At this time, Christ is at the boundary between the two systems and their two major festivals. As a flawless lamb of God, he is about to offer himself as a sin sacrifice, thus abolishing the symbol and ritual system that predicted his death for 4,000 years. When he had a Passover dinner with his disciples, he set up a ceremony to commemorate his great sacrifice, not Passover. The festivals of the Jewish nation will pass forever, and the etiquette established by Christ will be observed by his disciples in all countries and generations.
In ancient times, Passover was originally set up to commemorate the Israelites being rescued from the slave land in Egypt. God has instructed; When they celebrate this festival every year, if their children ask about its significance, they will repeat this history. In this way, the wonderful salvation will remain in everyone's heart as long as new. Christ established the Eucharist to commemorate the great salvation achieved by his death. A believer should observe this ceremony until the day when he comes with power and glory for the second time. This gift is a memorial, let us always remember the great deeds he did for us.
When the Israelites were rescued from Egypt, they ate Passover dinner standing, with a belt around their waist, shoes on their feet and crutches in their hands, ready to go. The way they celebrated Passover was in line with the situation at that time, because they were about to be driven out of Egypt and began to walk a painful and difficult journey in the wilderness. But in the time of Christ, things changed. They are no longer people who will be driven out of a foreign land, but live in their own land. In order to reflect the rest given by God, people lean on the couch to eat the Passover feast at this time. There is a couch around the table. Guests can lie down, support themselves with their left arm and take food with their right hand. In this way, the guest can also rest his head on the chest of the person on his left. As the feet reach the outer end of the couch, people waiting outside can wash the feet of the guests.
At this time, Christ was still eating Passover dinner. The unleavened bread of the Passover was before him. The unleavened Passover wine was also set on the table. It is a perfect sacrifice for Christ to use these symbols to represent himself. Anything corrupted by the number of yeast's crimes and deaths is not enough to represent the "spotless lamb" (original 1: 19).
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take it and eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink this, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never drink this grape juice again until the day when I drink it with you in my father's kingdom. "
Judas, the seller, also attended the Eucharist. He accepted bread and wine from Jesus, which showed that he gave his life, shed blood and heard the word of the Lord: "You did this in memory of me." The traitor dared to plot a secret plan in front of the lamb of God, with evil thoughts of insidious revenge.
The way Christ spoke when he washed his feet has fully proved that he knew Judas' personality. He said, "You are clean, but not all of you are clean." (Jn. 13: 1 1) This sentence lets the false disciples know that Christ knows his tricks. At this time, Christ should speak more clearly. As they were reclining at the table, Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "I don't mean all of you." I know who I chose. " Now it is time to fulfill the scripture:' He who eats with me kicks me.' "
Up to now, the disciples have not doubted Judas. But they were very sad to see Christ. To this end, there is a dark cloud hanging over them, which is a terrible premonition of impending disaster; They don't know its nature. When everyone was having a quiet dinner, Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I tell you that one of you is going to betray me." When the disciples heard this, they were very surprised and afraid. They don't understand how some of them can treat their sacred teacher so mercilessly. Why sell him? To whom? Who would give birth to this idea? Since the twelve disciples loved by the Lord have more rights than others to listen to his teachings and enjoy his wonderful love, and the Lord cares about them so much and keeps close contact with him, none of them is willing to betray him!
The disciples not only understood the meaning of Jesus' words, but also remembered how true what he said. They are afraid and doubt themselves. They began to examine their hearts to see if they had any thoughts against the master. In great pain, they asked Jesus one by one, "Lord, is it me?" But Judas sat there without saying a word. John was very confused and finally asked Jesus, "Lord! who is it? Jesus answered, "He who dips his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The son of man will die, just as it is written about him; But woe to him who betrays the Son of Man! Fortunately, no human beings were born in the world. When the disciples asked, "Lord, is it me?" "At that time, they watched each other's faces closely. So Judas' silence focused everyone's attention on him. In confusion and surprise, Judas didn't hear Jesus answer John. Now, in order to avoid the attention of all the disciples, he asked Jesus like them, "Rabbi, is that me?" Jesus answered seriously, "You are right." Jesus intended to give Judas a chance to repent, but Judas did not repent. Jesus did not reveal him.
Judas was surprised and flustered. Because his plot was exposed, he quickly got up and left the building. Jesus said to him, "Do what you do, and forget about it.". ..... Judas took the cake and went out at once. It was night. The traitor turned away from Christ and went into darkness. It was really a "night" for him.
Judas did not lose the possibility of repentance before taking this step. But when he left the Lord and his brothers, he had made the final decision and crossed the final line.
Jesus' patience with this tempted man is amazing. Everything that can save Judah has been done. After he reached two sales agreements with the priest, Jesus gave him a chance to repent. Because of his insight into the betrayal in the traitor's heart, Christ gave Judas the final proof of his divinity. This is the last appeal to persuade this false disciple to repent. The influence of Christ's love, which is both God and man, has been applied to Judas without reservation. Although the wave of pity was repelled by stubborn pride, it rushed over with a stronger sense of love. Unfortunately, although Judas was surprised and shocked by the revelation of his sin, he was even more determined. He came out of the Eucharist, determined to carry out the seller's plot.
Christ declared woe to Judas and showed mercy to other disciples. He gave them the strongest proof that he was the Messiah. He said, "things haven't come out yet. I want to tell you first, so that when things come to fruition, you can believe that I am Christ. " If Jesus kept silent as if he didn't know what would happen to him, his disciples might think that their master had no vision of God and was accidentally sold to a murderous thug. A year ago, Jesus told his disciples that one of the twelve people he chose was a devil. Now what Christ said to Judas shows that he is fully aware of his tricks, which can strengthen his true disciple's confidence when he is humiliated. When Judas encounters a terrible ending, they will think of the disaster Jesus announced to the traitor.
The savior has another purpose. He knew Judas was a traitor, but he managed to help him. When he washed his feet, he said, "You are clean, but not all of you are clean." The disciples at that time did not understand this. When he said at the dinner table, "the people who ate with me kicked me," they still didn't understand. But when they finally understood what he meant, they had to consider how patient and kind God was to those who committed the most serious crimes.
Although Jesus knew Judas from the beginning, he washed his feet. This traitor has the right to communicate with Christ. The patient Savior gave many exhortations, hoping that sinners would accept him, repent, reform and wash away his sins. This is an example for us: when we think a brother has made a mistake or committed a crime, we must never abandon him. Don't be indifferent to him, let him fall into temptation, become Satan's prey, or drive him to Satan's position. This is not the way of Christ. It was because of his disciples' mistakes and shortcomings that he washed their feet. All the disciples except Judas repented.
Christ's example forbids his disciples to exclude others from taking part in the Eucharist. Of course, the Holy Spirit explicitly instructed those who openly sinned not to take part in the Eucharist. But other than that. No one can judge others without authorization. God didn't let anyone decide who could attend the ceremony; Because who can see through people's hearts? Who can separate barnyard grass from wheat? "People should check themselves, then eat this bread and drink this cup." Because "everyone who eats the bread of the Lord and drinks the cup of the Lord commits the blood of the Lord." For if a man eats and drinks, and does not distinguish the body of the Lord, he eats and drinks his own sin.
When the congregation of believers holds sacraments, there must be invisible messengers to attend. There may be traitors in this group. If so, there will be messengers sent by the prince of darkness, because they are always with all those who refuse to be bound by the Holy Spirit. However, angels from heaven will also appear. Every such party is attended by these invisible "guests". There may be some people who don't sincerely love the truth, but they shouldn't be banned. Because when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and Judas that day, those witnesses who were present would also come among us. It was not just ordinary people who saw that scene at that time.
Christ will prove his manners through the Holy Spirit. He will be there to change people's hard hearts and let people know their sins. Everyone's eyes and inner remorse can't escape his attention. He is waiting for those who are sad and repentant, and everything is ready to accept them. The Lord who washed Judah's feet longed to wash away the sin from everyone's heart.
Let's not go to the Eucharist just because some unworthy people are present. Every disciple should participate openly to show that he accepts Christ as his personal savior. Christ will meet his people in these appointments he has appointed himself and give them strength because of his presence. Even if the person who presides over the Eucharist is not worthy because of unclean heart and hands, Christ will still serve his children there. Those who believe in him wholeheartedly will be greatly blessed. Those who ignore these opportunities to get close to the Lord are bound to suffer. For such people, it can be said that they are "not all clean".
Since Christ ate bread and drank a cup with his disciples, he has made a covenant with them to be their redeemer. He entrusted the New Testament to them, so that all those who accepted him could become children of God and heirs with Christ. Because of this new testament, they can enjoy all the blessings that God can give them in this life and the next. This contract depends on the blood of Christ. This Eucharist is to remind believers of the great sacrifices they have made for the whole fallen mankind and themselves.
But the Eucharist should not be a sad ceremony, because that is not its purpose. When the disciples of the Lord gather to eat his Eucharist, they should not remember or lament their own shortcomings, nor should they miss their past religious experiences, whether encouraging or frustrating. Nor should they recall their differences with their brothers. The preparatory etiquette of washing feet solved all this. Introspection, repentance and reconciliation have all been achieved. Now they come to communicate with Christ: not in the shadow of the cross, but in the light of its salvation. They should open their hearts to the bright sunshine of the sun of justice. Because the precious blood of Christ has washed their hearts, although they can't see him with the naked eye, they can fully feel his presence in their hearts; People will hear his words and say, I will leave you peace, and I will give you my peace. What I give is not like what the world gives. "
Our Lord said: When you know that you are guilty, remember that I died for you. When you suffer abuse, persecution and pain for me and the gospel, please remember how great my love for you is. When you feel a heavy responsibility and a heavy burden, remember that I endured ten beatings for you and despised humiliation. When you flinch from an embarrassing trial, remember that your Redeemer has lived for you for a long time.
Eucharist refers to the second coming of Christ. Its purpose is to vividly engrave this hope in the hearts of disciples. Whenever they gather together to commemorate his death, they will repeat how he "picked up the cup, thanked them, and handed it to them, saying, You all drink this, because this is the blood of my Covenant, which was poured out for the forgiveness of many people. But I tell you, I will never drink this grape juice again until the day when I drink it with you in my father's kingdom. In their sufferings, they were comforted by the hope that their Lord would come back. They remember this sentence: "whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, it is the death of the Lord;" Wait until he comes. " (before forest 1. 1 1:26) This promise is really unspeakable comfort to them.
We will never forget these things. We should always remember Jesus' love and its inspiring power. Christ set up this ceremony to explain God's love for us. Our hearts can never be United with God unless through Christ. In addition, the unity and love between brothers must be solidified and eternal because of Jesus' love. Only the death of Christ can make his love work for us. Only because of his death can we look forward to his return with joy. His sacrifice is the center of our hope. Our faith must be based on this.
We tend to be too formal, referring to the humiliation and suffering of the savior. Christ set up these rituals for a certain purpose. Our good knowledge and ability must be awakened to master the mystery of godliness. Everyone has the privilege to understand the suffering of Christ's atonement more deeply. "As Moses lifted the snake in the wilderness," so the Son of Man was lifted up, "so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." We must look up at the cross of the dying savior hanging in the skull. We must believe in Christ, which is related to our eternal interests.
Our Lord said, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, there is no life in you. ..... my meat is really edible, and my blood is really drinkable. " As far as our bodies are concerned, these two sentences are also true. Because even our life on earth is due to the death of Christ. He gave his life for the food we ate. The water we drank was bought with his blood. Everyone, whether a saint or a sinner, is nourished by the body and precious blood of Christ when eating. Every meal bears the mark of Calvary Cross. Every spring reflects its brilliance. When Christ established the etiquette representing his great sacrifice, he explained all this. The light from the Eucharist and ceremony held in the building sanctifies our daily diet. So the family table became the feast of the Lord, and every meal became the Eucharist.
As far as our spiritual life is concerned, the words of Christ are especially correct. He said, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood will have eternal life." Only by accepting the life shed for us on the cross of Calvary can we live a holy life. Because we accept his words and follow his orders, we can get this life. In this way, we will be one with him. He said, "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him. As the eternal father sent me, I live because of the father; So those who eat my flesh will live because of me. " This Bible is especially suitable for the Eucharist. When we miss the Lord's sacrifice because of faith, our hearts will absorb the spiritual life of Christ; We will also get spiritual strength from every communion. Therefore, this etiquette forms a living chain, linking believers with Christ and thus with the father. It can be seen that this kind of etiquette has established a close relationship between human beings who need to rely on it and God.
When we received bread and cups representing the blood of Christ, we participated in the Eucharist held in an imaginary building. We also entered the garden of Gethsemane, which was sanctified by the suffering of the Lord who suffered the sins of the world. We also seem to see his efforts to reconcile us with God. In this way, the picture of Christ being crucified is vividly presented to our eyes.
When we look up to the crucified Savior, we will fully understand the great and far-reaching significance of the Lord's sacrifice in heaven. The glory of the salvation plan shines on us, and when we think of the scene of Calvary Mountain, it will inspire lively and sacred feelings. We must praise God and the Lamb with our mouths and hearts, because those who often miss the touching scene of Calvary will not have pride and self-worship in their hearts.
Those who look to the Savior for great love will certainly improve their ideological realm, purify their souls and improve their moral quality. Will be the light of the world, each reflecting that magical love in different ways. The more we miss the cross of Christ, the more we can say, like the apostle Paul, "I will never boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Because of this cross, as far as I am concerned, the world has been crucified; As far as the world is concerned, I have been crucified. "
At this time, Christ was still eating Passover dinner. The unleavened bread of the Passover was before him. The unleavened Passover wine was also set on the table. It is a perfect sacrifice for Christ to use these symbols to represent himself. Anything corrupted by the number of yeast's sin and death is not enough to represent "spotless lamb"
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take it and eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink this, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never drink this grape juice again until the day when I drink it with you in my father's kingdom. "
Judas, the seller, also attended the Eucharist. He accepted bread and wine from Jesus, which showed that he gave his life, shed blood and heard the word of the Lord: "You did this in memory of me." The traitor dared to plot a secret plan in front of the lamb of God, with evil thoughts of insidious revenge.
The way Christ spoke when he washed his feet has fully proved that he knew Judas' personality. He said, "You are clean, but not all of you are clean." This sentence made the false disciples know that Christ had understood his trick; At this time, Christ should speak more clearly. As they were reclining at the table, Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "I don't mean all of you." I know who I chose. " Now it is time to fulfill the scripture:' He who eats with me kicks me.' "
Up to now, the disciples have not doubted Judas. But they were very sad to see Christ. To this end, there is a dark cloud hanging over them, which is a terrible premonition of impending disaster; They don't know its nature. When everyone was having a quiet dinner, Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I tell you that one of you is going to betray me." When the disciples heard this, they were very surprised and afraid. They don't understand how some of them can treat their sacred teacher so mercilessly. Why sell him? To whom? Who would give birth to this idea? Since the twelve disciples loved by the Lord have more rights than others to listen to his teachings and enjoy his wonderful love, and the Lord cares about them so much and keeps close contact with him, none of them is willing to betray him!
The disciples not only understood the meaning of Jesus' words, but also remembered how true what he said. They are afraid and doubt themselves. They began to examine their hearts to see if they had any thoughts against the master. In great pain, they asked Jesus one by one, "Lord, is it me?" But Judas sat there without saying a word. John was very confused and finally asked Jesus, "Lord! who is it? Jesus answered, "He who dips his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The son of man will die, just as it is written about him; But woe to him who betrays the Son of Man! Fortunately, no human beings were born in the world. When the disciples asked, "Lord, is it me?" "At that time, they watched each other's faces closely. So Judas' silence focused everyone's attention on him. In confusion and surprise, Judas didn't hear Jesus answer John. Now, in order to avoid the attention of all the disciples, he asked Jesus like them, "Rabbi, is that me?" Jesus answered seriously, "You are right."
Judas was surprised and flustered. Because his plot was exposed, he quickly got up and left the building. Jesus said to him, "Do what you do, and forget about it.". ..... Judas took the cake and went out at once. It was night. The traitor turned away from Christ and went into darkness. It was really a "night" for him.
Judas did not lose the possibility of repentance before taking this step. But when he left the Lord and his brothers, he had made the final decision and crossed the final line.
Jesus' patience with this tempted man is amazing. Everything that can save Judah has been done. After he reached two sales agreements with the priest, Jesus gave him a chance to repent. Because of his insight into the betrayal in the traitor's heart, Christ gave Judas the final proof of his divinity. This is the last appeal to persuade this false disciple to repent. The influence of Christ's love, which is both God and man, has been applied to Judas without reservation. Although the wave of pity was repelled by stubborn pride, it rushed over with a stronger sense of love. Unfortunately, although Judas was surprised and shocked by the revelation of his sin, he was even more determined. He came out of the Eucharist, determined to carry out the seller's plot.
Christ declared woe to Judas and showed mercy to other disciples. He gave them the strongest proof that he was the Messiah. He said, "things haven't come out yet. I want to tell you first, so that when things come to fruition, you can believe that I am Christ. " If Jesus kept silent as if he didn't know what would happen to him, his disciples might think that their master had no vision of God and was accidentally sold to a murderous thug. A year ago, Jesus told his disciples that one of the twelve people he chose was a devil. Now what Christ said to Judas shows that he is fully aware of his tricks, which can strengthen his true disciple's confidence when he is humiliated. When Judas encounters a terrible ending, they will think of the disaster Jesus announced to the traitor.
The savior has another purpose. He knew Judas was a traitor, but he managed to help him. When he washed his feet, he said, "You are clean, but not all of you are clean." The disciples at that time did not understand this. When he said at the dinner table that "the people who ate with me kicked me" (about 13: 1 1, 18), they still didn't understand. But when they finally understood what he meant, they had to consider how patient and kind God was to those who committed the most serious crimes.
Although Jesus knew Judas from the beginning, he washed his feet. This traitor has the right to communicate with Christ. The patient Savior gave many exhortations, hoping that sinners would accept him, repent, reform and wash away his sins. This is an example for us: when we think a brother has made a mistake or committed a crime, we must never abandon him. Don't isolate him coldly, let him fall into temptation, become Satan's prey, or drive him to Satan's position. This is not the way of Christ. It was because of his disciples' mistakes and shortcomings that he washed their feet. All the disciples except Judas repented.
Christ's example forbids his disciples to exclude others from taking part in the Eucharist. Of course, the Holy Spirit explicitly instructed those who openly commit crimes not to attend the Eucharist (see Cor. 1. 5: 1 1). But other than that. No one can judge others without authorization. God didn't let anyone decide who could attend the ceremony; Because who can see through people's hearts? Who can separate barnyard grass from wheat? "People should check themselves, then eat this bread and drink this cup." Because "everyone who eats the bread of the Lord and drinks the cup of the Lord commits the blood of the Lord." For if a man eats and drinks, and does not distinguish the body of the Lord, he eats and drinks his own sin. ( 1 1:28,27,29)
When the congregation of believers holds sacraments, there must be invisible messengers to attend. There may be traitors in this group. If so, there will be messengers sent by the prince of darkness, because they are always with all those who refuse to be bound by the Holy Spirit. However, angels from heaven will also appear. Every such party is attended by these invisible "guests". There may be some people who don't sincerely love the truth, but they shouldn't be banned. Because when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and Judas that day, those witnesses who were present would also come among us. It was not just ordinary people who saw that scene at that time.
Christ will prove his manners through the Holy Spirit. He will be there to change people's hard hearts and let people know their sins. Everyone's eyes and inner remorse can't escape his attention. He is waiting for those who are sad and repentant, and everything is ready to accept them. The Lord who washed Judah's feet longed to wash away the sin from everyone's heart.
Let's not go to the Eucharist just because some unworthy people are present. Every disciple should participate openly to show that he accepts Christ as his personal savior. Christ will meet his people in these appointments he has appointed himself and give them strength because of his presence. Even if the person who presides over the Eucharist is not worthy because of unclean heart and hands, Christ will still serve his children there. Those who believe in him wholeheartedly will be greatly blessed. Those who ignore these opportunities to get close to the Lord are bound to suffer. For such people, it can be said that they are "not all clean".
Since Christ ate bread and drank a cup with his disciples, he has made a covenant with them to be their redeemer. He entrusted the New Testament to them, so that all those who accepted him could become children of God and heirs with Christ. Because of this new testament, they can enjoy all the blessings that God can give them in this life and the next. This contract depends on the blood of Christ. This Eucharist is to remind believers of the great sacrifices they have made for the whole fallen mankind and themselves.
But the Eucharist should not be a sad ceremony, because that is not its purpose. When the disciples of the Lord gather to eat his Eucharist, they should not remember or lament their own shortcomings, nor should they miss their past religious experiences, whether encouraging or frustrating. Nor should they recall their differences with their brothers. The preparatory etiquette of washing feet solved all this. Introspection, repentance and reconciliation have all been achieved. Now they come to communicate with Christ: not in the shadow of the cross, but in the light of its salvation. They should open their hearts to the bright sunshine of the sun of justice. Because the precious blood of Christ has washed their hearts, although they can't see him with the naked eye, they can fully feel his presence in their hearts; People will hear his words and say, I will leave you peace, and I will give you my peace. What I give is not like what the world gives. "
Our Lord said: When you know that you are guilty, remember that I died for you. When you suffer abuse, persecution and pain for me and the gospel, please remember how great my love for you is. When you feel a heavy responsibility and a heavy burden, remember that I endured ten beatings for you and despised humiliation. When you flinch from an embarrassing trial, remember that your Redeemer has lived for you for a long time.
Eucharist refers to the second coming of Christ. Its purpose is to vividly engrave this hope in the hearts of disciples. Whenever they gather together to commemorate his death, they will repeat how he "picked up the cup, thanked them, and handed it to them, saying, You all drink this, because this is the blood of my Covenant, which was poured out for the forgiveness of many people. But I tell you, I will never drink this grape juice again until the day when I drink it with you in my father's kingdom. In their sufferings, they were comforted by the hope that their Lord would come back. They remember this sentence: "whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, it is the death of the Lord;" Wait until he comes. "This commitment is really unspeakable comfort for them.
We will never forget these things. We should always remember Jesus' love and its inspiring power. Christ set up this ceremony to explain God's love for us. Our hearts can never be United with God unless through Christ. In addition, the unity and love between brothers must be solidified and eternal because of Jesus' love. Only the death of Christ can make his love work for us. Only because of his death can we look forward to his return with joy. His sacrifice is the center of our hope. Our faith must be based on this.
We tend to be too formal, referring to the humiliation and suffering of the savior. Christ set up these rituals for a certain purpose. Our good knowledge and ability must be awakened to master the mystery of godliness. Everyone has the privilege to understand the suffering of Christ's atonement more deeply. "As Moses lifted the snake in the wilderness," so the Son of Man was lifted up, "so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3: 14, 16) We must look up to the cross of the dying savior hanging on the skull. We must believe in Christ, which is related to our eternal interests.
When we received bread and cups representing the blood of Christ, we participated in the Eucharist held in an imaginary building. We also entered the garden of Gethsemane, which was sanctified by the suffering of the Lord who suffered the sins of the world. We also seem to see his efforts to reconcile us with God. In this way, the picture of Christ being crucified is vividly presented to our eyes.
When we look up to the crucified Savior, we will fully understand the great and far-reaching significance of the Lord's sacrifice in heaven. The glory of the salvation plan shines on us, and when we think of the scene of Calvary Mountain, it will inspire lively and sacred feelings. We must praise God and the Lamb with our mouths and hearts, because those who often miss the touching scene of Calvary will not have pride and self-worship in their hearts.
Those who look to the Savior for great love will certainly improve their ideological realm, purify their souls and improve their moral quality. Will be the light of the world, each reflecting that magical love in different ways. The more we miss the cross of Christ, the more we can say, like the apostle Paul, "I will never boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Because of this cross, as far as I am concerned, the world has been crucified; As far as the world is concerned, I have been crucified.