Palm Sunday (FAY)

Can you name a time in life where something seemed rather simple at first, but upon further inspection it became more and more complicated? How did that make you feel? What did you do?

What happened on the cross? This can sound like a rather simple question, and while the message of the cross can be grasped by a child, the depth of the answer to this question is deep and layered.

If you were to answer the question: What happened on the cross? What would you say?

This passage mentions several significant facets of the brilliant diamond that is the gospel of the cross of Jesus.

Who is the subject of the active verbs in this passage? 

There are three main verbs that anchor this passage: "made us alive," "has taken away," and "made a spectacle". These are amplified with participles (normally translated with -ing words in English), and these participles color in the main verbs. What are the participles in this passage?

What does this tell us about the answer to our question: What happened on the cross?

On Sunday morning, we will see that our problem: personal sin, social disharmony, and cosmic enslavement all find their answer in the work of Jesus on the cross. The cross means forgiveness of sin, the cancelation of the hostility between people (the ground is level at the foot of the cross!), and the victory over the powers and the liberation of a new people.

Which of these facets do you tend to ignore? Which of these do you tend to focus on?

We also will see that the bare fact of the crucifixion of Jesus is historically undoubted, but the meaning of the cross becomes a matter of significance: (1) either Jesus was simply another man brutally executed by the Roman authorities and as 'noble' as we may feel about it, it has no other meaning than this; or (2) or this was the day that everything was changed, that the power of sin was shattered and that the rulers and authorities who had enslaved humanity to idolatry and emptiness were overthrown. 

When was the last time you seriously pondered the reality of the cross? How does it impact your heart? How does it impact your life today?

If Jesus defeated the powers on the cross (and He did!), then his summons to us to "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me" comes with seriously implications. What does it look like for you to align yourself with the crucified King?