“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”~ 1 Cor. 2:2
As important as the resurrection was and is, we must remember the crucifixion was necessary for the former to take place. The order is always death then resurrection. In life, the second thing may, at times, be more important and lasting than the first; but the latter necessitates the other.
Christian scholars and Spiritual intellects believe Paul was one of the most knowledgeable men who ever lived, if not the most knowledgeable. From his writings we see he had a working knowledge of everything in life that matters. But all these subjects must bow and become subservient to this one main comprehension, “…to know…Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
To him, the sum and substance of the gospel was the Cross of Christ! He expounded the whole counsel of God, but his central focus among both the lost and believers was the cross. It was a fixed resolution, not an accident. The Cross of Christ was his one great and constant theme. Jesus on the cross was Paul's grand object. His motto, as the Moravian’s of old was, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.”
The story is told of a pastor who was short in stature. Above his head as he stood behind the podium could be seen a figure of Jesus on the cross. A tall visiting preacher spoke one Sunday. A little girl sitting on the front pew with her mother asked, “Mama, where is our pastor? I can’t see Jesus on His cross when this man preaches.”