This time of year always gets me thinking, unfortunately it is happening later than normal due to my busy schedule and lack of desire to dig in too deep (one of the struggles when I am already doing crazy amounts of digging, I don’t want to/ forget to do it for myself in addition to the professors). One particular thought that always comes up is that of the cross- kinda predictable since we just celebrated Easter. Now, before I go any further, I will probably offend some people with these thoughts. I apologize for that and hope that you will keep reading and not count me out. I respect that everyone has their own view, and even if I don’t agree with it, I do appreciate yours. That being said, here goes.
I have always had the belief that the cross should always be your focal point in all you do. However, I have also always had a slight issue with these crosses that have Jesus hanging on them. When I was younger, it just creeped me out. In the last few years, I started thinking about it more and realized there was a lot more to it than being creeped out by a dead guy hanging around my neck. I really just can’t stand keeping Jesus on the cross.
First, the cross was not something created just for Jesus. Criminals were hung on crosses to die long before Jesus, and long after. This was a form of punishment that many, many people suffered. The streets leading to Rome were lined with crosses. There is nothing unique about it and the fact that Jesus was hung on and died on the cross does nothing but put him in the same category as these riminals. (Breathe… don’t freak out yet…)
The thing that makes the event of Jesus dying on the cross so remarkable is what happened AFTER he died. Was Jesus just buried and forgotten? Far from it! Jesus was placed in a tomb (already a big difference, but not one to get too terribly excited about yet) and remained there for three days. The remarkable thing about the whole event is what happened on that third day when the women went to anoint his body with oils. Was he still laying there dead when they got there??? I think everyone knows this part of the story and can confidently say “NO!” The women were greeted by a man in white/ angel (depends on which account you read) who told them that Jesus was no longer there! Um… what???? Yea… that’s right! Jesus was gone. He got up and left. Can a dead man do that? Today’s media will try to tell you otherwise (can you imagine what they would do with this? “And coming this Easter to a theater near you- “Zombie Jesus!”), but the answer is absolutely not. Jesus rose from the dead! There is no question that this is a divine act and one to get excited about. This is what we celebrate on Easter morning! This is why we pull out all the stops and have incredible music, fill the sanctuary with flowers, buy beautiful dresses, etc. We want to celebrate!
So, bringing the cross back in. All of these crosses that have Jesus still there, suffering, are a reminder of how he died. Sure, he did so semi-willingly (we can’t forget that he did in fact have a bit of hesitation that shows in his prayer in the garden before he was arrested) but I don’t see that as a reason to keep him there. When we keep Jesus on the cross, we prolong the suffering. We prolong the crucifixion. While this death was part of God’s plan when he sent Jesus, I do not think it was meant to be dragged out the way some people do. Why would anyone want to prolong such a horrendous action on our Lord? HOWEVER, when we take Christ off of the cross the suffering ends. When the cross is empty, we are reminded of the events that followed. That Christ did not remain dead, but rather rose from the dead and then ascended into heave. Up until this point, he had been “just another human being” (not at all, but yes). Christ rising from the dead and ascending into heaven is when people truly saw the divinity in him. This is what sets his crucifixion apart from all others.
If I had my way, we wouldn’t even wear the cross. We would wear the empty tomb, but I guess that isn’t as delicate and pretty. Or in some way depict Christ’s ascension. However, since we do use the cross as our reminder, let’s keep it empty! Let’s celebrate these events that followed his common death- celebrate the completely uncommon events, those that set him apart and make him divine. Because this past Sunday we didn’t sing the Hallelujah chorus because Christ died…
Keep your focus on the cross… and make sure it is empty!
