Wednesday · Jul 8
A Savior Nailed to the Cross
Paul wrote, “Jewish people want to see God do a miracle. Then they will listen [believe]. Gentile [non-Jews] people want to listen to a message that has clever ideas” ( 1 Corinthians 1:22 , EASY). No one, Jews and non-Jews alike, expected or wanted a Savior on a cross.
Read Mark 8:31, 32; Mark 9:30–32; and Mark 10:32–34 . These verses show us that the Jews thought the death of a Savior on a cross was crazy and strange. As we already saw, the Jews expected the Savior to fight the Romans. That didn’t happen, at least not in the way we think a war should be fought and won.
For sure, Christians in Paul’s time also thought that a Savior dying on a cross was a crazy idea. But the Cross is a symbol of faith for so many Christians today. So, we may have trouble understanding how Christians in Paul’s time thought and felt about the cross.
The Cross shows us everything God was willing to do to save us. The idea of the Lord dying on a cross for sinners is surprising. Why would He do that? (Imagine in your mind what the angels thought when they saw Jesus die on the cross. They knew and worshiped Jesus in heaven!)
Read Acts 13:16–47 (look closely at verses 26, 38, and 47). What do these verses teach us about the Cross?
Paul says Jesus sent him to preach the Good News. So, Paul preaches the message of a Savior who died on a cross ( 1 Corinthians 1:23 ). Paul talks again about these ideas in 1 Corinthians 2:1–5 . Paul did what Jesus sent him to do. When Paul preached, he says, “I did not use clever words when I spoke to you. I did not try to make you think that I was very wise” ( 1 Corinthians 2:1 , EASY). Paul says, “While I was with you, I decided to teach you only about Jesus Christ. I taught you about his death on a cross. I wanted to forget everything else” ( 1 Corinthians 2:2 , EASY). Paul also says, “I did this so that you would not believe because of man’s wise words, but you would believe because of God’s power” ( 1 Corinthians 2:5 , WE).
Does God always do things the way we expect? Why is the answer important for us to understand when things don’t happen the way we expect?