Have you ever wondered what the meaning of the madness of the cross, when you are reading the Bible you feel that it was not just an event that happened in the past but that there is a powerful meaning that goes beyond our logical reason. In 1 Corinthians verse 1:18 he speaks that the word of the cross is madness, where many people ignore these words, then he says that it is madness for those who are lost but to those who are saved, that is, to us, it is the power of God. According to the apostle Paul the gospel of the cross is crazy.
In history, the Persians were the ones who began to apply capital punishment by crucifying criminals, says the Chronicles that the death of the crucified was slow, agonizing, where that person was held with large nails in his hands and feet, although sometimes they tied them. King Darius of Persian crucified 3,000 Babylonians. Also Alexander the Great, crucified more than 2000 people. Other people led 800 people or more to crucifixion.
In the year 63 BC it happened that when the Romans subjugated Israel, and according to historians the Romans crucified more than 30,000 Jews. Also in the year 337 AD Constantine the first Christian emperorabolished the crucifixion and then ended more than 1000 years of exercising one of the cruelest and bloodthirsty punishments in the history of humanity, since dying on a cross was the most demeaning and disgusting penalty, however this was reserved for the worst of the society.
I invite you to read: 7 Characteristics Of The Blood Of Jesus Spilled On The Cross And Its Meaning.
What does madness mean?
The Greek word translated madness means “foolishness” or “foolishness.” For those who are lost or those who don’t believe. Madness also means “absurd” and has to do with ignorance.
meaning of the cross
Its origin refers to the method of execution of Jesus Christ, which for Christians it symbolizes salvation“. The original term of the instrument of execution in Greek means “stake, stockade, palisade; vertical stick, wood” or simply means “wood, log”.
4 processes to lead to crucifixion
- Within history, the cross was for traitors, also for all rebels, it was for thieves, murderers. The crucified according to history he was despised, humiliated and lowered. Before crucifying a person, they tortured him, they whipped him severely, in the whip with lead or metal balls at the tips, since when the whip was given, the flesh was torn.
- They forced him to carry the cross so that person could carry it walking towards the place where he was going to be crucified. And it is from there that Jesus Christ took what the word “He who does not take his cross every day” says.
- From there they placed a sign identifying the crime in which they had been accused.
- Later His hands were nailed to the cross between the part of the palm of the hand and the wrist, and in the feet and nailed them there. Some tied them up and then lifted them up and displayed them completely naked.
What does it have to do with the madness of the cross?
Dying on a cross was the most degrading event that existed in the time of the Apostle Paul, but the fact of worshiping a dead and crucified god is considered madness. Today whoever wants to follow Christ must voluntarily take up his cross. And this means denial and symbolized death.
You can also read: 9 Reasons To Believe In The Power Of The Cross – Transform Your Life By Understanding It!
History
The individual who was crucified after they were hanged and left in the air, signs were hung on the mast or on their chest, writing there the crimes they had committed. If he had been a murderer, they placed him as a murderer, or assailant. According to the type of wrongdoing they did. Jesus was placed a sign on the mast or vertical pole. that had the initials INRI what does this mean is jesus the king of the jews
This punishment implied that at a certain moment of the agony of the crucified person or those crucified, they should break their legs to speed up death, since so they could last longer dying. Jesus when they went to break his legs and he had died because the prophecies said that none of his bones would be broken. Then a man named José de Arimathea came to ask to see if they could give him the body to be buried.
Then the Romans agreed to his request and took him down to find out. Josephus Flavius. A historian of that time, describes the torture of the crucified saying that they were incomparable, adding in his writings that the torture included blows to the noble parts.
Meanings
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians verse 19:
For it is written:
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And I will cast away the understanding of the understanding.
1 Corinthians 19:20 says:
Where is the sage? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God maddened the wisdom of the world?
For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God to save believers through the folly of preaching.
Does he want the world?
It is very easy to preach the prosperity gospel, but it is more difficult to talk about the gospel or The Folly Of The Cross. Since many think that it is nonsense, because you have to carry the cross and deny yourself. People insist on receiving God’s blessing without taking up their cross.
What does taking up his cross and denying himself refer to?
It means stop doing what God doesn’t like and start making a life change to please God at all costs. Many say: Christ came and I take all my pains, but there is pain caused by sin. (Without misinterpreting the scriptures),
In 1 Corinthians 19:22 it says:
Because the Jews ask for signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom; But we preach Christ crucified, certainly a stumbling block for the Jews, and madness for the Gentiles;
The message of the gospel is The Folly of the Cross for people, it is nonsense, nonsense for those who do not believe but for those who have believed it is the power of God, in the wisdom of God I am pleased that through the preaching of gospel of a defeated God, since apparently it was a defeat on the cross since it was precisely there where he had the victory. It was not simply the crucifixion of a carpenter, it was the great gap to salvation and forgiveness.
The First Letter to the Corinthians 1 verse 28 and 29 says that God chose what is vile in the world and what is despised, and what is not or does not exist, to undo what he says it is, so that no one can boast In its presence. God has united you with Christ.
Results of this union are obtained:
- Wisdom from above,
- Justification: declared righteous by God since those who were worthless were boring, the fools were those who believed in the Madness of the Cross and were made Children of God.
- Sanctification (which means purification) is just believing and confessing, our sins are blotted out,
- Redemption (means rescue, liberation), we were released from hell just by believing in the glorious message of the cross.
Conclution
The wisdom of God is above the wisdom of any man, since what for man many things are madness, ignorance and boredom, then for God they are real details that God chose to shame the wise, and if the wise are put God before then they could not know God.
In the world we were NOTHING the most vile and underappreciated, which is worth nothing. Yet in the midst of all human wisdom, God chose him. Like Paul in the past he was bad, he persecuted Christians and even with that God in the grace and mercy of him chose him.
Do not let go of the cross, embrace Him, because it is precisely that dying is how we come to live.