Over the last two weeks, we've been looking at metaphors that the New Testament writers used to describe Jesus' work of atonement and salvation that was accomplished on the cross. Today, one more metaphor: Justification - probably the most famous of all in the Protestant tradition, and also in Paul's letters.

Last week we began looking at scriptural mataphors, or images, of atonement and salvation. Today we will look at four more metaphors. All four are examples of a rereading of some ancient Hebrew traditions.

Today, let's look at three scriptural metaphors, or images, used to describe what happened on the Cross.  Next week we'll look at several more.  These are the images from which many of the atonement theories are taken, so let's go to the source.

Luke 17:11-32  The story of the Prodigal Son reveals God's heart.

In Lamentations 2:19-22, Jeremiah portrays God as a destroyer, burning with anger, pouring out death and destruction. How can we reconcile such horrors with the self-giving, radically forgiving, mercy lavishing God revealed by and through Jesus Christ?

What is God really like? We are coming to believe that God is good, God is Christlike, and God's love is revealed on the cross. If these statements are true, how do we reconcile them with all the pain and suffering we see in the world?

I Corinthians 2:2 says, "2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."  

Why does Paul seem more focused on the cross than on Christ's resurrection? Let's think about this question by considering two words: consent and participation.

What is God really like? Our answer to that question is very important, because we tend to become like whatever gods we worship. Today we'll highlight this unfolding understanding that God looks like Jesus by looking at two stories in scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. Interestingly, both are table scenes, but they present very different images of God.

John 12:12-19

Two processions entered Jerusalem on a Spring day in the year 30.  One was a peasant procession—the other was an imperial procession.  Together, they provide a clear contrast between God's power and the power of empire.

What is God reall like? Our contention is that "God looks like Jesus; exactly like Jesus." Let's unpack this idea by returning to a word we usually assocate with Christmas.

John 1:1-5, 14