What Is The Cross?
By Daniel Carandang
The cross is a common symbol we see wherever we go. It is a religious installment in most churches here in the Philippines. Sometimes, we can see bling-bling versions of the cross. Organizations have made use of this image for their organization banners.
The cross is everywhere. But do we know what the real deal is?
Friends, the cross is not just the letter A, it's the A-Z in the alphabet of life. It is the foundation of our faith and answer to all our problems.
You might wonder: how can the cross be the answer to all our problems? What is it with this figure?
The cross in not just a wooden figure you wear around your neck or hang by your wall. It's more than a bling or a religious artifact. The cross is the solid proof of a fantastic kind of love- a love only a God could possibly give. The cross leads us to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in order to mend the broken relationship caused by sin between man and God.
Have you ever experienced owning a new phone?
When you use it for the very first time, you rarely part with it. A new phone means the chance to explore its new applications and capabilities. It is precious to you and you take good care of it so as to avoid scratches and all that. However, as time flies, your appreciation of your phone decreases as it starts to become old. Eventually, you're not as mindful as you were when you first got it. You start dropping it countless times, leaving it in some places and basically just taking it for granted.
It's very unfortunate that the same happens with our treatment of the cross. When we were first enlightened of Christ's sacrifice for us, we held it close to our hearts. We were basically on fire for Jesus and determined to carry our cross with Him. But, as the days pass and as months come and go, we forget the meaning behind his sacrifice. We take this deed for granted, completely becoming unmindful of its importance in our lives.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[a] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Colossians 1:19-23
It makes one wonder why reconciliation was needed. What is the cross' role to this reconciliation?
In order to understand, we have to realize one thing:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
Nobody's perfect. Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, man's relationship with God was destroyed by sin. No one is better than the other and no one had the power to mend the broken relationship between man and God.
The worse is stated in Romans 6:23:
For the wages of sin is DEATH.
Not only are we separated from God, we are also doomed to death.
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
Ephesians 2:1-3
Our sins caused us to be spiritually dead in the eyes of God. We weren't any different from the minions of Satan because we too were under his control. Because God cannot stand such, we were subject to His unimaginable wrath. In Revelation 21:8, our fate is further described. We were destined to end up in hell. You may claim that you've never murdered, raped or stolen from anyone, but we all stumble to the fact that every one is a liar.
For years, man has attempted to come up with solutions of his own. In order to bridge the gap between him, he attempted to solve the problem on his own: giving to charity, being good to others, inflicting body pain during the holy week and all that. But it is not enough. The prophet Isaiah calls these good deeds as 'nothing but filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:6). We can do nothing in and of ourselves to change it.
But God had mercy for us.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:8
Sometimes, we do not take the death of Christ seriously. We often just think of Christ being nailed to the cross and not even minding to know the pain He had to go through for people who weren't even acknowledging Him. What he had to go through was no joke.
For starters, the flog used on him as we often see in movies such as The Passion is inaccurate. It is not a mere whip made from leather. Bits of bones, metal balls and glass are attached on the edges of the whip. The flogging process also involves a flogger who is muscular enough for the job. Before He was flogged, Jesus was tied and his back was stretched. Once the flogger, with a swift move, unleashes the flog on the victim's back, it doesn't cause any mere stripe. Your innards are in danger of being pulled off.
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| System of Flogging |
Jesus Christ was flogged thirty-nine times. One time was painful enough but to be flogged for almost forty times is unimaginable. His back was torn and ripped- because of His unconditional love for those who do not even deserve it.
28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!”
Matthew 27:28-29
After being flogged, Jesus was forced to don a scarlet robe. The cloth automatically attached itself to His fresh wounds. As mentioned in the verse 28, he was stripped. Stripping the cloth meant opening the wounds once more. Not satisfied with this, Jesus' tormentors even fashioned a crown of thorns for Him and set it on His head. It pierced His skull.
And then, He was led off to be crucified.
Jesus was forced to carry His heavy cross on His way to Calvary.
And all the while, He was thinking of us.
Once He arrived, He was being prepared for the nailing. The nails used on Jesus were not mere carpenter nails the size of screws. They were 9-inch nails. These nails were positioned on the wrist because if it were on the hands, His pulse would rip. The very same nails were also placed on His foot.
In order to breathe, Jesus had to lift Himself up. He was hanging on the wooden beams and breathing was a difficulty. Who knew that inhaling and exhaling would take much effort? But He endured it all...for us.
The worst of all: His crucifiction caused spiritual suffering.
Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
Mark 15:34
This was the first time that Jesus did not call God His Father. During His suffering, all the sins of mankind. God, being the perfect being He is, could not stand to look at His only begotten Son because He was covered in filth. He forsook His own Son. Jesus had to face the persecution...ALONE.
All of these, Jesus faced because He loved us.
And here we are, taking everything He did for granted.
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[a] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21
The cross represents Jesus' sacrifice for us to be reconciled with God!
So, how should we respond?
And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2
Do not let Jesus' sacrifice be in vain. Don't conform to the ways of this world! Stand out and share the news, the Good News of Jesus and the Salvation that He offers. Offer yourself in service to God and He will lead you to the path He knows is right for you.
Remind yourself of the cross everyday. The cross should not just remain as a religious artifact. The cross is real and what it stands for is bigger than life.
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