Jesus IS the "Stumbling Block"

Just one quick little nugget for you today...

1 Corinthians 1:23 reads "...we preach Christ crucified, and to Jews it is a stumbling block and to Gentiles it is foolishness."

A small verse - cryptic even, but so deep and beautiful and enlightening.

The whole section, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 purposes to explain the misunderstandings of God's message of the cross. And without the Holy Spirit to illumine me, I wouldn't understand it at all.

Once, in a children's ministry, it was broken down as simply as "God's plans and ideas and ways are upside down."

Christ's crucifixion made him weak in eyes of Gentiles and certainly not a role model.

Jews rejected him because he didn't save them from the oppressive Romans.

Because God asks Jews to accept Jesus as their Savior, they are locked out of Heaven. Christ IS the stumbling block.

Because God asks Gentiles to accept Jesus as their Hero, they are locked out of Heaven. Christ IS the rock of offense.

Paul tells us the Law reveals our sin. Similarly, Jesus' light is offensive to darkness.