When we look at the society of Jesus’ time, we’re appalled. How on earth could an entire society approve of nailing a man to a cross? How could that kind of atrocity be considered “just another day in the life?” We think that in 21st century we’re more civilized than that and that we would never do anything that resembled crucifixion.
But as I explain in today’s podcast, our thoughts are undone by history, because 1,900 years after the cross, Hitler rose to power and many in Germany (including some of the church) followed him into his darkness, treating his satanic ideologies as though they were gospel. Our thoughts are further undone by the Rwandan genocide some 24 years ago when Hutus were handed weapons by the government and told to go kill their Tutsi neighbors and friends whom they ate and talked with—and they did it!
It ends up that we are far more susceptible to sociology than we thought. It seems that if all of society is willing to submit to the darkness together, many will follow without question. The world around us is constantly trying to force us to kneel before it, and if we’re living by the flesh and not by the Spirit, chances are we will do so whether we’re aware of it or not—regardless of how dark it gets.
In the end, the cross is more than just a means of redemption. It’s also a way of God saying, “You’re capable of this, but I am willing to love you and forgive you even when you commit this kind of incredible darkness against me. Just come to me.”
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Further Reading:
- The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge
- The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Philip Zimbardo
- Hitler, God and the Bible by Ray Comfort
- Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
Picture by: Thuong Do
Jamin Bradley 