God’s “Fu*k You”

April 18, 2012 in church, Culture, death, faith, lessons, Life with 28 Comments

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Fu*k.

Not a word much-used in polite company. Not a pretty word by any stretch. (See how I have trouble even writing it?). It’s an ugly–yet powerful–word.

It assaults our ears, and brutalizes our sensibilities.

Besides its obviously sexual, and perjorative, connotations, I submit that it’s also a strongly theological word.

What do I mean? (Has he lost his mind, you ask?).

Well, there’s this:

There it stood upon the crest of Golgotha looking nothing so much as like an upraised middle finger. And it was: Jesus’ cross was the center one, sandwiched in-between two thieves.

Akin to the aural ugliness of the word– fu*k–was the ugly spectacle of Calvary:

It was the ultimate display of a Father’s frustrations with a sin-soaked world. The sheer barbarity of an innocent man suffering so brutalizes our sensibilities, brings us up short (like the power of a certain word dropped in conversation–it knocks the wind out of us).

Then we realize: we are the brutalizers, we put him there.

If sin is our “fu*k you” to God, the cross is God’s “Fu*k you!” to sin, to our lost condition. To an enemy, who instead of winning at Calvary, lost utterly.

It is a holy battle cry of victory. That, too, is the redemptive power of Calvary.

What do you think?

Comments

comments

About randomlychad: Christ-follower, husband, dad, blogger, reader, writer, movie buff, introvert. Desert-dweller, omnivore. Subscribe to RandomlyChad by Email

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  • http://deuceology.wordpress.com Larry Carter

    I’ll admit it made me a bit nervous to read this one….but I get what you’re saying.

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Made me nervous to write it. But I’ve gotta follow the truth where it takes me.

      Thanks for reading (indeed thanks for always reading), Larry!

  • http://www.rickyanderson.net/ Ricky Anderson

    Hadn’t thought of the similarities before.

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Makes sense once you do though, no?

      I mean we’re at 2,000 year remove from the crucifixion, so there’s a bit of a disconnect. So my job became: what’s a contemporary example that can begin to approximate the offense of it (“cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” “a stone of stumbling, & a rock of offense”).

      Then it dawned on me: F-bomb.

      Hope I did a decent job subverting things thee at the end.

  • http://thewholedangthing.wordpress.com Ben Emerson

    I love the thought that God actually duped us and sin somehow. Like, we thought we were putting and end to God but he was really letting sin exhaust itself. It has done its worst and it was not enough.

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Amen, Ben! Well said! Well said, indeed.

      It has done its worst, but can’t win.

  • http://www.badlydrawnbible.com/ Jared Hollier

    I think there’s a difference between a reaction and a response. The phrase you (almost) use is a reaction. It’s angry, primal, thoughtless. The crucifixion was God’s response to sin, orchestrated and foreshadowed for thousands of years before coming to fruition. I don’t think it’s fair to say that God was giving sin the middle finger with the cross of Jesus. That dumbs down the elaborate, intricate, carefully crafted plan of what happened on the cross. Maybe it’s more like, “Watch this.”

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Perhaps, Jared, it was a bit of both? A carefully orchestrated “plan of salvation,” and a reaction to the human condition, the plight of sin?

      Yes, it was all intricately planned, foreshadowed, but this was God playing His trump card. I think we can allow Him some drama. I think that perhaps He was saying--to Satan, for certain: you think you won, killed My Son? You ain’t seen nothin’: watch this.

      Then Jesus stomped old slewfoot, took the keys to death, hell, and the grave. And led captivity captive.

      Truthfully, this post wasn’t for Christians, but rather my way of trying to explain the Gospel to those outside, put it into terms they recognize.
      Thanks for reading!

      And keep on getting down with your bad self.

  • http://lifebeforethebucket.blogspot.com/ Adrian Waller

    Huh… I like where you’re going with this. Flesh it out a bit more and post about it again! =)

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Thanks, Adrian!

      I may do that. How would you flesh it out a bit more?

      • http://lifebeforethebucket.blogspot.com/ Adrian Waller

        Maybe talking more about examples of how we regularly give God the figurative finger. I love the imagery -- no one can mistake that meaning! =)

        • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

          How don’t we?

          Lemme see:

          As a dad, when I shut my kids down needlessly, exasperate them.

          When I don’t give me all, strive for excellence in what i put my hands to.
          Never mind idolatry--do I reach for my Bible first thing in the morning? No, it’s my iPhone.

          I could go on and on….

  • http://www.zahndrew.com/ Andrew Zahn

    Brave.

    True.

    Like.

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Thanks, man!

      Loved your “worthless” post!
      That was awesome!

  • http://www.LifeAsExperienced.com Seth Caddell

    Powerful imagery. I can’t imagine people in our churches who live their lives for themselves not being abhorred at the thought, but it’s true. Every selfish act is a middle finger to my selfless maker.

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Bingo! Exactly, Seth!

  • http://profiles.google.com/andilit Andrea Cumbo

    So I don’t really do theology very well, so I’m going to say I’m with you on that. I like the idea that God duped the system we so obviously corrupted.

    That said, I don’t have any problem with this word itself, unless of course it’s used lazily and with an intent to harm. . . I really believe that everything in this world can be useful and powerful . . . for change, if for nothing else.

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Thank-you, Andi! Appreciate that.

      It really all does come back to motive, doesn’t it?

      That’s what Jesus said anyway: “it’s what comes out that defiles.”

  • http://www.chadgibbs.com Chad Gibbs

    Appreciate your thoughts Other Chad, but this would probably make the worst selling Christian t-shirt of all time

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      You’re probably right. :-)

      But philosophically speaking, what do you think?

  • Renee A. Schuls-Jacobson

    Hey Chad: This is hard for me to address since I hate cussing and, as the Jewish girl in the room, it doesn’t feel right for me to comment. Half the Christians out there seem to feel they need to save me, and it’s kind of exhausting. But you are entitled to speak your mind. Obviously.

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Totally understand, and appreciate you stopping. I asked you specifically because I wanted a “quote-unquote” outsider’s perspective.

      Save you? I couldn’t do that if I tried. I’d rather hear your story.

      Thanks so much for taking the time to come by!

  • http://mattsbibleblog.wordpress.com/ Matt Hyde

    Brave post!

    It’s made me look at the whole Easter story slightly differently, a reminder that God took *everything* that was being thrown at Jesus -- politics, religious structures, local corruption, tools of Roman oppression, even buildings -- and used them to redeem humanity. I like what other commenters have said about God almost duping everyone, and it certainly seems like a giant “Bring it on!” on His part….

    • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

      Thank-you, Matt!

      That’s what I had in mind--a reconsideration of the crucifixion. It also seems to me that this isn’t the only case of where it appears that the “opposing team” is winning, but God swoops in to make a mighty deliverance. I think He does this intentionally--He was never going to lose, but He delivers in such a way that only He gets the glory. Make sense? (It’s early for me, and I was up late writing).

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