Dear Christian friends:

When the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached people who hear it respond in various ways. Some responses are negative and some are positive. We need to be aware of this so that we are not confused when we witness negative responses in ourselves and others.

The preaching with which we are concerned is gospel preaching. A lot of preaching that is done today, as in the past is not really gospel preaching; the emphasis is on the law. Therefore, we need to define what we mean by Gospel preaching. In our text St. Paul refers to it as "preaching Christ crucified." (verse 23)

The Gospel of the Bible, therefore, says that we are saved (justified) by the Son of God's death via the disgraceful mode of crucifixion; and that we are saved entirely by the action of God through Christ, not because of any merit or activity on our part. When this Biblical gospel is preached we get various responses which Paul lists in our text. To these responses we now give our attention as we consider our text, which is the Epistle Lesson for today.

In our text St. Paul says, "We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews." (verse 23) Most of the Jews of Jesus' day and St. Paul's day were offended by gospel preaching and most of them today are still offended by such preaching.

The Jews thought of themselves as the holy people of God simply because God had chosen their nation as his special people. They based their hope of God's favor and salvation merely on outward things: their blood line with Abraham, and the fact that their males were circumcised as God had commanded Abraham etc.

They also were proud of the fact that God had given them the Ten Commandments, and the ceremonial laws. However, they used these to justify themselves and to brag, rather than to repent and believe in the promised Christ to which they pointed.

Therefore, Jesus told them that they needed to repent of their sins and believe on him as the Messiah, just as Abraham did. He told them that Abraham had rejoiced to see this day, and that he saw it and was glad. They replied, You are not yet 50 years old and you say you have seen Abraham?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58) Then they took up stones to stone him to death.

The Jews also demanded a sign from Jesus that he was indeed the Christ. Paul says in our text, "The Jews demand miraculous signs." (verse 22) But Jesus insisted that the only sign he would give them was that of the prophet Jonah, whose three day interment in the fish's belly and subsequent exit and survival were types of his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. (Matthew 12:38-40)

However, crucifixion offended the Jews. According to their Scriptures anyone who was crucified was under the curse of God. (Deuteronomy 21:23) They did not understand nor believe that Christ had accepted this curse for our sake, even though several prominent Old Testament texts clearly depict the Messiah as suffering for the sins of the people. (Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53)

Many today, like the Jews are offended at the preaching of Christ crucified. Ted Turner, the Atlanta billionaire business man and chief stock holder in Warner Communications, speaks for many when he sometime ago stated: "Christ shouldn't have bothered to die on the cross. I don't want anybody to die for me. I've had a few drinks, and a few women, and if that's gonna put me in hell, then, so be it."

George Bernard Shaw, the famous English playwright said, "I don't need Jesus Christ to die for me. If I sin, I should be man enough to pay for my own sins."

Also, our human pride does not want to believe the Biblical doctrines of the total depravity of natural man, the blood atonement by Christ crucified, hell and heaven. All these Bible teachings seem totally repugnant to proud arrogant humans. We think we are not so bad that God should take such drastic measures to effect our salvation. We, also, are easily offended by the true Gospel preaching.

Many today, like the Jews, seek for miraculous signs as well. In modern America many church members seek for signs of God's grace and favor in material possessions, wealth, success in business and good health. Their thinking is this: Since God has allowed us to have all these material blessings, He must like us and we are right with Him.

Many so called Christians consider as signs of God's favor such things as faith healing, the financial stability of their church, the growth and large membership of their church etc. But this is succumbing to the theology of glory, as if God's grace is manifest in visible externals. It's not! Its manifest in Christ crucified and in Him alone through the humble Word and Sacraments!

It seems to me that because of our proud human nature we too, might be deceived by this theology of glory when our church struggles financially and to maintain its membership. We need to be on guard!

While the preaching of Christ crucified is offensive to our human nature it may also seem to us as foolishness. To some it is foolishness. It was foolishness to the Greeks. In our text St. Paul says, "We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles." (verse 23)

The Greek philosophical schools generally held the physical and the material in low esteem, and considered the good and divine to exist in the realm of the spiritual. To them is was silly to speak of God becoming incarnate in a human body which the Gospel implies.

The Greeks and Romans also considered salvation by someone crucified to be foolishness. They reserved crucifixion as a method of capital punishment for the most heinous crimes committed by slaves and despicable criminals. Also, to believe that one could rise from the dead was the height of foolishness to Greeks. On Mars hill when Paul mentioned Jesus' resurrection, many of the Greeks in his audience sneered. Only a few became followers. (Acts 17:32,34)

Many today, like the Greeks, consider Gospel preaching foolishness. The New Age movement, made up of many writers, various organizations and educators is a good example. Shirley MacLaine is one of the more vocal and popular leaders of this movement. It promotes Satan's oldest and most deadly deception - that human beings are the equal of God or even above God. It's aim is to create a utopian society here on earth.

I suspect that we also might be deluded or seduced by philosophies of this sort, since they appeal to man's natural, fallen reason and pride. It is possible for us also to consider the Gospel preaching to be foolishness.

However, those who consider the Gospel preaching to be foolishness will not be saved. Paul says in a verse preceding our text, "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." (verse 18) But then he adds, "To us who are being saved it is the power of God."

To those God has called to faith Gospel preaching is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

In our text St. Paul says, "We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks, but to those whom God has called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (verses 23-24)

Those whom God has called by the Gospel, those who are being saved, respond in humble, childlike faith and say with St. Paul, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." (Romans 1:16)

Is our response the same as St. Paul's? Have we experienced the transforming power of the Gospel in our lives just as St. Paul had experienced this power in his life?

Previously Paul had been one of the Jews who were offended by Christ crucified. That preaching had been a stumbling block to him. He had been one of the chief persecutors of Christ and his followers. But after he experienced the transforming power of Christ on the road to Damascus his life was turned around.

Having received the grace of God in the forgiveness of all his sins, Paul had that peace with God which passes all understanding. Christ crucified, risen, and exalted enabled him to become the greatest missionary of all time, enduring all manner of hardships, trials and dangers for the sake of the Gospel.

Has our response to Gospel preaching been anything at all like Paul's? The danger is that we hear this precious, powerful preaching of Christ crucified, but discount it and make light of it. Oh, we may suffer our pastor to preach it because it's in the Bible and it lends a certain excitement to the sermons.

But we really don't take it to heart, and act upon it in our daily lives. Our disinterest in supporting our church and Synod; our little or no activity in witnessing and personal evangelism is proof of this.

Instead of counting Christ crucified our treasure and pleasure we look to the world for it. Although we may have excellent knowledge of God's Word we do not find joy and pleasure in it. Yes, we many come to church quite regularly, but our church going has become a formality, which we do without real joy and enthusiasm.

We have failed to demonstrate the power and wisdom of the Gospel in our daily lives, but, thank God, Jesus did not fail! He lovingly, faithfully preached that Gospel. He was and is that Gospel, for He is the One that allowed us to nail Him to the Cross that we might be forgiven and healed and renewed.

In that faith in Him we are forgiven and renewed and become little "Christs" and little "St. Paul's", who dare to say, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16)

May God be gracious and merciful unto us and by His Spirit through the Word and Sacraments give us such a positive response to Gospel preaching.

Amen.