Don't Let Familiarity Breed Contempt: A Fresh Look at the Cross

Maybe you've heard this phrase before. It's an old phrase. "Familiarity breeds contempt." How many of you guys ever heard that phrase before? I grew up in Florida, and when I moved to Ohio during the winter, people at the large church where I was working would always ask me, "Why are you here? Why did you move from Florida by the beach, to Ohio?" At first, I thought, "Man, I love this. I love the four seasons we have summer, spring, fall and winter. In Florida, there's just hot and hotter." But now, having been here for almost 12 years, I miss the beach. Right now the sand doesn't seem that bad, and Winter Haven seems like that sounds pretty good. The point is this: when something becomes familiar, it's easy to take it for granted. And I'm afraid that in our culture, where the cross has become so familiar - displayed at churches, in art, worn as jewelry - "the profundity of the cross, the miracle and magnificence of the cross can get lost in its familiarity."

The Danger of Familiar Faith

In the culture that we live in, the cross has become familiar. Even people who don't believe in God or in Christ in our culture still have some familiarity with the cross. Even our atheists are Christian atheists. They don't believe in the Christian God because they know about Christ and they know about the cross often. "With that truth being so declared, I'm afraid that the profundity of the cross, the miracle and magnificence of the cross can get lost in its familiarity. Oh, that we may not become so familiar that it breeds contempt."

Casting Our Eyes to Calvary

My goal today is to have you pause. You've all heard about the cross before, "But I want you to pause and think about it like you would think about it if you're hearing it for the very first time." Today I want to cast your eyes to Calvary and have you take a look again at the cross as if it's the very first time. In Luke 23, we find four details that should cause us to meditate and marvel at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The Contrast: Christ's Mercy Amid Mockery

"And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and one and the other on the left" (Luke 23:33). Jesus had already been scourged - and that wasn't just a beating. "Jesus really would have been already in critical condition because of the scourging. The Roman whip, they would fasten bones and glass and stone in that cat of nine tails, the whip that they would have used. And when they whipped him, they would have whipped it in such a way that it lodged into his back. And when they pulled it back, it would have been pulling back whole parts of his skin." Here you see "the giver of life suffering death. By him, all things are held together." And what's his response to those killing him? "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). "They were killing him. They were crucifying him. They were falsely accusing him. And they didn't even understand everything they were doing. Jesus said, Father, forgive them." What incredible compassion! "In fact, we know that he is paying for their sins while he's on the cross doing the sins that he's paying for. And what is he saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Three Groups Mock the Savior

Three different groups scorned Jesus, and amazingly, they all used similar language: The rulers said: "He saved others. Let him save himself, if he be the Christ, the chosen of God" (Luke 23:35). The soldiers mocked: "If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself" (Luke 23:37). One malefactor railed: "If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us" (Luke 23:39). "What did all three of them refer to? Salvation. They're accusing him of not doing the thing he's doing while he's doing it." The irony is staggering - they're mocking him for not saving himself while he's in the very act of saving them!

The Conversion: A Thief Finds Paradise

In the middle of this chaos, we witness something beautiful. The other thief rebukes his fellow criminal: "Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing amiss" (Luke 23:40-41). This demonstrates three Marks of genuine conviction: fear of God, self-awareness of sin, and recognition of Christ's innocence. Then comes his simple request: "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest thy kingdom" (Luke 23:42). "He calls Jesus Lord, not merely teacher or rabbi. He looks beyond the cross to a kingdom, exercising more faith than most of the disciples even had at that moment. And he asked not for a throne, not for relief from pain, only to be remembered by Christ." Jesus' response is immediate and certain: "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). "You know what he had to offer? His faith. We get saved the same way. You're God, I'm not. You're sinless. I'm a sinner. I can't get to where you're going unless you take me there."

The Consummation: Mission Accomplished

Luke records three cosmic signs Marking Christ's completion of his mission: Supernatural Darkness: "And it was about the sixth hour and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour" (Luke 23:44). This wasn't an eclipse - "between 12 and 3" is when the sun should be brightest. This supernatural darkness signaled divine judgment. "Who was being judged in this moment? Who was being judged was Jesus." God the Father was pouring out his wrath on God the Son - "Not because Jesus deserved wrath, but because you and I did." The Torn Veil: "And the veil of the temple was rent in the midst" (Luke 23:45). This veil was "60ft tall, 4 inches thick, torn not from bottom to top by human hands. But it says here, torn from top to bottom. God did this." The barrier between God and man was removed forever. Voluntary Death: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said thus, he gave up the ghost" (Luke 23:46). "Jesus does not have his life taken from him in this moment. In this moment, Jesus gives up his life." As John records it: "It is finished." "Christ did not merely die. He finished the work of redemption."

The Consequence: Hearts Must Respond

The crucifixion demands a response, and Luke shows us three different reactions: The Centurion's Conviction: "Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man" (Luke 23:47). This Roman executioner "had seen hundreds die. He had never seen a man die like this." The Crowd's Contrition: "And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts and returned" (Luke 23:48). They beat their chests in grief and mourning, realizing something profound had happened. The Companions' Contemplation: "And all his acquaintance and the women that followed him from Galilee stood afar off, beholding these things" (Luke 23:49). "They did not fully understand yet what had happened, but they stayed, they watched, and they took it all in."

Putting It Into Practice: Don't Rush Past Calvary

"And this is exactly what I'm trying to get you to do today. It's the posture that we should have of our heart." "God became flesh and dwelt among us. He did good in the face of evil against him. And if it was just you that had sinned, if it was just me, I believe he still would have came and he would have died. The greatest giver gave the greatest gift to people who didn't deserve it." Here's what this means for your life today: Stop and Behold: "We should stop and we should pause and we should look at the cross and it should break our hearts and it should thrill our hearts at the same time." Don't let the familiarity of Easter services and cross necklaces dull the wonder of what happened at Calvary. Respond with Faith: Like the thief, you can simply say, "Lord, I'm guilty. Remember me when you come into your kingdom." And "Jesus would look at you and say, you'll be with me in paradise. Assuredly you'll be there." Marvel at His Love: "With all of the authority of Scripture, I want to tell you that God loves you. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Let It Change You: "No one who truly encounters the crucifixion remains the same." Whether through conviction, contrition, or contemplation - "the cross still produces a response in every soul that honestly beholds it." Don't rush past Calvary. "Cast your eyes. Calvary. Stand with those women from Galilee, afar off, beholding. Let the cross do what it's always done. Produce in you wonder and worship. And yes, repentance and surrender." "Today you can know that your sins are forgiven. Not because you're a good person, but because Jesus Christ the righteous died for you. That's your only shot."