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Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Crucifixion Viewed after a Little Experience


When did the crucifixion begin to make a difference in your own life? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, page 1425).



It is not uncommon for children to be raised in homes where parents will do anything possible to genuinely benefit their children—commonly to the point of self-sacrifice and even in extreme cases to the point of death. Likewise soldiers and emergency personnel die for others in combat or disasters.

What makes the crucifixion of Jesus different? After leaving a loving home, it took a while for it to completely sink into my thick skull that generally speaking the people I meet and greet in the world have less than absolute commitment to my welfare. I would quickly add this applies to my own disposition relative to the welfare of others as well. In other words, the general rule is that interpersonal commitment is strictly limited. Now in this context the sacrifice made by Jesus is exceptional—even singularly so—since he died because of and despite of the sins of mankind, and he did so with a loving and forgiving spirit. In other words, if I were to give my life for someone, it would almost certainly entail a judgment on my part that the person for whom I was dying was exceptionally deserving. It is extremely unlikely that I would die to save an enemy asshole combatant. But that is precisely what Jesus did. His sacrificial act was redemptive in part because he refused to view the enemy as unworthy, undeserving, and unredeemable. Rather than seek to destroy assholes, he lovingly sought to redeem those tragically blind to their own misguided passions. 

 

 
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