Scandal
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Friends,
I saw somewhere a few weeks ago a statement which began with the words, “We are not all equal”.
I don’t agree with the statement. I believe we are equal. This is a hard statement to accept. Some would find it even scandalous.
The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence reads: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Galatians 3 reminds us that all who are clothed in Christ are one, or equal, in Christ. Galatians reads: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:27-28)
We are equal.
In 1 Corinthians Paul talked of the cross as being a “stumbling block”. Paul used the language of ancient Greek when he wrote his letters. In the Greek “stumbling block” is one word. The word comes to us in English as “scandal”.
In the ancient Greek, it had the idea that one was walking along a nice clear path and suddenly one would trip over a block in the path and fall.
Paul seems to be saying that people believe the Christian faith until they realize the cross makes us all equal. People trip over that belief. People have a hard time accepting that belief. People become all tripped up.
In English, we believe it to be a scandal.
The truth is the cross does make us equal. Jesus did not die on the cross only for people we think our good, like ourselves. (sarcasm) He died for all people. Frankly, you and I are not always such good people. That’s why Christ needed to come for us.
The cross changes a person. When a person sees that Christ loved them enough to go to the cross, they start to see that Christ died for the other person: that person who looks different than me, that person who I don’t like, even the politician I refuse to vote for. Christ died for THAT person with the same love he has for me.
Scandalous as it sounds, we are all equal. We are equal through the love of Christ.
Peace,
Ricky Adams
Pastor
Peace Lutheran Church
Mill Valley, California