Embracing the Cross: Questions, Doubts, and Love

Devotional

Day 1: The Cross as a Place of Suffering and Compassion

The crucifixion of Jesus was not only a physically excruciating ordeal but also an emotionally devastating experience, marked by public humiliation, abandonment, and deep pain. To truly appreciate the hope of resurrection, we must first sit with the reality of Good Friday, allowing ourselves to feel the weight of what Jesus endured. The cross, often sanitized in our culture, was a symbol of shame and agony, yet it stands at the center of our faith, inviting us to compassion and reflection on the depth of Christ’s sacrifice. [05:44]

Mark 15:33-39 (ESV)
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Reflection: As you consider the suffering of Jesus on the cross, what feelings or questions arise in you, and how might you allow those to deepen your compassion for others who are suffering today?

Day 2: Wrestling with Doubt and Growing in Faith

Doubt and questioning are not signs of weak faith but are essential to spiritual growth and maturity. Throughout Scripture, figures like Jacob and Thomas wrestled with God and their beliefs, and their stories remind us that honest engagement—even with our uncertainties—leads to deeper understanding and relationship with God. The cross is vast enough to hold our questions, and God welcomes our wrestling as part of our journey. [12:57]

John 20:24-29 (ESV)
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Reflection: What is one question or doubt you have about your faith right now, and how can you bring it honestly before God in prayer or conversation with a trusted friend?

Day 3: The Cross as God’s Radical Love, Not Just Payment

While many have been taught to see the cross primarily as a transaction for sin, it is also the ultimate demonstration of God’s radical, self-giving love—a love that risks everything for the sake of the world. The cross is less about satisfying divine wrath and more about revealing a love so deep that it enters into our suffering and offers us relationship, not just a legal solution. This love invites us to respond not out of fear, but out of awe and gratitude. [15:05]

Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Reflection: In what ways can you let the reality of God’s radical love for you shape how you see yourself and others today?

Day 4: The Cross as Solidarity with Human Suffering

The cross is not only about atonement but also about God’s solidarity with all who suffer, demonstrating that God does not remain distant from our pain but enters into it fully. In Jesus’ crucifixion, God experiences abandonment, injustice, and death, assuring us that we are never alone in our struggles. This truth can bring comfort and hope, especially in times of hardship or loss. [16:39]

Isaiah 53:3-5 (ESV)
He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Reflection: Who in your life or community is experiencing suffering right now, and how might you come alongside them as a sign of God’s presence and compassion?

Day 5: Embracing the Mystery and Breadth of the Cross

The meaning of the cross is wide enough to hold our evolving understandings, our doubts, and our diverse perspectives. We are invited to the table not because we have it all figured out, but because God’s love is deeper than our questions and wider than our differences. As we remember Christ’s sacrifice, we are called to live with the same radical love, trusting that God’s grace is sufficient for wherever we are on the journey. [16:39]

Ephesians 3:17-19 (ESV)
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Reflection: What is one way you can extend the breadth of Christ’s love to someone who thinks, believes, or lives differently than you do this week?

Sermon Summary

Today, we continued our journey through the “Windows of Faith” series by pausing at the window depicting the crucifixion of Jesus. Rather than rushing ahead to the joy of Easter, we lingered at Good Friday, allowing ourselves to sit with the discomfort, questions, and deep meaning of the cross. The crucifixion was not just a historical event or a sanitized symbol; it was a brutal, public, and humiliating execution reserved for those seen as threats to the empire. In the window, we see not only Jesus’ agony but also the presence of followers—perhaps Simon of Cyrene and Mary—reminding us of the human cost and the witnesses to this suffering.

We often inherit a single explanation for the cross—substitutionary atonement, the idea that Jesus died in our place to satisfy God’s wrath. While this theory highlights the seriousness of sin and the cost of grace, it also raises difficult questions about God’s character and the nature of divine love. Is God’s forgiveness truly conditional? Does God require violence to forgive? These are not questions to be feared or hidden, but invitations to deeper faith.

Throughout Christian history, many have wrestled with the meaning of the cross. Other perspectives—like Christus Victor, which sees the cross as God’s victory over evil; the moral influence theory, which emphasizes the transformative power of divine love; the solidarity theory, which highlights God’s presence in human suffering; and the liberation perspective, which sees Jesus standing with the oppressed—offer rich and varied windows into the mystery of salvation. Faith is not static; it grows and changes as we ask new questions and encounter new experiences.

Doubt and questioning are not signs of weak faith, but of living, growing faith. The cross is vast enough to hold our questions, our evolving understandings, and even our disagreements. As we come to the table of communion, we are invited not to have all the answers, but to remember the love that led Jesus to the cross—a love that risks everything for the sake of the world. This love is wide enough for all of us, and the table is open to all, no matter where we are on our journey.

Key Takeaways

1. The cross, often sanitized in our culture, was a brutal and humiliating form of execution meant to deter and shame. To truly appreciate the resurrection, we must first sit with the reality of Good Friday and allow ourselves to feel the weight of Jesus’ suffering, both physical and emotional. This honest engagement with the cross can move our hearts to deeper compassion and gratitude. [05:44]
2. Substitutionary atonement, while familiar and meaningful to many, is only one way to understand the significance of Jesus’ death. It raises profound questions about the nature of God’s love and justice, and it is spiritually healthy to wrestle with these questions rather than suppress them. Our faith is not threatened by honest inquiry; it is deepened by it. [07:02]
3. The Christian tradition offers multiple interpretations of the cross, each illuminating a different facet of God’s work in Christ. Whether we see the cross as victory over evil, a demonstration of radical love, an act of solidarity with suffering, or a stand with the oppressed, each perspective can speak to us in different seasons of life. The richness of these views invites us to a more expansive and mature faith. [10:55]
4. Questioning and doubt are not enemies of faith but essential companions on the journey. Just as biblical figures like Jacob and Thomas wrestled with God and their beliefs, so too are we invited to bring our uncertainties to God. The cross is broad enough to hold our evolving understandings, and spiritual growth often comes through the very process of questioning. [12:57]
5. Communion is not about having the right theory of atonement or perfect understanding, but about remembering and participating in the love that led Jesus to the cross. We are invited to bring our questions, doubts, and hopes to the table, trusting that God’s love is deeper than our uncertainties and that we are never alone in our suffering. The sacrament is a reminder that we are loved beyond measure and called to embody that same radical love in the world. [16:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:13] - Setting the Scene: The Crucifixion Window
[02:54] - Observing the Details: Who’s at the Cross?
[05:44] - The Reality of Crucifixion
[07:02] - Substitutionary Atonement: The Familiar Theory
[09:45] - Alternative Theories of the Cross
[10:55] - Liberation and Solidarity Perspectives
[12:57] - The Role of Doubt and Growth in Faith
[15:05] - Communion: Holding Questions and Love Together
[16:39] - The Table of Radical Love
[17:30] - Closing Blessing and Sending Forth

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Mark 15:21-41 — (The crucifixion of Jesus, including Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross, the presence of women at the cross, and Jesus’ death.)

2. John 19:31-37
(The piercing of Jesus’ side and the fulfillment of Scripture.)

3. John 20:24-29
(Thomas’ doubt and Jesus’ invitation to touch his wounds.)

Observation Questions

Who are the people mentioned as being present at the cross in Mark 15:21-41, and what roles do they play in the story?
According to John 19:34, what detail is unique about Jesus’ crucifixion, and why might this be significant?
In John 20:24-29, how does Jesus respond to Thomas’ doubts?
The sermon describes the crucifixion as a brutal, public, and humiliating execution. What details from the Bible passages or the window help us understand the reality of crucifixion? [05:44]

Interpretation Questions

The sermon mentions that the cross is often sanitized in our culture. Why might it be important for Christians to remember the true brutality and shame of crucifixion? How could this affect our understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice? [05:44]
Substitutionary atonement is described as one way to understand the cross, but the sermon also mentions other perspectives like Christus Victor, moral influence, solidarity, and liberation. How do these different views shape the way someone might relate to God and others? [09:45]
The story of Thomas shows that Jesus welcomes questions and doubts. What does this suggest about the place of doubt in the life of faith? [12:57]
The sermon says that faith is not static but grows as we ask new questions and encounter new experiences. How might wrestling with the meaning of the cross help someone’s faith mature? [12:57]

Application Questions

The sermon invites us to “sit with the reality of Good Friday” before moving to Easter joy. What feelings or questions come up for you when you reflect on the suffering and humiliation Jesus endured? How might you make space for these feelings this week? [05:44]
Have you ever struggled with the idea of substitutionary atonement or had questions about why Jesus had to die? What questions have you had, and how have you handled them? [07:02]
Of the different perspectives on the cross mentioned in the sermon (substitution, victory over evil, radical love, solidarity with suffering, liberation), which one speaks to you most right now? Why? [10:55]
The sermon says that questioning and doubt are not enemies of faith but companions on the journey. Can you share a time when your doubts or questions actually helped your faith grow? [12:57]
When you come to communion, do you feel pressure to have all the answers or the “right” beliefs? How might it change your experience to come with your questions and uncertainties, trusting that God’s love is wide enough for you? [16:39]
The sermon challenges us to embody the same radical love that led Jesus to the cross. What is one specific way you could show that kind of love to someone in your life this week? [16:39]
The cross is described as “wide enough for all of us.” Are there people or groups you find it hard to imagine at the table with you? What might it look like to open your heart or your table wider? [16:39]

Sermon Clips

We sanitize the cross, don't we? We put the cross on display with nice fabric or some of us even wear crosses. We sanitize it, we don't think about how horrific this death actually was. It's a symbol of our faith, and I get it, and I do it, and I'm wearing a cross today, in fact. But if we think about what really happened, if we consider what really happened, as that window depicts, our hearts may be moved to compassion for what Jesus went through. [00:05:10]

Not only was it physically painful, it was emotionally painful being hung, naked, his mom watching, people passing by, heaping all kinds of insults, mocking him. What a terrible, what a terrible thing. And yet this is the symbol of our faith, the cross. [00:05:44]

Most of us, I won't say all of us, but I think probably most of us who grew up in Western Christianity have been taught one particular theory about what the cross means for us. And I'm going to get a little professorial. There is a method to my madness, so if you can't, hang with me, okay? Are you with me still? [00:06:17]

Substitutionary atonement oftentimes will say, Jesus died for my sins. Have you heard that phrase? We sing about it. It's throughout our hymnody. The two hymns we've sung together already talk about this substitutionary atonement. In old rugged cross, for twas on that old cross, Jesus suffered and died to pardon. sanctify me that substitutionary atonement this suffering and shame we are taught was necessary because Jesus was taking our place. [00:06:46]

The theory kind of goes like this: humanity sinned and deserved God's punishment, but Jesus stepped in as our substitute. God's wrath against sin had to be satisfied and Christ's punishment on the cross paid that debt so salvation became a transaction. Jesus' death for our forgiveness, his righteousness credited to our account. It's a legal framework where God is the judge, humanity stands condemned, and Jesus serves as both sacrifice and payment. [00:07:20]

This theory, it wasn't original to the first century. It emerged during the Middle Ages, it was refined during the Protestant Reformation, and it's a theory that highlights some important purposes. It highlights the seriousness of sin, the costliness of grace, the complete dependence on God's mercy. [00:07:59]

If God is love, why would divine wrath need to be satisfied through violence? Have any of you ever dared wonder about that? Second question, does this make God like a cosmic child abuser demanding the death of his son? Number three, what does it say about God's character if forgiveness requires punishment? And number four, and maybe most troubling, doesn't this suggest that God's love is conditional and that God couldn't simply forgive without payment? [00:08:38]

But here's what I want you to know today. This is not the only theory of salvation in our faith. Throughout history, there have been many theories about what happened on the cross and what it means for us. [00:09:34]

The first is the Christus Victor theory. Sees the cross not as payment to God, but as God's ultimate victory over the powers of death, oppression, and evil. Christ doesn't appease God's wrath. Christ defeats the cosmic forces that hold humanity captive. The cross becomes God's triumph and not God's punishment, Christus Victor theory. [00:10:00]

There is the moral influence theory. It focuses on the cross as the ultimate demonstration of divine love that transforms our hearts. Jesus' death doesn't change God's mind about us, it changes our minds about God. We're moved to love and repentance not by fear of punishment, but by being overwhelmed by God's radical grace. [00:10:26]

There's the solidarity theory. This emphasizes that in the cross, God enters fully into human suffering rather than remaining distant from it. God doesn't watch our pain from heaven. God experiences abandonment and injustice and even death. The cross means that we never suffer alone. [00:10:52]

There's the liberation perspective. It sees Jesus as identifying completely with the oppressed and marginalized. He dies the death of a political prisoner executed by empire, showing that God stands with the powerless against systems of domination and violence. [00:11:14]

My point in sharing just a few of these with you is that each aspect, each theory kind of brings forward a meaning that we can hold before ourselves and our lives as we go through changes in our faith. Friends, if you have the same understanding of Jesus and the cross that you had when you were eight years old and it hasn't changed since then, it makes me wonder if you're growing in faith. We question and then we grow. We question and then we grow. [00:11:43]

And so if you've ever had doubt, if you have doubt now, if you wonder what it all means, if it means anything, friends. that's the pathway to spiritual maturation, to spiritual growth. Your questions and your doubt, that means that you are engaged, right? [00:12:18]

Throughout Scripture we find people wrestling with God. We find Jacob. We find Jacob in the Old Testament literally wrestling with God. We find Thomas in the New Testament. Thomas, you remember what Thomas said, right? The disciples said, he is risen and Thomas said, unless I see his hands and his feet. unless i put my hand in his side i will not believe did jesus punish thomas for that no jesus said here you go touch my hands and my feet put your hand in my side and believe thomas [00:12:57]

The cross is tall enough and wide enough, the cross is vast enough for lots of understandings and mine may be different from yours and yours may be different than mine and that's okay. It's big enough to hold different ideas at different stages in our lives. [00:13:36]

So for me today on june the 1st 2025 the cross for me is the result of how jesus lived his life standing up to Empire making a statement for the oppressed and for the marginalized Jesus died because of how Jesus lived and more than that the cross is less about my sin and so much more about God's love that's where I am with the cross today on June the 1st 2025 ask me tomorrow and it might change [00:14:00]

He sat down at table with his friends and shared this last supper with them and in this ritual he gave us on the night before his crucifixion he gave it to us as a way to remember not just his death but the love that led him there. [00:15:11]

When Jesus said this is my body broken for you and this is the cup of the new covenant my blood he wasn't asking to focus on the mechanics of atonement to figure out the theory that is best or right what Jesus was doing is he was inviting us into relationship into the mystery of a love so deep that it would risk everything for the sake of the world. [00:15:33]

So as you receive the bread and the wine today, hold them alongside your questions. Hold them alongside your doubts and your struggles and your evolving understanding of what the cross means. Hold whatever interpretation of Jesus' death speaks to your heart today. [00:16:01]

The table is wide enough for whatever you hold today, just as Christ's love is wide enough for all of us. This meal doesn't require that we have it all figured out. It only asks that we remember that we are loved beyond measure. [00:16:22]

We are not alone in our suffering. And we are invited to live with the same radical love that led Jesus to the cross. [00:16:39]

So may the cross remind us that God's love is stronger than our questions, deeper than our doubts, and wider than our understandings. [00:16:48]

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