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Even the disciples of Jesus all fled from their master's cross. Christians who do not have the feeling that they must flee the crucified Christ have probably not yet understood him in a sufficiently radical way.
Jrgen Moltmann
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that true understanding of Christ involves confronting the suffering and sacrifice he represents, rather than fleeing from it.

By stating that even Jesus's disciples fled from his crucifixion, Moltmann emphasizes that many Christians fail to fully comprehend the depth and radical nature of Christ's message and sacrifice. He argues that a genuine relationship with Christ requires an acceptance of his suffering and an understanding of the implications this has for faith and existence, rather than seeking comfort or avoiding difficult truths.

Themes

ChristSufferingDisciplesUnderstandingFaith

In practice

Example use cases

During a Good Friday service while discussing the significance of Christ's sacrifice.

More from Jrgen Moltmann

Christ's own 'God-forsaken-ness' on the cross showed me where God is present where God had been present in those nights of deaths in the fire storms in Hamburg and where God would be present in my future whatever may come.
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As time goes on we become old, the future contracts, the past expands...But by future we don't just mean the years ahead; we always mean as well the plenitude of possibilities which challenge our creativity...In confrontation with the future we can become young if we accept the future's challenges.
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Totally without hope, one cannot live. To live without hope is to cease to live.
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The turn from this end [despair] to a new beginning came from three things. A blooming cherry tree, the unexpected kindness of Scottish workers and their families, and the Bible.
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Imprisoned professors taught imprisoned students free theology.
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It is only when human beings see themselves simply as human beings, no longer as gods, that they are in a position to perceive the wholly other nature of God.
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