For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18) If you think about the fact that our savior died on the cross to give us life, you might snicker. After all, real a savior should not die in the most wretched way imaginable in the first century. I mean, just imagine telling somebody that you put all of your faith into a man who was left to die in agonizing pain on the side of a highway, naked and alone, and you might second guess your belief. Yet, our savior, Jesus, did die in an inglorious manner. You may understand then why the Jews and Romans laughed at the first century believers when they heard this. In fact, if it weren’t for the arts and movies where heroes die tragically, sacrificing themselves for the sake of others living, we probably couldn’t justify a crucified Christ. Those “saviors” are believable and trustworthy, yet they are fictional. The tragic hero that sacrifices himself or herself for a stranger is rare in fiction and more fictional in reality. This justification may even shed light into why atheists laugh when we share our beliefs with them– it seems like we are talking about putting our entire lives into the hands of fictional character. But then again, the religious in the first century laughed away their savior because He sunk beneath their preconceived notions of wisdom. Why would anybody become a powerless sacrifice, when he can command heaven’s army? Who actually sacrifices themselves for the sake of degenerate people like you and me? The actions of Jesus, as foolish as it may sound, is the power of life that birthed more change in this world than another other single event. Who in their right mind would give up their own life for somebody else’s? Yet, this is exactly what Jesus did. His power over reality and life became a reality when he renounced His rights and welcomed the pain, suffering and death of punishment on our behalf. Not having to had sacrifice even an inch for anything in our lives may make the idea of Jesus dying on a cross for the sake of our sins, as foreign as quantum physics to a three year old; but nonetheless, there is power in believing that a powerful and infinite God would give up everything just so that we, who are nothing but breathless pieces of dirt without Him, would have a chance at real life. So if like the Apostle Paul writes: the cross is the power of God to those of us being saved; then are we living victoriously as we have that power? Or are we still putzing around as people living in the folly of so-called wisdom?
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