The Theology of the Cross: Means, Motive, Opportunity

Resurrection Sunday

April 5, 2015

Mark 16:1-8

The Theology of the Cross:

Means, Motive, Opportunity

In the name of the Father and of † the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

It was the scene of the crime: a bloody cross on a hill. And then they took the body down and placed the dead body in a new tomb. And finally on the third day the dead body wasn't dead anymore and the tomb was empty.

These two scenes are the pivot points of history: the cross upon which Jesus hung and the tomb which He left empty. And they proclaim the means, the motive, and the opportunity that our merciful God used to commit the mighty act that rescued us.

The motive behind the full cross and the empty tomb was our sin and God's mercy. The Lord God hates sinners and their sins, but He also loves us. So He sent His Son to proclaim His motives that have led Him to act opposite of what we sinners deserve. Jesus explained:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because He has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:16-21)

God's verdict was condemnation for all our crimes against Him and others. And His decision is right because we are born desiring our own way against anyone else's, especially God's way.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way (Isaiah 53:6a)

We turn to our own way daily: we lose our temper when we don't get our way. Maybe we can contain it; perhaps not. We turn to our own way when we make decisions about babies and marriage based on what we feel is best. We turn to our own way when we believe that being nice to others is how we get God to like us, maybe even love us. It isn't.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

The means behind the full cross and the empty tomb is Jesus who hung on the cross and Jesus who left the tomb. Jesus is the means of our salvation; He is the only reason God loves you, and because Jesus is the reason, He loves very much, which means He forgives you all your sin, all your turning to your own ways.

His verdict against your sins still stand, but in His mercy, He gives the opposite of what we deserve—forgiveness and life—by giving Jesus the opposite of what He deserved—suffering and death.

God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The Father punished His Son for our sin, our hatred, our greed, our lust, our grudges, all of it, even the sins of which we aren't aware. And the Father treasured and honored His Son by raising Him to life. He used all of history to lead up to the opportunity to carry out His plan to save you. All of history led to that cross and tomb just outside Jerusalem. And now you personal history has brought you here, where Jesus takes this opportunity to give you His forgiveness through this fellow sinner, who speaks on His behalf and with His authority: "I forgive you all your sin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This is the theology of the cross that is all for you, and what the angel proclaimed just outside the tomb:

Don't be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here." (Mark 16:6)

The full cross and the empty tomb are the historic scenes where God's motive of mercy against our sin was accomplished, using His Son as the means to accomplish it, and now He uses this opportunity to bring you His promise of forgiveness.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. Alleluia! Amen!