Today’s topic of “Stuff That One Often/Sometimes Hears In The ‘Modern’ English-Speaking Church” is…

“When Jesus CLIMBED UP on(to) the cross.”

Since this (reasonably-new, and newly-minted) feature/column/video series is supposed to be a QUICK jaunt into disturbing trends of the day, we’re just keeping it simple and providing food for thought instead of doing a deep dive into the Nope on a Rope in question.

So!

This phrase is usually said as “Since Jesus Loves you SO MUCH that He CLIMBED UP ON THE CROSS for you, then _____” or “Don’t doubt that He Wants SALVATION for you! If He did NOT, then would He Have CLIMBED UP on the cross?” or even “You’re still a sinner, and Jesus Knew that you would be, even as He CLIMBED UP ONTO THE CROSS.”

So while it’s often presented as an item of evidence that God Loves us, or that we CAN know if we’re saved, or even “Don’t worry about the sins you can’t seem to shake, just keep trying to do better, and know that you CAN do better, since He Changes your heart at Salvation, and you’re a new creation In HIM, and ‘all’ you have to do is ‘walk it out’ now and ‘step into it’ and ‘put on your new self’ — all of which are true, and all of which are steps and decisions that YOU will need to take and make in order to actually SEE the changes He Hath Made in you.

For example, I used to struggle with wanting to listen to secular music back in the day–and it’s NOT that He Banned me from it (tho there are things He HAS Banned me from), or even that the whole LISTENING part was the bad part. Rather–in my case, anyway–it was about the lifestyles and life choices that I was being exposed to in said music, and the fact that I cannot NOT sing along with whatever I be listening to, lol.

So here I am, singing about heartbreaks and other things I’ve never experienced, doubts I’ve never had, and using phrases or words that I not only did not then understand, but had never even HEARD in my life. (ie when a student said “Yo, Miss Sally, your music be SICK!” I was like “Oh, I didn’t have a cold, I just have adenoids, tee hee.” And the boy’s like “um, no, Teach! Try again, lol!” and I was like “UM, I ain’t no perv, whatchoo talkin’ bout, boy??” and he burst into gales of laughter and explained that he thought the song in question was “cool and/or fresh and/or slammin, aka DOPE!” (to which I, of course, said, “No, hold on, I’ve never smoked that stuff, yo, so, like…” and, well…)

Point being, once I realised how important words really are–those we SAY as well as HEAR (as well as PARROT, aka “hear and sing along with, even without knowledge or understanding,” aka “Peeps who take Jon Stewart Show as News Outlet of Record, Here’s Lookin at Vous, y’all)–I could NOT have, “in good conscience,” or even just “logically,” kept singing along with songs about alcoholism, infidelity, and even going to the gym at 6 am.

And likewise, REGARDLESS of whether I object to the phrase “Climbed Up On(to) The Cross” because 1) It is technically and factually inaccurate, 2) Its inaccuracy glosses over the physical pain and anguish Of Jesus’ Great Sacrifice On my and our behalf, and several other reasons that I be saving for the deep dive article on this (just saw my word count, sorry!).

Now, does the phrase reflect the fact that Jesus AGREED WITH God’s Plan and CHOSE To Be PUT on the cross?

It does, and I can, indeed, understand why some pastors or others go with the phrase. And it DOES sound more poetic than “Jesus Was Executed, but CHOSE to be, and it was for YOU and for ME, so…!”

But, but, but! Does it ALSO breeze past the hours of torture He Endured for our sins?

I believe it does.

Because, YES, the person saying it might know what s/he meant when he or she said it.

And YES, the person in the pews might do (and be able to do) the mental gymnastics involved in jumping from: “This happened” and “this is why it happened” and “this is HOW it happened” and “these are the implications OF it happening” and even “this is what this happening’s happening MEANS for us, NOW–after the happening, and as it, erm, happens…” TO the land of understanding.

(aka Parishoner or Congregant or Peep Trapped in a Heated Discussion With a Faith-Filled Firecracker Focused On Following Jesus (and Furthering the Flock of the Faithful) IS able to Make Sense of It All).

And that’s GREAT (the understanding part, NOT the glossing over His Suffering bit :(

But.

What of the “earnest skeptic” who really DOES want to understand all this “Jesus stuff,” really DOES want to communicate With and even seek The Truth (and The Way, and The LIFE, aka MY MAIN MAN JC!!! <3 )… BUT hasn’t ever heard the Gospel?

What of the new believer (YAY and WOOO HOOOO and AMEN, FRIEND!!! :)) Welcome To The FAM xD… ) who has NOT yet heard the entire Gospel, and has no idea what’s going on and learns the faith WRONG?

Some might say “Um, HELLO, Sally Sall! It’s up to THEM to read The Bible! A worker approved and all that!” (See below.)

And to them, it’s like, “YES, my friend, that is true. BUT…! What about ‘they don’t know what they don’t know,’ aka How can they ask if they don’t know WHAT to ask–and if they have no one to teach them?”

Further: they can READ it all, and Holy Spirit CAN and WILL and DEFINITELY DOES Grant Revelation and Understanding (PRAISE TO GOD! :)) BUT!

We who belong to and serve LORD Jesus have the honour and privilege of loving and serving ALL others—not just fellow Christians, not just people we have stuff in common with or even just like hanging out with, but EVERYONE.

Even those we disagree with, even those that diss us, betray us, or even hurt us physically (or emotionally).

In other words, we show KINDNESS to EVERYONE. Helping a new (or a “not-even-sure-he-WANTS-to-be-one” just yet) believer is showing Kindness.

Encouraging or even discipling someone (mentoring them in the faith, if you’re a mature believer) IF QUALIFIED is kindness, as is showing them patience and mercy and support as they learn and grow; so is pointing someone in the right direction if you’re still more in the learning stuff (milk) phase of your own walk and aren’t yet at the solid food phase.

(This should make one want to move forward in her or his Walk With God, btw; for example, the moment I realised that a dear friend who had recently found Jesus was reading more Bible than I was–and was starting to go from mentored (by me) to MENTORING me, I was like “um, wow, I haven’t grown spiritually in like a DECADE. LORD, HELP ME PLEEEAAAASE!” and of course He Totally Did. And now I realise that even after 40 years of walking With Him, there’s still SO MUCH REVELATION and understanding and wisdom that we don’t (yet!) have, and soooo much to learn about our PRECIOUS LORD Jesus <3 and His Delicious and Delightful WORD <3 <3 <3 Praise To YOU, O Matchless KING OF GLORY AND GRACE <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 :)))))))) Hehe, I promise you I want to stop typing and give Him a Billion Years of hugs right now, lol. <3

So, in the end, today’s adventure was more about the WHY of, like, WHY this phrase can be a bit of a problem amongst certain groups. (And, for the record, I am more distressed by the LACK of distress over HIS Distress which He Undertook for OUR sakes–in this case, anyway. In other episodes of UM, NO!, it’s 100 per cent about the anti-Bible stance or “interpretation” of certain things (ie “sow into this message SO you can seal it in and get it From God!” aka WITCHCRAFT…! Take it from one who once practiced it.)

I truly believe that SO MANY people today have simply heard or read or “been taught” wrong(ly). A pastor may have the BEST of intentions when drafting a message, but a simple turn of phrase misused (or let’s face it, a lack of study, a desire to motivate the ones in the audience “no matter what,” or even/especially a failure to pray over the preparation and then delivery of the message, aka Holy Spirit’s like “I had NAUGHT to do with this motivational speech, yo”) can come across in a different manner or with a different meaning than intended.

That said, just coz it ain’t my fault doesn’t mean I’m not responsible for verifying stuff, doing my own research, and triangulating this info.

A sermon is a springboard for my own study into something, and should NOT be the final word About THE Word. Otherwise, it’s no different than Teenaged Sally’s lip syncing to 90s gems about stuff I’d never heard of, much less done.

(Though in this case, it’s infinitely and unimaginably worse to sail past The pre-Crucifixion Assault and Anguish Of our SWEET LORD Jesus… as though It never happened.)