09.10.07

Preaching the Crucifixion

Posted in Preaching, Scripture at 1:04 pm by Anthony

Yesterday I preached the crucifixion. It was probably the most sober and personally impacting sermon I have yet to preach. You would think that I would be used to it by now. That Christ died for our sins — however you understand that phrase — is one of the most foundational tenents of our faith. There’s been a lot of discussion about how his death makes possible reconciliation between us–corporately and individually–and God, but there can be no debate that he did die and he did it for us.

Yesterday I preached the event of the crucifixion — how Christ died. The horror of the cross has been portrayed more graphically that I ever could with words or images, so I did not even try. But, as others have said, Scripture does not so graphically portray the pain of the cross as it does the shame of the cross, so that is what I attempted to do in my sermon.

The previous week I had preached on Jesus’ trial before Pilate. In pouring over many images, brilliant paintings, of the crucifixion, I had difficulty finding one that I did not feel was too shameful to display. Actually the artists’ renditions may portray the crucifixion as more modest than it actually was. I don’t even want to think about it. I finally found one image that I felt that I could show, to remind us of the way of salvation that Christ offers. This week I choose not to show any — it just didn’t seem right to put him on display again like that. I’m not saying that I’ll never again show an image of the crucifixion but, focused on the shame as I was, it just didn’t seem appropriate.

Reading Matthew’s account, it is amazing how often the words “mock” and “insult” occur. Why couldn’t they just kill him? What is so amazing is not that people would mock God (they do every day), but that God would take it — and I guess he does that every day, too.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
       and carried our sorrows,
       yet we considered him stricken by God,
       smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
       he was crushed for our iniquities;
       the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
       and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
       each of us has turned to his own way;
       and the LORD has laid on him
       the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6, TNIV

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