I lived in Germany about 6 years and became fluent in German. One of the words that I’d like to talk about is the word imponierend. It is generally translated as impressive, although maybe more like making an impression upon.
Impressive in English has the following definition according to Webster’s dictionary. It means
“making or tending to make a marked impression: having the power to excite attention, awe, or admiration.”
It’s the first definition that I want to use. When I lived in Germany, I had many opportunities to travel. One of the places I visited was the concentration camp in Dachau, right outside of Munich. In German, I would say it was one of the most imponierend experiences I’ve ever had. Tranlsated to English it would be impressive. Most would read that sentence and it would be misconstrued as a positive experience. For those of you that have visited a concentration camp, I think you’ll agree it is one of the most negative experiences imaginable. The visit impressed on me, how cruel man can be to fellow man. In this case it was cruelty to Jews.
2000 years ago, unimaginable cruelty was unleashed on a Jew by the Romans, but this time at the behest of the Jewish ruling class. He suffered unimaginably.
It’s interesting to note that the Nazis thought of themselves as the third Reich, the third empire following the first Holy Roman Empire. I’m just not sure the Nazis thought of themselves as Holy.
As many of you know I’ve been writing a book on the Shroud of Turin and through my research all evidence points to the fact that the Shroud is the witness to the moment of Jesus’ resurrection. But not only His resurrection, it is a witness to the unimaginable pain and suffering that was unleashed upon Him. A crown of thorns was forced into His scalp; He was scourged over 100 times by a three-pronged whip; He was nailed to a cross with nails through His wrists and ankles; He was left to die by asphyxiation, no longer able to take a breath because He could no longer push up on His ankles to allow His diaphragm to exhale and inhale.
When I look on the Shroud of Turin I am just as impressed as I was when I visited the Dachau concentration camp. But the impression in this instance is negative, acutely negative, gut wrenchingly negative. I will never go back, nor will I ever visit any other concentration camp. Never.
But the Shroud of Turin also illustrates the most positive impression for any Christian, for it is the only witness to the moment of resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is enduring proof that Christ defeated death and rose from the dead. It is the basis of a religion for over one third of the planet. It is evidence of the most important and joyous event in Christianity.
As we move toward Easter, I believe we need to think of both the painfully negative and the wondrously positive impressions when it comes to our friend and Savior Jesus Christ. When that empty cross decorated with flowers and bells enters the sanctuary on Easter morning, we know that Jesus was able to overcome the suffering man can inflict upon other men; that he can return to save us all from our sins. What could be more impressive than that? Amen.
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