The cross

They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day (Acts 10:39-40).

In the year that our Savior died by crucifixion, the cross was a symbol of shame. Although it was widely used as a method of execution by the Roman Empire, it was such a horrible, humiliating way to die that it was illegal to crucify a citizen of the Empire using that method. But since Jesus won the victory over sin, death and the devil on that cursed piece of wood, the world has come to look at it differently. No longer is the cross a symbol of shame; it has come to be regarded as a thing of beauty. The cross is found on the flags of nations and disaster relief agencies. It has been worked into the golden scepters of rulership held by kings. The cross has become a favored piece of jewelry, and it marks hope for the resurrection from the dead on countless graves around the world.

The cross, a dry and dead tree on Golgotha’s hill of execution, sent its roots deeply into our world; it has blossomed and spread its branches so that today countless sinners like you and me can find rest in its shadow and refreshment from its fruits. In his book The Cross of Christ, John Stott writes: "The cross enforces three truths about ourselves, about God, and about Jesus Christ. First, our sin must be extremely horrible. Nothing reveals the gravity of sin like the cross. Second, God’s love must be wonderful beyond comprehension. Third, Christ’s salvation must be a free gift."

These are three excellent observations. The cross symbolized death, the kind of death reserved for only the worst of criminals—that our Lord would accept the cross as His earthly throne shows us how truly terrible our sins are by God’s reckoning. That Jesus would be willing to go to that cross on our behalf is a miracle beyond all human understanding; we can scarcely conceive of such a deep and committed a love, a love that would do that in order to see us spared. Such an incredible sacrifice is completely beyond our power to demand from God or to repay Him; the cross is proof that God’s offer of freedom from sin through Jesus must be His gift of love to us, a gift freely given.

Until we are permitted to see our Savior face to face when He returns, there can be nothing more beautiful than the cross that He sanctified by His death.