Years ago while studying I came across this image in a textbook. The irony of it took me back and sent me reeling. I have yet to recover. This is a piece of graffiti from a wall of a Roman School. It shows the image of a man with a donkey’s head on a cross and under it is scrawled the commentary "Alexamenos worships God." And there I was a few thousand years later worshiping the (pardon me, but you need the effect) the One whom many deemed a “jack-ass” as my living, saving, powerful Lord.
And this is what we read today:
…but He fully made Himself void of His glory, and received the appearance of a bonded-slave and birthed Himself into the lineage of fallen men. And being found in that appearance, He reversed His status; the Master of all things created placed himself under it’s power and became obedient even to death (which He had crushed), even a humiliating death on a cross.
This is the ultimate example of “humility”. Death, the conquered foe, appears to be given the upper hand. Christ, the victor, placed Himself under its weight upon the cross in obedience to His Father’s will so that those who could not bear the weight of death could gain the fruits victory.
…and He did so in full view of the world in a manner reserved for the lowest of lows. Most times when theologians and pastors try to explain the cross they tell of the whips, the scourging, the blood, death by asphyxiation but they never talk about how ridiculous and ironic it was. Here was the Creator being manipulated by those whom He created (or so it seems. That is a HUGE discussion). The crowd at His feet understood how audacious His claims to Kingship were when they cried out “you saved others, now save yourself!”. Some powerful God! What an idiot! He could have gotten out of this! He didn’t even die like a semi-important man! He gets a slave death! Ha!
Why did He stay there? Well, many songs sing that “love held Him there” but the truth is it was His obedience to the Father and His covenant to us. We call it “love” but God called it His promise when He spoke to Abram. It was the ultimate act of humility, of being obedient to the Father’s will.
Are you willing to “die” to bring others to glory as well, or are you afraid that someone will call you a jack-ass too. Is your pride in the way? Are your plans in the way? How else will the world see the Truth of Christ’s victory unless we live into it?
And this is what we read today:
…but He fully made Himself void of His glory, and received the appearance of a bonded-slave and birthed Himself into the lineage of fallen men. And being found in that appearance, He reversed His status; the Master of all things created placed himself under it’s power and became obedient even to death (which He had crushed), even a humiliating death on a cross.
This is the ultimate example of “humility”. Death, the conquered foe, appears to be given the upper hand. Christ, the victor, placed Himself under its weight upon the cross in obedience to His Father’s will so that those who could not bear the weight of death could gain the fruits victory.
…and He did so in full view of the world in a manner reserved for the lowest of lows. Most times when theologians and pastors try to explain the cross they tell of the whips, the scourging, the blood, death by asphyxiation but they never talk about how ridiculous and ironic it was. Here was the Creator being manipulated by those whom He created (or so it seems. That is a HUGE discussion). The crowd at His feet understood how audacious His claims to Kingship were when they cried out “you saved others, now save yourself!”. Some powerful God! What an idiot! He could have gotten out of this! He didn’t even die like a semi-important man! He gets a slave death! Ha!
Why did He stay there? Well, many songs sing that “love held Him there” but the truth is it was His obedience to the Father and His covenant to us. We call it “love” but God called it His promise when He spoke to Abram. It was the ultimate act of humility, of being obedient to the Father’s will.
Are you willing to “die” to bring others to glory as well, or are you afraid that someone will call you a jack-ass too. Is your pride in the way? Are your plans in the way? How else will the world see the Truth of Christ’s victory unless we live into it?
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