How do you follow strange fruit?

We must know the answer to that question.  It was Robert Lewis who wrote that, "We could not make sense of the New Testament in particular, or Christianity in general, without its central figure–Jesus Christ.  Christianity is not a philosophy or an ethic, but a person:  Christianity is Christ.  But neither can we make sense of Christ himself without his cross."

Christ was strange fruit indeed as he hung on the cross formed tree.  I was Paul who said, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it was written:  ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."  The cross was a scandal–the ultimate in degradation.  The Romans didn’t invent crucifixion but they perfected it through practice.  They had crucified untold thousands of victims but Jesus, as he hung on that tree was different, odd…a strange and better crop.

How do we follow strange fruit?  By becoming strange fruit ourselves.  To be a disciple of Christ is to follow Jesus, even to the cross, for the cross is core to knowing Christ.  The goal is for us to be able to say, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."