It is universally
accepted that a cross is more than a necklace pendant, a golden adornment on
the Pope’s hat or a talisman to ward of Dracula. The cross’s popularity has
nearly covered over the truth of its origin. Long before people burned crosses
in malicious act of racism, the cross was a symbol of torture, shame, and death
in the Roman empire. Yet the cross has become the trademark of a Christian’s
life and triumph.
Today, is the Friday before Easter Sunday
when we remember Jesus’ death on the cross? Why would it be called “good”? It’s
good because Jesus Christ’s sacrifice is the source of our salvation. Thank God
for that Friday in history!
Crucifixion – Entrance into a new life
Romans executed slaves and foreigners by
the terrifying means of crucifixion. Crucify comes from the Latin word for
cross, crux, a device of torture. A cross was made up of a post with a slot
carved out for a crossbar. Crucifixion, as practiced by the Romans, involved
nailing or tying the prisoner’s arms to the crossbar, which the executioners
then attached to the post. They forced the dangling prisoner to turn his legs
to the side, knees bent up, so they could drive a spike through both ankles
into the post. The weight of the prisoner’s otherwise unsupported body made
breathing almost impossible as his chest sagged down on his diaphragm. To
inhale, he had to push up and off the spike, putting terrible pressure on his
shattered ankles, or he could pull himself up by his nailed wrists. Death was
gruesome, slow, and inevitable. Jesus was executed on a cross, dying on behalf
of all people.
Crucifixion is the means to entrance into a new life – dead to
sin, alive in Christ. Christ took the punishment for our sin. We have seen in
the Old Testament, people offered animal sacrifices for their sins. Here, the
sinless servant of the Lord offers Himself for our sins. He is the Lamb offered
for the sins of all people. The Messiah suffered for our sakes, bearing our
sins to make us acceptable to God. What can we say for such amazing love?
Christ died in our place
Christians never have to experience death as the world does.
Christ came to take upon Himself the penalty for our sin and to remove the
barrier between God and us by dying in our place. What a sacrifice! If we
believe and trust our lives to Him, we can experience a relationship with God
here on earth. The Bible says that when Christ comes into our lives, our sinful
self dies, and we immediately receive a new life. We receive a new identity as
a child of God (1 John 3: 1).And because Christ overcame death by coming back
to life, we too can live with Him after death. For followers of Christ, death
is no longer a defeating end, but the victorious beginning of life in the
physical presence of God.
Without Jesus’ death on a cross, Christians cannot inherit God’s
gift of salvation. The cross points to God’s liberation plan of the world. When
we think of the cross, we should think of Jesus Christ, who was painfully
stretched out and nailed to it, whose blood was shed, whose side was pierced
and whose death paid the price of all sin. We also associate the cross with
Christ’s call on our life. In denial of ourselves and in commitment to Him.
Jesus Christ – Our only hope
Those
who don’t know God are alienated from His love, guidance, and spiritual
protection all their lives. Physical death seals the sentence – you either open
your eyes to permanent separation in hell or in the heavenly splendor in Jesus’
arms! Accepting that Jesus died on the cross – His death in our place – is our
only hope of receiving God’s grace.