Leaning into Lent: The Cross
As we approach Good Friday, we confront the ultimate collision of power and love at the cross. In a world where power often disguises itself as righteousness, Jesus reveals a different way, one not of coercion, but of sacrificial love. The cross strips away pretense, exposes injustice, and draws all people toward the God who would rather suffer violence than inflict it.
Discussion Questions
- How have you seen power – either in the world or in your own life – tempt people (or yourself) away from the way of Jesus?
- Jesus was offered comfort, fame, and power in the wilderness but said no to all of them. What might those temptations look like in your life today?
- The cross is both horrifying in its brutality and holy in its purpose. When you sit with that paradox of deep suffering and divine love intertwined, how does it shape the way you see pain, whether in Jesus’ story or your own? Does it change how you understand God’s presence in your suffering?
- Can you think of a time when love required you to endure something painful, misunderstood, or humiliating? How does that experience help you connect with Jesus’ journey to the cross?
- If crucifixion was the method but not the ultimate cause of Jesus’ death, what does that tell you about the kind of love Jesus embodied?
Robyn said, “everything that can be known about God is present at the cross.”
Let that statement sink in for a moment. If the cross is the clearest window into God’s heart, character, and intentions toward humanity, then what does it reveal?
When you think about who God is, what words, images, or emotions come to mind?
Do you think of God as loving? Just? Merciful? Angry? Patient? Punishing? Distant? Close? Retributive?
Now, take those thoughts and bring them to the foot of the cross. Picture Jesus, beaten, bleeding, yet praying for the forgiveness of those who put Him there. What do you see in His eyes? What do you hear in His words?
Let’s go deeper:
- Are the characteristics you associate with God reflected in Jesus at the cross, or are they challenged by Him?
- Does your view of God expand, shift, or break open when you hold it against the reality of the crucifixion?
- If “everything that can be known about God is present at the cross,” what does this say about how God handles sin, suffering, justice, and love?
- Can a God who chooses to suffer rather than retaliate reshape how you understand divine power?
- In what ways does the cross confront our assumptions—not just about God—but about ourselves, our enemies, and the meaning of love?
Finally, ask yourself: What part of God’s nature, revealed at the cross, do I most need to see right now? And what part of my view of God might need to die there, too?