Christ’s sacrifice—an offence

Good Friday (and Easter) is a time when Christ’s sacrifice is put in public view along with the sin for which He went to the Cross.

The Cross and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), among others, are all early Christians symbols of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross—they’ve been around for a long time. Indeed the Cross, the most famous of Christian symbols is worn (e.g. jewellery) or displayed (e.g. steeples) almost everywhere there are Christians.

When the brutality of Roman crucifixion is grasped (along with the implication that we are all sinners [Ro 3:23]), it is natural, one way or another, to be uncomfortable with this or even to find it revolting. Some understanding might help alleviate some of this disgust.

Why did Jesus have to die? Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the result was their (and our) Fall into sin, the consequence of which was spiritual and then physical death (Gen 2:16). They and we are separated from God, “The wages of sin is death.” (Ro 6:23). Throughout the Old Testament the sacrifice (or life) of another (e.g. a sheep or goat, etc) was required of God’s justice to be able to stand before Him forgiven and in a right relationship. That is because “the life is in the blood” (Lev 17:11). Our sin is so real it demands a penalty. God in His grace (undeserved favour) provided the ultimate substitute in Jesus.

Hebrews 10 tells us that Jesus is the final and perfect sacrifice that all the others pointed forward to. We can now look back in faith and trust in “the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” When we do we find forgiveness of sin and the gift of new and eternal life by God’s Holy Spirit. This is all because Jesus died and rose 3 days later so we might be forgiven and find the life we so desperately need (1 Cor 15:3–4; Ro 10:9).

For some this will be received as the Good News it is meant to be. For others, even with understanding, Jesus’ sacrifice will remain an offence. (But what is there in culture and media that doesn’t offend someone).

This should not surprise us, for throughout history this has always been the case:

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, (2 Cor 2:15)

but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, (1 Cor 1:23).
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May we not resist the gift of God’s Son and the forgiveness and life He offers, but through understanding soften our hearts and believe.