Matthias Grunewald: Theologian of the Cross

Matthias Grunewald died August 31, 1528, just eleven years after Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses in Wittenberg. Grunewald was a German Renaissance painter known for his religious art, including the "Small Crucifixion" in the National Gallery in Washington D.C. and the Isenheim Altarpiece (Musee d’Unterlinden, Colmar). The Isenheim Altarpiece that is pictured was painted for a hospital that cared for dying peasants in the French countryside. Only ten Grunewald paintings survive today, and thirty-five drawings - all religious. Many others were lost at sea on their way to Sweden as war booty during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) which divided the Roman Empire into Lutheran and Roman Catholic states. He was secretly a follower of Martin Luther whose writings were found among his effects after he died. Theologian Karl Barth wrote his 13-volume "Church Dogmatics" at a desk over which hung a reproduction of Grunewald's “Crucifixion."

Luther taught that each of us is either a theologian of our own glory or a theologian of the cross (Heidelberg Disputation, 1518). We are born theologians of glory and, by God's intervention and grace, are shown that the cross alone is our freedom. Both understand that we are addicts of pleasure, but theologians of glory have a sunnier picture of human nature. They believe they are getting better by their obedience and by working the spiritual disciplines, and they feed on self-improvement sermons that urge them to greater holiness. These theologians invoke grace, of course, but it's to supplement human will and effort.

Theologians of the cross, on the other hand, have reached the end of their self-improvement projects and realize that the corpse on the couch is really dead and that their only hope is resurrection. They are not coddled by the false optimism of do-more religion; they are discouraged by lectures to change the world (because they tried and failed); they know their hope is outside of themselves - not their righteousness, but the perfect righteousness of God given to them as a gift. Theologians of the cross never grow weary of hearing, "You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col 3:3). Notice where John the Baptist is pointing in Grunewald's "Crucifixion," and the Latin above him that reads: He must increase; I must decrease (John 3:30).

Thomas Cranmer understood the difference between theology of glory and theology of the cross. In the Thirty-nine Articles he makes clear that good works are not the way to God but the fruit of faith (Article 12), that good works done before justification are not pleasing to God (13) and are essentially selfish because their effect is to share the glory with God for our salvation and sanctification (14). Christ only can restore us to God, the Lamb of God who was the sacrificer and the sacrifice (15). We don’t need a coach to fuss at us to get better, we need a Savior who suffered and died to accomplish our full salvation - the theology of the cross. “The law says ‘do this’ and it is never done; the gospel says ‘believe this’ and it is already done” (Heidelberg Disputation, # 26).