Calvary Lutheran Church

Finding Both the Cross and the Christ

Oh, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us and grant us your peace. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:18, 22-25

Dear Christian friends:

            In 1959, Tomas Hoving from New York’s Metropolitan Museum purchased a cross made of ivory from a Yugoslavian art collector who had it for many years. Upon examining the cross Hoving noticed that it had five small holes on the cross. No one knew for sure the reason for the holes, but it was assumed that originally something must have been attached to the cross.

            In the meantime, a figure of Christ also carved out of ivory laid in Norway’s Oslo Museum of Applied Art. It had been there for over 30 years. It too had five strange holes at strategic locations on the statue. No one really knew why. They figured it must have been attached to something at one time.

            Ten years later, in 1969, a Norwegian by the name of Florens Deuchler, who had been to Oslo’s Museum of Applied Art many times and had seen the Christ statue, paid a visit to America; in particular, New York, where he decided to go to the Metropolitan Museum. Upon his visit there he saw the cross with the holes, and he thought to himself, “Could it be?” To make a long story short, he informed the museum authorities. They contacted the Oslo Museum. The two pieces were brought together, and sure enough the holes lined up perfectly.

            So those two carved figures, separated for decades and by thousands of miles, were originally designed by their maker as one. It was truly amazing how they were finally reunited.

            This is an interesting story which at first glance we would say teaches nothing more than a lesson in coincidences. But in a sense, it teaches much more, and the Apostle Paul this morning tells us why.

            This text says that the discovery Deuchler made must be made in a spiritual sense by every true Christian if he is to discover God’s original and only plan of salvation, and that is the necessity of

FINDING BOTH THE CROSS AND THE CHRIST

            The text begins, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God,” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Who is he talking about—“those who are perishing”?

            In a sense we are all perishing. From the moment we are born, the dying process begins. But Paul contrasts those who are perishing and those who are being saved. So those who are perishing must be those who will die an eternal death in hell. Oh, they are not there yet, they may look and feel very much alive and healthy, and for the most part they are, physically. And if you tried to tell them that they were perishing, they would look at you quite strangely, as if to say, “What in the world are you talking about?” But their end is imminent. Their eternal death is certain, because their unforgiven sins have already determined their destiny. So much so that Paul could speak of them as already beginning the process of perishing.

            Likewise, Paul can speak of those who are already being saved. Oh, they haven’t reached heaven yet. And their lives here on earth may not be all that healthy. And if you were to say to them that they are already saved, they would look at you with the same inquisitive question, “What in the world are you talking about?” But their salvation is that certain, and it is just a matter of time until they reach their heavenly home. Because their forgiven sins have been washed in the blood of Jesus, Paul can speak of them as already saved.

            So what is it that separated those who are perishing from those who are being saved? It is their view of the cross. Those who are already perishing view the cross as foolishness.

            And then Paul gives two examples of those who are perishing. He writes, “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). Suppose for a moment that you are a Jew in the first century. As such you have a remarkable heritage. God chose your people, the Children of Israel, as his very own, over all other nations. God has blessed you first the tabernacle and then the temple where he himself resided.

            Abraham was your spiritual father, but Abraham was also described as the very “friend of God.” It was to Abraham and his offspring that God had promised the Messiah, the Christ, who would bring justice and righteousness and peace on earth. But that’s you, you are the offspring of Abraham. Also, Moses was your law-giver. Where did he get the Law, directly from God. He has manifested himself to you in numerous miraculous ways like the plagues of the Exodus and the miracles of Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, and Daniel.

            And don’t think for one minute that it hasn’t filled you with pride, because it has. So much so that you began to think that God didn’t own you, you owned God. And you would determine for yourself how God would act and deal with you in the future. And that is why when a new messenger came to you, Jesus, professing to be sent from God, you told him in no uncertain terms that you demanded that he show signs and wonders if he really is the Christ.

            And that is why you were so greatly offended when instead of signs and wonders, Jesus spoke of himself as the crucified Messiah. Oh, you stumbled over those words every time you heard them. “God would never save his people that way,” you said. “Tell us about a great battle in which the Messiah defeats our enemies like in the days of Joshua. Tells us about mighty king, like David, who would expand the kingdom. That’s the way God would save us. Don’t give us this crucified Savior.” That’s how you would think and speak if you were a first century Jew. You had the Christ, but you didn’t have the cross.

            Now suppose you are a first century Greek. You certainly had the cross. After all, Alexander the Great, who lived 300 years before the time of Christ, was a Greek who popularized execution by crucifixion. It was started much earlier than that probably with the Persians. But it was the Greeks who brought it to the holy land. And the Romans simply continued the practice in Jesus’ day. Yes, people were crucified on crosses, especially slaves and non-Romans.

            As a Greek, you too had made a name for yourself, not by the glory of God but by the glory of man. You, after all, were the inventor of political and intellectual freedom. In the process of making this discovery you discovered something else—yourself. And you liked what you saw. You discovered within yourself art and beauty and goodness and poetry and wisdom, yes, especially wisdom. Your Greek philosophers, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle made human wisdom the source of all truth, everything from philosophy to religion. Socrates once wrote, “One thing I know, and that is, that I know nothing. This is the source of my wisdom.” Instead, Paul wrote to the Timothy, “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). As a Greek you had the cross, but you didn’t have the Christ.

            And then there are those especially today who have neither the cross nor the Christ. What they have instead is spiritual apathy. Many simply do not care about God or soul or faith or eternity. They have just one request of all religions, “Don’t bother me. Leave me alone.” Now if the sermon were on the topic of making money or getting ahead in life or feeling good about themselves, then their interest would perhaps be stirred. But if it is only on the Word of God and sin and eternity and the soul and the blood of Jesus, then it is not worth their time or effort. They have neither the cross or the Christ.

            But to a few, Paul says, a startling discovery is made. Paul wrote, “But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger that man’s strength” (1 Corinthians 1:24,25). They see the cross, they see the Christ, they put the two together, and instead of apathy they see a treasure. Instead of disgrace they see glory. Instead of weakness they see power. Instead of foolishness they see wisdom.

            For them the cross of Christ becomes the power of God, because through it is the power of salvation. When Jesus spoke of his death, he said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). His being lifted up on the cross signified a victory, a triumph for all people. By the cross he conquered sin, death, Satan, and hell for all. Through the preaching of the cross the kingdom of salvation is being extended throughout the world. You cannot find a greater power anywhere else in the world than in the cross of Christ to call people to faith and salvation.

            But also, the cross of Christ is the wisdom of God, because in the cross God’s justice is maintained. You see, God must punish sin. We might say that God can do anything he want to. He doesn’t have to punish sin. But that’s not true because of who he is. God is holy, and being holy means all sin must be punished, if holiness is to be maintained. But to punish mankind for its sin would mean eternal death for all. So God punished his Son in our place, his Son paid for our sin, his Son suffered our death, we are set free from sin, death, and hell, and made heirs of eternal life. It was the perfect plan. It didn’t leave any loose ends. Not all the books, not all the human reason in the world could match the wisdom of the cross of Christ. Yes, God’s foolishness, if there was such a thing, is wiser than man’s wisdom. If we want to talk about God’s foolishness, let it be this: God was foolish to choose you and me, sinners through and through, who are being saved even now through the cross.  

            No, it was no coincidence. It was no accident. You just didn’t happen to be in the right place, the right museum, at the right time. God chose you to come to faith. And the evidence of that faith is when you say to yourself, “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died on the cross for my sins. That’s my Savior on that cross.” You have found God’s original and only design for salvation. You got the cross, you got the Christ, and your reaction is that of the hymnwriter Isaac Watts who wrote:

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of Glory died.

My richest gain I count but loss

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a tribute far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all. Amen.