The Significance of the Cross
In ancient Rome, few mechanisms for death rivaled the Roman cross. Nails pierced through hands and feet to secure the victim to two beams that formed the cross. The victims were stripped bare in shame and hung in public for all to see. After hours of laboring to breathe, eventually, the victim would die not of blood loss, but asphyxiation. No longer able to pull themselves up to breathe, they would slip into unconsciousness and die, though not before the most agonizing and grueling process leading up to their death.
This is the way our Lord Jesus Christ died. The cross was chosen by God to be the instrument of Christ’s death not by accident, but on purpose. The cross is significant for 3 reasons and these should be mediated on this Easter:
1: The cross is a symbol of the shame He endured.
Hebrews 12:2 says, “…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God,” helping us to understand that Christ endured the shame of the cross because there was joy on the other side. He did not relish in the shame it brought Him, but He relished in the redemption it brings you. We keep our eyes on Jesus this Easter because He kept His eyes on the prize when He finished the work on the cross.
2: The cross is a symbol of the death He died.
Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us— for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE “—
His death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice as God the Son took on flesh and laid down His life for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains the weight of what Christ took on as the Father unleashed the punishment for our sins upon His only son. Paul writes, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Because He took our sins and God’s wrath upon Himself, those who place their faith in Jesus Christ are not condemned and will never experience the wrath of God.
3: The cross is a symbol of the hope He brings.
1 Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” The cross paid your penalty for sin, and mercy made a way for you to be saved. The significance of the cross is that the cross was not the end of the story. Jesus resurrected from the dead in power and now He lives evermore. When your faith is in Jesus Christ, you are born again to a living hope! Death has been defeated, the grave has been denied, and your Savior has prepared for you a place in eternal glory that can never be taken from you when this life ends. Hope has a name, and it is Jesus.
The cross is a symbol of the shame He endured, so how can we not live unashamed for Him?
The cross is a symbol of the death He died, so how can we not live all of life for Him?
The cross is a symbol of the hope He brings, so how can we not find our confidence in Him?
This Easter, remember the significance of the cross.
For more on the Significance of the Cross, watch this video:
