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In her book The Undoing of Death, Fleming Rutledge explores the meaning of the cross by referring to Matthias Grunewald's painting of the crucifixion scene. This masterpiece is a combination of extreme grotesque horror and intense spiritual devotion. The artist has Jesus on the cross in oversized proportion to the rest of the picture. Mary is set apart by being dressed in stark white. John, the beloved disciple, is by her side. The picture seems unbalanced but this is offset by the inclusion of John the Baptist on the right side of the picture; his finger points at Jesus on the cross, and in his hand is a book of prophecy, and he is speaking, "He must increase, I must decrease."
Following the lead of John the Baptist, not a few Christian preachers through the years have understood the heart of their own vocation as pointing away from themselves and to the lamb of God whose once and for all sacrifice takes away the sins of the world.
Following the lead of John the Baptist, not a few Christian preachers through the years have understood the heart of their own vocation as pointing away from themselves and to the lamb of God whose once and for all sacrifice takes away the sins of the world.
