The cross is so counter-intuitive

1CO 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The cross is so counter-intuitive. That which seems like defeat is actually victory. That which seems like weakness is actually strength. That which seems like tragedy is actually is triumph. With the cross, God turned the worst into the best.

To many, in biblical times and today, the cross seems ridiculous. Before Jesus, the cross was a symbol of death, crime, and shame.

Imagine if we were able to assemble some of the world's wisest people to solve the problem of evil in the world. What would they recommend?

The educator would say, "People just need more information. They need to be taught to lift themselves out of circumstances." The moralist would say, "People just need to try harder. We must set up an effective system of reward and punishment. Then everyone will be good." The political activist would opt for policy reform. The entertainer says you just need to razzle-dazzle them; amuse them, and keep them from thinking too much. The pop psychologist would blame it on your parents.

But God didn't consult the world experts. Instead, He said, "This is how I will do it. I will come to earth myself, be born to an unmarried couple. I will live in obscurity for 30 years. I will wander as an itinerant preacher. I will live in poverty. I will make enemies with the powerful and the influential. Instead I will surround myself with a group of men who culture has overlooked. I will go to Jerusalem, straight into their snare, and I will be beaten and I will be killed like a criminal." And to that, the educator, moralist, activist, entertainer, and psychologist would say, "Foolish, foolish."

But to those who have experienced the power of the cross, O, the wisdom of God!

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