ter o f feeble candles, as a vast orchard beyond a single tree in fruit bearing. In boldness o f conception, in grandeur of char acter, in sublimity of purpose, in originality of mind, in philosophic profundity, in valiant propa- gandism, Jesus’ teachings claim the sovereignty of the world. Today, the air is troubled with doubts — thick negations that have no missions, no adventures, no beneficent audacities. But the basic principles of Jesus’ teachings breathe the democratic spirit, spun the established boundaries of His day, leap across our conventional chasms — across the deep chasms which yawn between race and race, class and class, sex and sex, sect and sect. Only by having ears to hear and wills to do the doctrines of Jesus can people avoid Satan’s dead-end street and travel God’s highways — and be delivered from the rattle of the dry bones of folly, yes, delivered too, from the superficial men tal illumination that lacks the urge of sacrificial passion. Now consider the “ And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left” (Luke 23:33). Death by crucifixion was a lingering death which took many hours, even days, before the victim died. Two terrible facts were present each time a criminal was crucified — great SUFFER ING and great SHAME. He died as the sinless SUBSTITUTE for sin ners. He died the Just One for the unjust that He might bring us to God. The chastisement of our sins was put upon Him. His was a vicarious suffer ing. All the suffering, all the shame, all the dis grace, all the dishonor, all the death, all the night of eternal suffering, were borne by Jesus who was “made a curse,” “made sin,” in our behalf. The crucifixion — Christ’s cross — reveals the highest glory of God. Men talk about the glory of God revealed in the heavens. But the creation of billions of stars circling in the unmeasurable space o f inconceivable universes does not tell forth God’s greatest glory. God’s highest glory is found in the Cross of Christ. Only as we give ourselves to Him who gave Himself to crucifixion on Calvary’s cross, can we and other multitudes be crucified unto the world and the world unto us. CHRIST CRUCIFIED
COFFINED CHRIST
“ Christ died.” Then — “ he was buried.”
Everybody, remembering the dread day when the sun went down at noonday behind a blood- splotched cross on a bloody hill, said: “ He is dead.” His disciples — dumb, stunned, bleeding under Golgotha’s horrors — said: “He is dead.” The Kingdom about which He had talked had shrunk to the narrow dimensions of a grave. The regal robes they had hoped to see Him wear were now a shroud. The throne they had hoped to see Him occupy had disappeared in a tomb. To them, it was the last word — the final scene — a horror of disaster and defeat. Death, whose only flowers are faded garlands on coffin lids, had trampled into lifeless dust the Rose of Sharon. Death, whose only music is the sob of broken hearts, had padlocked the mouth that so com fortingly had spoken to the sad. Death, whose only place is a huge sepulcher, numbered Him among his victims. Death, whose only light is the dark ness of the tomb, had quenched the Light of the world, had closed the eyes of Him who wept over Jerusalem. Death, whose only gold is the grave’s dust, had made His body a banquet for worms. Death, with skeleton hand, had written “ Ichabod” on all His claims. Foolish would we be if we did not think of Christ as the “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept” (I Cor inthians 15:20). But there came a day when He resumed His power, recovered His challenged rights, regained His waning influence, reasserted His sacred gran deur. In the midst of His malicious enemies He “ arose a victor from the dark domain,” confound ing their counsels, thwarting their efforts, laugh ing to scorn their malice, saying: “ I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” “Now is Christ risen from the dead” — the first sheaf of the resurrection harvest? His resurrection is a pledge of our resurrec tion. Jesus said: “ I am the resurrection, and the CONQUERING CHRIST He conquered death and the grave. “ Christ died.” “Christ was BURIED.”
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SEPTEMBER, 1966
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