“The Cross”


BIBLE READING: John 8-12

                In John 12 as His hour is quickly approaching, Jesus said “Now is the judgement of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.  And I, when I am lifted from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to show by what kind of death He was to die.” (John 12.31-33.)  This is by no means the first time Jesus alluded to His being placed on a cross. In John 3, as He is speaking with Nicodemus, He compares His being lifted on the cross to the bronze serpent in the wilderness.  Of all deaths to endure, crucifixion seems to be the most humiliating for a criminal. Intended to be used to make a statement and public mockery of the one on the cross.  Why? Why of the things that a Christian could hold dear to, do we hold the cross in high regard?  In his book “The Jesus I Never Knew”, Phillip Yancy notes that other world religions are known for their brightly painted images and statues. Yet at the center of Christianity, rests this cross – simple, stark, and solid.  What possessed Christians to seize the execution device as a symbol of our faith?  Why not try to do everything within our power to squash its memory? Why make it the centerpiece of our faith?  Of all the symbols of hope and triumph, the cross is indeed the most ironic! Maybe Paul said it best in I Corinthians 1.18, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”.

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