{"id":7048758,"date":"2026-08-27T03:48:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T03:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/uncategorized\/are-we-looking-for-jesus-in-the-wrong-places-3\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T03:48:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T03:48:21","slug":"are-we-looking-for-jesus-in-the-wrong-places-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=7048758","title":{"rendered":"ARE WE LOOKING FOR JESUS IN THE WRONG PLACES?"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Part 15 \u2014 The Cross<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

“He himself bore our sins in
\nhis body on the tree.”<\/span><\/i> 1 Peter 2:24<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Christian has now come to the place Bunyan has been preparing
\nhim for. He has been through the Interpreter’s House and has been shown lesson
\nafter lesson about sin, grace, temptation and judgment. Yet through all of
\nthis, the burden is still upon his back.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then he sees the Cross.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bunyan tells us that as Christian looked upon the Cross, his
\nburden loosened from his shoulders, fell from his back, rolled down the hill
\nand disappeared into a sepulchre. Christian then says, “Blessed Cross!
\nBlessed Sepulchre! Blessed rather be the Man that there was put to shame for
\nme!”<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

I think Bunyan is being very deliberate here. Christian does
\nnot simply draw our attention to the Cross or the sepulchre. He draws our
\nattention to the Man who was put to shame for him. That Man is the Lord
\nJesus Christ<\/b>. The Cross cannot be separated from Christ, because it is
\nChrist who bore the sinner’s guilt and suffered in the sinner’s place.<\/span><\/p>\n

This also makes me think about how easily we can become caught
\nup in the symbols of Christianity rather than the Person to whom those symbols
\npoint. A cross can be worn around the neck, a crucifix can become the focus of
\nattention, and religious practices can become familiar, but none of these
\nthings is Jesus Christ. We can become so accustomed to the symbol that we lose
\nsight of the Person.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can say this because I have seen something of it in my own
\nlife. When I was in Mykonos, Greece, I bought a silver cross. Looking back, I
\nrealise I was unconsciously attaching a spiritual meaning to it. Somehow, I
\nbelieved that buying the cross might help me become more religious. It was my
\nway of acknowledging Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another occasion made this even clearer. One day, while I was
\nlooking for fish with a speargun and snorkel, a fisherman’s boat dropped me
\nabout two kilometres from the shore. As I swam, I came across a very deep
\nchannel. I couldn’t see the bottom, and it was so deep that I remember thinking
\nsharks may use this route. Almost instinctively, my hand went to the silver
\ncross around my neck, as though it somehow had the power to keep me safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back, that moment says something to me. I was reaching
\nfor an object because of what I believed it represented, but the silver itself
\nhad no power to protect me. It could not hear me, protect me or save me. If I
\nwas going to look to Christ, I needed to look beyond the object to the One the
\ncross represents: the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

That is why Bunyan’s wording matters. Christian does not stop
\nat the Cross. He says, “Blessed rather be the Man that there was put to
\nshame for me!” Bunyan turns our eyes from the symbol to the Person. The
\nCross points us to Christ, but Christ Himself saves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christian has carried this burden from the beginning of his
\njourney. He knew it was there and that he needed to be rid of it, but he could
\nnot remove it himself. All the instruction he received could show him his
\ncondition, but none of it could take the burden from his back.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now he comes to the Cross, and the burden falls away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peter tells us that Christ “bore
\nour sins in his body on the tree.”<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

(<\/span>1 Peter 2:24). <\/span><\/p>\n

Bunyan gives us a picture of that truth through Christian’s
\nexperience. What Christian could never accomplish for himself has been
\naccomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet Christian has reached the Cross without understanding
\neverything. He has learned much in the Interpreter’s House, but he still has
\nmuch to learn and a long pilgrimage ahead of him. Coming to the Cross does not
\nmean that Christian suddenly understands everything about the Christian life.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think we sometimes forget this. We do not understand
\neverything at the beginning of our journey, nor do we understand everything
\nwhen we come to the Cross. Christian certainly does not. Yet that does not
\nprevent him from coming to Christ. He comes as a man who knows he is burdened
\nand cannot save himself. But come we must\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back on my life, I recognise something of this. There
\nwere changes in me before I understood why they were happening. Things that
\nonce seemed perfectly normal began to lose their appeal, and things that had
\nonce been easy to pursue became strangely difficult. At the time, I could not
\nexplain what was happening. I only knew that something was changing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only afterwards could I look back and begin to see that God
\nhad been dealing with me before I understood what He was doing. I know that God
\nshowed me a patience I did not deserve, and I continue to see that patience in
\nmy life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bunyan then introduces the three Shining Ones. One tells
\nChristian that his sins are forgiven; another clothes him in a new suit of
\nraiment; and the third marks his forehead and gives him a sealed roll.<\/span><\/p>\n

Something has changed in Christian. His burden has
\nbeen lifted, his sins have been forgiven, and he has been clothed. Bunyan\u2019s
\nwarnings were not meant to leave Christian without hope. They were preparing
\nhim to understand the seriousness of his condition and why he needs the Lord
\nJesus Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

I
\ncan understand something of this from my own experience. I had already
\nresponded to an altar call, yet I was still carrying a burden. I remember
\nwrestling with Scripture and asking myself, \u201cWhat have I done?\u201d There had been
\nmuch back-and-forth with family and friends, but eventually I found myself
\nalone, with my Bible open before me. I remember praying something like,
\n\u201cFather, I am not sure what I am doing, but I believe Jesus died for my sins,
\nand you have forgiven me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And immediately the burden was lifted. I remember feeling as
\nlight as a feather in a gentle breeze. I had not suddenly understood
\neverything. I had simply come to believe what Scripture told me about the Lord
\nJesus Christ and what He had done for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

The seriousness of sin does not diminish the greatness of
\nGod’s grace, nor does the abundance of God’s grace make sin any less serious.
\nAt the Cross, we see both together, because Christ bore our sins and was put to
\nshame for us. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is a
\ncrucial fundamental that we must recognise: the seriousness of our sin when
\nwe stand at the foot of the Cross.<\/b> Miss this, and we miss the magnitude of
\nChrist’s sacrifice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul writes, “God shows his love for us in that while we were
\nstill sinners, Christ died for us” <\/span>(Romans 5:8).<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet Christian still has a long road ahead of him. The Cross
\nhas removed his burden, but it has not removed the pilgrimage. There will still
\nbe temptation, suffering, false teaching and spiritual conflict. The Parable of
\nthe Sower comes to mind because Jesus shows us that hearing the Word is not the
\nend of the matter. Some receive it with joy, but when tribulation or
\npersecution arises because of the Word, they stumble.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christian has reached the Cross, but he still has to continue.
\nThe burden has been lifted, his sins have been forgiven, and he has been
\nclothed, yet the pilgrimage is only beginning. There will still be temptation,
\nsuffering, false teaching and spiritual conflict. The Parable of the Sower
\ncomes to mind because Jesus shows us that hearing the Word is not the end of
\nthe matter. Some receive it with joy, but when tribulation or persecution
\narises because of the Word, they stumble.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christian still has much to learn, but he now knows where his
\nhope rests. It does not rest in a symbol, in his own goodness or in his ability
\nto save himself. His hope rests in Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the journey continues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Signing off<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Tyrone<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Scripture
\nReferences:<\/span><\/b> John 3:14-16;
\nMatthew 13:20-21; Romans 5:6-8; 1 Peter 2:24; Colossians 2:13-14; Galatians
\n6:14.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Part 15 \u2014 The Cross “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.” 1 Peter 2:24 Christian has now come to the place Bunyan has been preparing him for. He has been through the Interpreter’s House and has been shown lesson after lesson about sin, grace, temptation and judgment. Yet through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2707,7116,6773],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7048758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-jesus","tag-places","tag-wrong"],"yoast_head":"\nARE WE LOOKING FOR JESUS IN THE WRONG PLACES? - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=7048758\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ARE WE LOOKING FOR JESUS IN THE WRONG PLACES? - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0 Part 15 \u2014 The Cross “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.” 1 Peter 2:24 Christian has now come to the place Bunyan has been preparing him for. 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