The Illogical Message of the Cross (part 1) - from Lent Journal 2015

The cross is just one of the many examples within Christendom that defies logic and reason. Christianity has long been called the “upside down kingdom.”

We saw this profoundly demonstrated last week in the aftermath of terror.  Twenty one young men lost their lives last Sunday morning. We later learned that they were twenty-one Christian men and that they were all from the community of Coptic Christians in Egypt. Yet, the response of the villagers and Christianity in general has been rather upside down. It has defied human logic and reason.

But - As the scriptures say, “We do not sorrow as those who have no hope.”

The cry for revenge has been strangely absent from true christian dialog. Instead, prayer that has been offered has been the same prayer that Jesus Christ offered from the cross. “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.”

When the brother of two of the young men who were killed was interviewed and asked how he felt about the airstrikes on Libya, he reminded the interviewer that the Bible teaches that we are to love our enemies and bless those that curse us. He cited generations of persecution as having been helpful in strengthening his community to be able to have compassion for those who would persecute them.  Then, he offered prayer for the men that killed his brothers and asked God to forgive them and open their eyes to the truth.

That defies human logic and reason.  Human logic and reason says, “Do to them what they did to our brothers.” (So does the Quran, by the way).  But, the Ten Commandments say, “Treat others the way you would like to be treated.”, and “Do not murder.” God has also said from the very beginning, “Vengeance is my business.” Jesus preached, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” And, “Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

So, this week, the world has seen one of the central illogical messages of the cross practiced by the church far and wide and certainly by the little village in Egypt who lost so many young men last Sunday morning. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” has been the response to the unthinkable.

When the world says, “Don’t you want to see them punished for what they’ve done?” The answer from "the Nation of the Cross has been, “No. We want to see them forgiven for what they’ve done. We want to see them come to know the redemptive, transforming power of the cross and the Savior whose name was called as our brothers were dying." Even then, they cried out, “Jesus, my Savior!” It wasn’t a cry for help. It was a final shout of allegiance and praise to God. As two of the men's uncle has been quoted to have said, "They were like lions." It was a final “Thank You for saving me, God!” It was a last chance to share their testimony with the world, including their killers, and they took it.  They didn’t curse them as they were about to die. Instead, they shared the greatest gift they knew to give – the powerful love of Jesus.

It is an illogical message but it is the message of the cross.

Through the cross that Jesus died on, the entire world is offered unwarranted love and undeserved forgiveness. It came at a great cost but it is given freely to all who will believe.

The cross doesn’t make any sense. That’s the beauty of it, don’t you see?

And now, how do we take this message of forgiveness from the broader context of the world's  stage and apply it to our every day lives when we are misunderstood, hurt, abused, disrespected, overlooked, despised or unappreciated? May the healing waters of forgiveness flow out of us and over us in all of our exchanges. May the church ever be a peculiar people.

Shalom and Selah