What do we see when we look at the cross? Do we see the sadness of the cross? Do we see the joy beyond the sadness? Do we see a definition of true sacrifice? Do we see the graphic nature of the violence of sin? It seems we never run out of material when speaking about Christ’s sacrifice or about the memorial of that event. Understanding the cross is more than seeing only the death, burial, and resurrection; for we see many things in that event. So too did the people witnessing that great event.
Those At the Cross
Matthew 27:36 records, in context of the guards dividing Jesus garments, that they “sat down and watched him.” What did those soldiers see? Did they see enjoyable violence that fed the thirst for cruelty embedded into them by a Roman military upbringing? These were trained torturers and killers; these were conditioned in the power trip that comes with inflicted violence. What did the crucifixion mean to them?
What of the rulers who time and again plotted against Jesus and had been anticipating an opportunity to rid themselves of this rabble-rouser? Did they see victory over an enemy? Did they see a culmination of plans and conspiracies? Did they see the elimination of an annoyance and a threat to their comfortable statuses? Did they take joy in His suffering and death?
How did Jesus’ fellow convicts see His death? One of those, a thief, saw a miscarriage of justice in Luke 23:39. This one recognized the justice in his own punishment but saw the injustice in that of Jesus. That single thief then makes a plea for Jesus to remember him to the father. This one saw his own worthy condemnation while recognizing Jesus’ blamelessness.
What did the apostles see? Did they see hopes and dreams dashed to pieces? Did they see the end of their movement? In Luke 24:17, two ask a resurrected Jesus if He is ignorant of the events surrounding Jesus of Nazereth, saying, “We hoped he would be the one…” They had pinned their hopes upon Him, but now He was gone, and they saw little hope.
What Do We See?
What do people see today? Do we see the entertainment value of the violence of the occasion? Do we see the crucifixion as an excuse for racial hatred? Do we see no more than an interesting historical note – one of the better documentations of Roman crucifixion? Do we simply see a man willing to die for his ideologies? We must be careful when looking at the cross, for we should be seeing much, much more than this.
When we look at the cross, we should see our sin and our need. In Acts 2:22-23, Peter lays the death of Christ at the feet of his audience while proclaiming God’s exultation of the same Jesus. Verse 37 records that the crowd was cut to their hearts. Likewise, we should see ourselves and our culpability in Jesus’ death. We should see our own helplessness. We should see our own sin putting Him on that tree. We too should be cut to our hearts when we look upon the cross.
We should also see and be grateful for the sufficiency of the New Testament over the Old. Hebrews 10:1 begins a detailed overview of the inadequacy of the ancient sacrificial system, how those sacrifices could never truly clean us of sin; but Jesus’ death can and does. Through the cross, God provides us a better and more complete way for us to reach salvation.
We should see separation from God in Jesus’ cry, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Isaiah 59:1-2 reminds us all that Jehovah’s hand is not so short that He is unable to save, but that our own sins block us from Him. My sin and my iniquity separates me from God, but Christ became cut off for my sake. God is just, holy, and upright, and sin cannot exist in His presence. The cross removes that barrier and allows us to draw to Him so we may be with Him.
Finally, we should see the majesty of the cross. Romans 3:23-24 reminds us that all have fallen short of God’s law, but Christ has been raised up as our propitiation – as our Mercy Seat – being both just and the justifier of those who have faith Him. In this is contained the extent of His love and His graciousness. Remember Romans 5; while we were unworthy, while we were set at enmity with Him, while we were yet sinners, Christ died on our behalf.
Conclusion
When we put all of these things together, we see not only the agony of the cross, but we truly come to an understanding of the agony of true conversion. Romans 6 speaks of conversion in terms of death. We have talked about the torture and violence of crucifixion, and Paul says we approach Him in the likeness of that death, our former selves crucified and our new selves dead to sin. These parallels are no accident. True conversion, a true changing of the heart, is difficult; it is heart-wrenching; it is life-altering.
To die to sin, to change who we are, to crucify self – these are challenges that will cause pain and agony before we reach the joy that comes afterward. When we look at the cross, we should see so much more than the surface details. We should see the seriousness of sin and the weight of our separation from God, and we should see the effort it takes for us to come to God. We should see ourselves, not only responsible for the cross, but hanging on that cross – dead to the world and alive to Christ.
lesson by Tim Smelser
Those At the Cross
Matthew 27:36 records, in context of the guards dividing Jesus garments, that they “sat down and watched him.” What did those soldiers see? Did they see enjoyable violence that fed the thirst for cruelty embedded into them by a Roman military upbringing? These were trained torturers and killers; these were conditioned in the power trip that comes with inflicted violence. What did the crucifixion mean to them?
What of the rulers who time and again plotted against Jesus and had been anticipating an opportunity to rid themselves of this rabble-rouser? Did they see victory over an enemy? Did they see a culmination of plans and conspiracies? Did they see the elimination of an annoyance and a threat to their comfortable statuses? Did they take joy in His suffering and death?
How did Jesus’ fellow convicts see His death? One of those, a thief, saw a miscarriage of justice in Luke 23:39. This one recognized the justice in his own punishment but saw the injustice in that of Jesus. That single thief then makes a plea for Jesus to remember him to the father. This one saw his own worthy condemnation while recognizing Jesus’ blamelessness.
What did the apostles see? Did they see hopes and dreams dashed to pieces? Did they see the end of their movement? In Luke 24:17, two ask a resurrected Jesus if He is ignorant of the events surrounding Jesus of Nazereth, saying, “We hoped he would be the one…” They had pinned their hopes upon Him, but now He was gone, and they saw little hope.
What Do We See?
What do people see today? Do we see the entertainment value of the violence of the occasion? Do we see the crucifixion as an excuse for racial hatred? Do we see no more than an interesting historical note – one of the better documentations of Roman crucifixion? Do we simply see a man willing to die for his ideologies? We must be careful when looking at the cross, for we should be seeing much, much more than this.
When we look at the cross, we should see our sin and our need. In Acts 2:22-23, Peter lays the death of Christ at the feet of his audience while proclaiming God’s exultation of the same Jesus. Verse 37 records that the crowd was cut to their hearts. Likewise, we should see ourselves and our culpability in Jesus’ death. We should see our own helplessness. We should see our own sin putting Him on that tree. We too should be cut to our hearts when we look upon the cross.
We should also see and be grateful for the sufficiency of the New Testament over the Old. Hebrews 10:1 begins a detailed overview of the inadequacy of the ancient sacrificial system, how those sacrifices could never truly clean us of sin; but Jesus’ death can and does. Through the cross, God provides us a better and more complete way for us to reach salvation.
We should see separation from God in Jesus’ cry, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Isaiah 59:1-2 reminds us all that Jehovah’s hand is not so short that He is unable to save, but that our own sins block us from Him. My sin and my iniquity separates me from God, but Christ became cut off for my sake. God is just, holy, and upright, and sin cannot exist in His presence. The cross removes that barrier and allows us to draw to Him so we may be with Him.
Finally, we should see the majesty of the cross. Romans 3:23-24 reminds us that all have fallen short of God’s law, but Christ has been raised up as our propitiation – as our Mercy Seat – being both just and the justifier of those who have faith Him. In this is contained the extent of His love and His graciousness. Remember Romans 5; while we were unworthy, while we were set at enmity with Him, while we were yet sinners, Christ died on our behalf.
Conclusion
When we put all of these things together, we see not only the agony of the cross, but we truly come to an understanding of the agony of true conversion. Romans 6 speaks of conversion in terms of death. We have talked about the torture and violence of crucifixion, and Paul says we approach Him in the likeness of that death, our former selves crucified and our new selves dead to sin. These parallels are no accident. True conversion, a true changing of the heart, is difficult; it is heart-wrenching; it is life-altering.
To die to sin, to change who we are, to crucify self – these are challenges that will cause pain and agony before we reach the joy that comes afterward. When we look at the cross, we should see so much more than the surface details. We should see the seriousness of sin and the weight of our separation from God, and we should see the effort it takes for us to come to God. We should see ourselves, not only responsible for the cross, but hanging on that cross – dead to the world and alive to Christ.
lesson by Tim Smelser
