Movements that change the world

This crude graffiti cartoon from the early second century, may be the oldest depiction of Christ.

In the drawing we see Alexamenos bowing down before a crucified man with the head of a donkey.

The Greek caption reads “Alexamenos sebete theon” — Alexamenos worships his god.This early graffito (wall-scratching; singular of graffiti) was discovered in 1857 in a guardroom on Palatine Hill near the Circus Maximus in Rome, and is now in the Palatine Antiquarian Museum.

The image represents how contemptible and absurd the idea of a crucified god was to pagan thinking. A century earlier, Paul wrote that the crucifixion was “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” (1 Cor 1:23)

How should we respond when the One we worship is mocked by an unbelieving world? Same way he did.

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Christianity has always been at it weakest when it’s used coercion, state power, money, force, prestige to impose its will — Jesus turned his back on all these means and chose the Cross to reconcile a lost world to God.

The Cross separates Christ from every other religious founder and Christianity from every other faith.

Today the Christian movement is advancing as never before mostly in the global “South” of the developing world. David Barrett has estimated that more Christians died for their faith in the 20th Century than in all previous centuries combined. Most of them in the developing world.

How do we respond to a unbelieving world? We follow Christ. We lay down our lives. We forgive. We proclaim the gospel. We make disciples. We plant churches. Everywhere.

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” (Tertullian)

Links:
Religion Facts: The Alexamanos Graffito, Rome (c.200)
Rodney Decker: The Alexamanos Graffito