Thoughts From Galatians 5 - Part 2

  “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. 11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

           

               The Chosen Season 6 is coming, it will probably be released in theaters during the Passion week and will deal with Jesus being crucified. We've all known it is coming because we know the story, but that doesn't make it any easier. His miracles, his teachings, his winsome personality, his patience and mercy, his authority have all been fun to watch and you find yourself asking, "Why are they going to kill him off? Why does he have to die? Why does the story have to end so soon?" The cross is offensive. I've seen Mel Gibson's movie - once. I don't really want to see it again. I will watch Season 6 once but never again. Did you know that over 40% of John deals with the passion week?

             I guess I don't like the brutality of it that people could be so cruel to someone who never hurt anyone but just teaches love. I don't like the scorn of it that taking away his dignity and mocking him when he came to give people dignity and worth. I don't like the pain in what when all my life I do all I can to avoid pain. I don't like the fact that he dies when I try to not think about death and live like I'm immortal. The cross is offensive, but is this the offense that Paul is talking about?

             The offense of the cross is that we are so bad and helpless that in order to restore our relationship with God, the cross was necessary. We caused the cross. People don't like to hear that because we all think that we really aren't that bad, yet the cross tells us we are. This is why people stumble over Jesus and the cross; they think they really are good people who just need to be a little better and certainly don't need someone doing it for them. As Paul said in Romans and Isaiah said 1000 years earlier,

 "but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame."

Are you offended by the cross or have you come to the realization that you are as bad as the cross tells you that you are? Humbling yourself is the only way in. Thank you Jesus for the cross that I despise so much.