Thursday, April 22, 2010
Semantics are fun
I love words. I love to use them. I love to learn about them. I love to understand them better. I like to dig into their roots. So it was interesting to me that Paul uses the Greek word skandalon when he talks about the "offense of the cross" in Galatians 5. The word literally refers to the stick that propped open the trap for hunters. It is also translated stumbling block in many other places in the NT. So my question is, what gives? Why does Paul want the cross to be a stumbling block? I have some thoughts, but I would like to hear yours first.
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I still haven't gotten the picture you were supposed to send me so your author privileges are conditional and may be revoked at any time.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, I find it interesting that the "offense of the cross" portion of this text is more troublesome than the "I wish they had gone the whole way to emasculate themselves" portion. Hmmmm.
Anyway,It seems to me that the cross is offensive to us when it intersects our sinful activity. It is offensive because it points out and brings to the light what we would prefer to remain hidden.
I save that picture for my wife's use only. So suspend me if you must.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit odd that in the middle of:
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
And:
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
We have the bit about going the whole way with the blade – yikes.
That being said I think the stumbling block of the cross is an offense to us when we sin and know it but it’s also an offense when we think we’re not sinning. I think the basic Jewish fellow thought they had a line on the truth.
“I don’t need that cross, I have my heritage, I’ve kept the law, I have worked hard under my yoke of slavery and I like to think that is enough. The cross suggests that it isn’t, I can’t start all over.
Plus, why would I want to be set free when my captor feeds me so well?”
The trouble is we like to think of the Jewish dudes as being silly even as we often take the same view in the church. I tend to be pretty sure I have a line on the truth. If I don’t trip daily on the ridiculously offensive cross I’ll make church less than what it is.