Christ Crucified

Christ Crucified

There are three kinds of people lived in the time of Jesus:

1. Jews: (Israelites) They believed that they are spiritual. They were looking for a Saviour who will save them from the hand of Roman Govt. and set them free. So they cannot accept a man who was crucified can become their Saviour. To them Jesus become a stumbling block.

2. Greeks: They were after wisdom. They were looking for knowledge everywhere. The great philosophers Socratics and Aristotle were from Greek. But by their wisdom, it was impossible for them to believe that Christ died on the cross for their sins. To them Christ become a Foolishness.

3. Romen’s: They are interested in sports and body building. There were good fighters among them. Most of them were solders. They were trying to conquer all the countries they can. But by their power/strength, it was impossible for them to believe that Christ died on the cross for their sins. It was impossible for them to accept Jesus, who has hanged on the cross can become a savior for them. To them Christ become a weakness

I Cor. 1: 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

For Jews Christ become a Stumbling block, For Greeks Christ become a Foolishness, for Romens Christ become a weakness. But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Now a days most preachers interested to preach about a Jesus who gives blessings, material possessions, money, Big house, healing etc. If you give One he will return Two. Most believers are also interested to here this kind of preachings.

2 Timothy 4 : 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

But, Christ Crucified is the most important subject is to be preached in the world.

For some people Cross is a symbol of sacrifice. (Red Cross) For some cross is an ornament. But Cross without Christ is useless.

Some people love the Christ without Cross. They are looking for material blessings, physical blessings etc. but Christ without cross is nothing to us. Through his crucifixion we became the child of God.

Christ without Cross and Cross without Christ are of no use.

The purpose of Jesus coming to this world was to save the sinners.

It was reveled to the men of God a long before his birth. It is written in the word of God. He neither came to this world to heal the sick nor for raise the dead, nor for feed the hungry nor to do any miracles.

Before Jesus came to this world, in the old testament Abraham prayed for the sick. Through Elisha God fed the widow. In the wilderness God provided food for the Israelites in the desert.(Elisha fed 100 people 2 King 4: 42-44) In the Old testament it is mentioned that the dead were raised.(Elisha raised the son of Shunammite 2 King 4:8-36) Before the birth of Jesus, all these things were happened in this world through the men of God. So there were no need of Jesus to come to this world to do these things.

The primary aim for his coming was to save the sinners. To fulfill, what cannot be done by the law. i.e. Jesus came to this world to save me. He lived in this world to save me, He died in the cross to save me and he resurrected from the death to save me and he will come back to this world for me.

Rom. 8:3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (KJV)

Nobody is able to redeem his brother or pay the price to redeem his brother.

In one word what ever he did, he do for me only. Even if all the people of this earth were sinless, and I am the only one who is a sinner, Jesus would have come to this world and die to save me.

People come to this world with a strong desire to live. But Jesus was not come to this world to live for ever. But to die for the sinners. His death was not a murder. When the solders came to catch him, Jesus asked them. Whom are you searching? They answered, Jesus of Naserath. Then Jesus told them, I am he. He surrendered himself to the Solders who came to catch him. They did not force fully catch him. It is true that he got beating and slapped. But his death was not a murder. With his full conscious and will fully he submitted his soul in the hand of his Father. When he thought of the glory which is set before him, he find the present sufferings are nothing.