it from Him! Secondly, we see that Jesus chooses the cross, which, by all human appearances, is the end and is total defeat. But, it is not the end. The path of weakness is actually the path to power and glory. On this day, Jesus is on trial before the Jewish leaders who sit in judgment, but there is coming another day when they will stand before Jesus, who will be sitting on the judgment seat. They are convinced that no true Messiah could end up all alone in the hands of His enemies, suffering total defeat, so they mock and ridicule Him. They want proof that He is the powerful and mighty Messiah as they picture Him. Jesus promises that one day, they will see how powerful and mighty this Messiah truly is! Jesus may be crucified in weakness, but He lives (and reigns) by the power of God! Thirdly, we see that if they had been seeking truth, to know who Jesus was, instead of making up their minds based on their misguided ideas about the Messiah, there was plenty of evidence in the form of fulfilled prophecy - in fact, the prophecy was being fulfilled right before their very eyes! If we wait until we see Jesus seated at the right hand of God, it will be too late. But we can know the truth about Him now!
So, what does this tell us about who Jesus is, and how do we live in light of this? First, it shows us that Jesus was always in control, He was always strong, He was and is eternally God, but He chose the cross, the path of weakness, for a purpose. He laid down His life for His sheep. He gave Himself up for us because He loved us so much that He died in our place. He became weak so that we might become strong! Second, one day, every human being will stand before Jesus, and on that day, there will be no hint of weakness. He will sit in all power and authority to judge everyone. Unlike the Jewish leaders, He will judge with perfect justice, that is, He will seek to know the truth about us, and we will give an answer for everything we have done. But, like Jesus' prosecutors, many of us are asking the wrong question. We think Jesus will judge based on our moral goodness - have we done good things or bad things? Are we guilty of wrongdoing? Many people think they can pass this judgment because they are basically good people. But, that is the wrong question. Jesus is the King of Kings and the real question is not if we have been good, but have we been loyal to the King. Are we devoted followers and citizens of the Kingdom, or are we enemies of the King? The Jewish leaders proved themselves to be enemies who hated Jesus. But, the Bible tells us that we are all born as enemies of the King. Sin has made us loyal only to ourselves, and we worship the creation rather than the one who made us! On our own, no one can stand before the judge on our own merit, no matter how good we think we are. But, that is the very reason Jesus chose the path of weakness, why He chose the cross. God showed His great love for us in that when we were enemies, Jesus died for us. Thirdly, Jesus shows us that we can choose the path of weakness because it is the path to His strength and glory. We don’t have to win. We can give up the right to be right, in order to love and serve others. We don’t have to be strong in ourselves, but we are strong in the power of Christ - His strength is made perfect in weakness!
