St. Patrick Presbyterian Church, Epc

Palm Sunday! Yes, we have arrived at the last week of Lent and thus the beginning of Holy Week. One of the things that, through the ages, people have tried to do is separate Jesus from the Cross. What I mean by that is, Jesus is acceptable as a great teacher, or a miracle worker, or revolutionary; but Jesus as a savior––as in, the cross has saving virtue––that is too much. Gandhi says as much in his assessment of Jesus:  I could accept Jesus as a martyr, and embodiment of sacrifice, and a divine teacher. His death on the cross was a great example to the world, but that there was anything like a mysterious or miraculous virtue in it, my heart could not accept.” (Gandhi, An Autobiography) Paul knew this too, and that is why he said the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. He goes on to say, Christ crucified is a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles. (From I Corinthians 1)  And yet, as we follow Paul in the last fifth of the book of Acts, it is not his belief in Jesus as some g