Calvary: A Means to an End divine deception

by Jonathan Walton

The cross is the definitive symbol of those enjoying the benefits of the Christian faith. It ornamentally adorns the finest jewelry, is planted decoratively in many yards, plastered on car windows and bumpers, permanently inked on bodies, displayed in mega-films, written, discussed, and preached about more than any other subject in God's Word. But what if we do not fully understand its significance? Why do others doubt it so easily? Most of the world is still divided into those who believe in Jesus as the ruler of the world and those who choose not to believe. What gives the cross such power? Thousands upon thousands of crosses littered the highways of Roman-occupied Jewish territories during the days that Jesus walked the earth. Why, in the midst of all the timber torture racks, does this one particular cross stand out so clearly? When Jesus humbly entered the world in Bethlehem's stable, there had already been many men, well rehearsed in Old Testament prophecy, who claimed to be the Messiah. Why did this particular Jew create such a scandalous stir? Why did the Pharisees despise this man so passionately that they'd ask for a violent revolutionary to be released instead of the mild mannered orator from Galilee? The Jews missed seeing Jesus as the Messiah, placing Him on an old rugged cross instead. Is it possible that we miss seeing Jesus in His entirety because we've become fixated on a symbol of His existence? The cross was not His purpose for coming to the earth. His purpose was you and I. Is it possible that the cross has been deified almost to the point of idolatry? Could we miss seeing Jesus because of the wooden beams upon which He died? Jesus powerfully manipulated the Pharisees, Sadducees, Romans, and other segments of His culture like pawns on a chessboard, ensuring that the cross would become His reality. He did not deceive them. The deception was their own, for they refused to see Him as He was. Jonathan Walton proves that the cross was not God's end-all for coming to the earth. It was His starting point. It was not His ultimate mission. It was merely a means to an end, an end that is the beautiful consummation of intimacy between an eternal God and fallen man.

392 pages, Paperback

Published June 9, 2014