We have looked at the death of Jesus through the eyes of some of his disciples, and perhaps have been surprised how matter of fact and practical is their perception of his death. Each of them had strong views about how the death of Jesus applied to church life and daily life. There was no sentimentalising. They did not turn it into a religious event either. They saw it as the driver of dedicated living, the model of suffering service, the example of mutual love.
They recognised it had freed them from every necessity to make up for their own sins, from using any external aids or techniques to live a holy life, and from any need to impress God (or other people). They discovered they were free to serve God for God’s sake. Free to serve others for the sake of the others.
They understood also that the death and resurrection of Jesus was the heart of their message. Everything in the Old Testament came together and made sense in its light. So they proclaimed it. They announced that Christ crucified was the message that set people free and rescued them from death. They announced the crucifixion in the face of direct opposition to and dislike of the message. They did this because it undermined and destroyed the confused desires for a more palatable message.
Palatable doesn’t save. Only Christ crucified saves. So the message goes, and so we believe.
Dale