It has been said that “A picture is worth a thousand words.” A single picture can be made up of hundreds of colors, hues, and shades as well as dozens of geometric shapes, all combining to render a near infinite number of potential images. And there’s more. A single picture can evoke many meanings, contain multiple layers of meaning, or reveal complex tensions. Depending on where you stand, either literally or in terms of socio-economics, age, family background, or life-experience, the same picture can evoke very different responses. Here’s a simple example:
I could ask you, “Which character is correct, Mr Six or Mr Nine?” You might respond, “That depends on where you’re standing.” By the way, this doesn’t mean that “seven” is the correct answer. But this image does illustrate that pictures are not only worth a thousand words but that, sometimes, they can have a multiplicity of meanings.
When it comes to understanding the Biblical teaching about the cross and the crucifixion of Jesus, we find ourselves in a similar situation. The New Testament writers found themselves straining to explain the richness of what happened in the crucifixion, dipping into a kaleidoscopic trove of metaphors, analogies, and images from the Hebrew Scriptures, commerce, law, family life, and more. Brian Zahnd, in his book The Wood Between the Worlds, provides this lovely summary of the surplus of meanings found in the crucifixion of our Lord:
It’s the pinnacle of divine self-disclosure, the eternal moment of forgiveness, divine solidarity with human suffering, the enduring model of discipleship, the supreme demonstration of divine love, the beauty that saves the world, the re-founding of the world around an axis of love, the overthrow of the satan, the shaming of the principalities and powers, the unmasking of mob violence, the condemnation of state violence, the expose of political power… the sacrifice to end sacrificing… the healing center of the cosmos, the death by which death is conquered, the Lamb upon the throne… indeed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is an inexhaustible revelation of who God is.
Today begins our annual 40-Day Spiritual Adventure, a season of the church year commonly called Lent. For the next seven weeks, we’ll be delving into a number of the New Testament teachings about the meaning of the crucifixion of Jesus. We’re calling this sermon series “Scandalous Good News: The Multifaceted Richness of the Cross.” Come as we seek to more fully appreciate God’s holy and self-emptying grace as manifested in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus our Lord.
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