Can You (Still) See The Cross?

By Mike Bill
“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.” (John 19:17-18)
“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame” (The Old Rugged Cross)
Jesus’s death took place in a very visible and public manner. There were certainly other settings and means of executing criminals. But for the Roman government, crucifixion involved a few elements that often made it the preferred method of punishment and execution:

1. It took place in public, usually in an elevated place along a roadway. The purpose was clear: to expose the shame of the criminal and to be a deterrent to anyone else with similar ideas.
2. It took place over the course of hours or days. The length of time was not merely about the agony and physical punishment…but also about the shame, disgrace, and humiliation upon the individual.
3. Death would occur not in a memorable act of aggression, but slowly over time. The pain was ongoing, increasing, and overwhelming. But also, and more important for the Romans, there would be final picture for followers to see, no final act of heroism, no courageous face of the martyr to be preserved. Crucifixion slowly drained the life out of you, leaving nothing inspiring for those who remained.

The Jewish leaders were crafty in allowing the Romans to kill Jesus…that way His blood was not on their hands. The Romans were strategic and brilliant in building an empire that assumed nations and limited rebellions.
The disciples did not think this would be the end of Jesus’ ministry or the final picture of his life.
But God…
God was able to take the public humiliation of Jesus and use it to provide a tangible picture to the early church…both of the certainty of the events of His death, but also of the meaning behind it and a glimpse into His heart and willingness to die for us.
God was able to use the length of time on the cross to become a picture of His love and grace for broken humanity…to live the promise of life to a convicted thief…to provide for the care of his mother…to bring convincing proof of who He was to a hardened soldier. What was meant to be agony and disgrace actually brought life and hope!
God was able to use the visibility of the cross to become the foundation of the Christian message, and the central symbol of the Christian church 2,000 years later.
Death on Display, a picture of the cross.
Can you see it? Can you see Him? Will you journey there with Him? Will you stay for a few minutes?
What we see there changes us…changes life…changes who we are and how we live.
Do you see it?
That’s Lent…that’s what the next couple of weeks offers us…a chance to see again, to see with fresh eyes.