After the competition, the two athletes walked together down the runway to the jump. Directly in front of Adolf Hitler's viewing box, Long thrust his arms around the victorious black American runner. Hitler, who had hoped to use the Olympics to prove the Aryan superiority of the German people, looked the other way—absolutely enraged! Two lives had intersected in a very powerful way—the one in need met another who would gladly and willingly meet that need. One life was quite radically given to help the other—and all with evil sneering down at them.
Well, let's get down to the crux of the matter. Oh, incidentally, do you know what that word means? The word, "crux", comes from the Latin, and it refers to a "cross". In the English, it speaks of a pivotal or fundamental point in the effort of solving a tormenting or baffling problem. Other words from the same root are "crucial", "crucible", and "crucify". Spiritually speaking, we must get down to the crux—a place of intersection that brings us to a central point. Such is the "Cross" of Jesus Christ. It is truly the crux of history, defining the function and the purpose of life itself. Another word we often hear and use, in the context of pain and suffering, is "excruciating." This, too, comes from the Latin and means "out of the cross." Calvary is indeed the centerpiece of all of history, intersecting both time and space, and, out of it, God speaks to the deepest hurts of the human experience. God brings both the one in need, namely you and me, into touch with the only One who can meet that eternal need—yes, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Dr. Ravi Zacharias writes concerning these needs, "There are at least four such longings. The hunger for truth, as lies proliferate. The hunger for love, as we see hate ruling the day. The hunger for justice, as we see injustice mocking the law. The hunger for forgiveness, when we ourselves fail and stumble. These four stirrings grip the soul." I'm sure we could all think of a whole myriad of other "needs," but for our purpose right here, let's focus on these. There is only one place in all the world where these four could converge and find their fulfillment—the crux of the matter—the Cross of Calvary! It is truly at the center of the Cross where our need and God's provision meet. Take TRUTH, for instance, and how it stands out in a world of lies. Jesus would even declare Himself to be…"the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) Most everything this man said was punctuated with some form of assertion that what He was saying was the gospel-truth. In John 6:53, we read, "Verily, verily, I say unto you." In all four Gospels, we find this phrase 78 times—He is saying, "I am telling you the truth, so believe it!" Believe what? "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." No, He was not speaking of cannibalism or even celebrating the Lord's Supper after He institutes it. No, He is speaking of the Cross, and letting Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit, abide and live within His people. Many didn't want to hear such a strong word then, and, believe me, many do not want it now—"From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him." Is it any wonder that the reference for that tragic verse is 6:66, since it is indeed the spirit of Anti-Christ that brings us to that tragic place? Jesus had tried to give them the "truth," but they didn't want Him, and so, bam, they collide in the intersection.
Secondly, what about LOVE, as we see hate ruling the day? In Mark 10:17-27, we see Jesus being approached by a rich young ruler, wondering how he can be sure of eternal life. From his own perspective, he had kept the law on about every point—even from his childhood. Verse 21 tells us, "Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." The possessions themselves were not the problem; it was his attitude towards them. Rich or poor, the question is, "How much will you hold onto everything that is not Jesus. This man had come to a very crucial intersection in his life—a pivotal and excruciating place, a virtual fiery cruciblehates you, and will do anything to block your vision of Jesus—anything, even, "…the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life..." (1 John 2:16) Even your "stuff" can bring you down.
in which his eternity is tested. Crash and burn! He would not yield the right of way to God. So many today are on the same collision course—seeking prosperity instead of a cross, and they have plenty of "prosperity preachers" helping them to their own demise. The Biblical "denial of self" is not exactly today's "buzz" word. Remember—Satan
Thirdly, there is the hunger for JUSTICE, when we see injustice mocking the law. In Luke 11, Jesus nails the problem He has with His sneering enemies—they are content to look good on the outside, but inside "they are full of ravening and wickedness." (vs. 39b) They spend their time pretending to be good and just, but slapping God's justice in the face. Today, they would go to church, perhaps even more than once a week, but without repentance and the resulting heart change. They looked spiritual because they had their lists of do's and don't's, but they neglected the true motivation—love for God! The Lord wants, and will have, both—devotion to Him that will be expressed by total obedience—all through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit! This is justice—God getting what He paid for! Isaiah is speaking to God in 26:3—"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." About this, Oswald Chambers wrote, "Is your mind stayed on God or is it starved? Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of weakness and disobedience in the servant's life." Think about it!
Fourthly, there is the longing for FORGIVENESS! In John 8, we find the religious leaders throwing a woman at Jesus' feet—she had been caught in the very act of adultery. The Law said to stone her, but what would He say—it was the perfect trap! Acting as though He wasn't even paying attention to their foolishness, Jesus sat there, writing in the sand with His finger. When they kept it up, He stood up and declared, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her," (vs. 7) and then He went back to what He was doing. Not knowing what to do, they dropped their stones and went away. The lives of the self-righteous had just been intersected by the Righteous One. So had the life of the sinful woman, with one further direction—she was told to sin no more! Forgiveness is not just a pat on the back, and a call to tryabomination before God—you will hate it, and turn from it, and fly into the arms of the Crucified and Risen Christ—with a changed heart and a changed life. This is surely the crux of the matter—truth, love, justice, forgiveness, and every other need we have, can not only be found on the way to the Cross, as we have seen, but at the very place of the Cross. Pilate asked what TRUTH was, and "it" stood right in front of him. As Jesus gave His life, there was no greater LOVE than that. As the One who had become sin hung there, God's JUSTICE was satisfied. And last, but certainly not least, the very first word from that Cross was, "Father, FORGIVE them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Your sin and mine has placed us in a very tormenting and baffling situation—our own good thoughts, words, and deeds can not save us. He has pointed out the fundamental and pivotal issue—we are in need of our own lives being crucified with His. Praise God—our desperate need was met by His provision—one life radically given. He is the only One who could face the Enemy's sneers, and be victorious. This is the crux of the matter—pick up your cross today, and follow Him into eternity! to do better. No, when you truly see your sin for what it is—a hellish
