By
Shelby G. Floyd
John 12: 32-34
32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
34 The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
NKJV
By
Shelby G. Floyd
In the days of Christ, the apostles and the church he established, the cross bore a stigma of being the most shameful way to die. It was symbolic of great suffering and ignominious death. In the Old Testament writings, the death of Christ was prophesied by Isaiah and many of the prophets:
Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.
ESV
Thus Isaiah graphically depicts the despicable, degrading and humiliating beating and death of Christ upon the cross. Continue reading “THE STIGMA OF THE CROSS”