WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE CROSS?
Unfortunately, over the last 2000 years the Christian cross has, for many, become a symbol of superstition or a good luck charm. Jesus would be turning in His grave… except He was only there until the third day 🙂
The cross was simply the torture instrument of choice for the Roman Empire. If Jesus were to have come in the 18th century, we might see a guillotine atop a church steeple, if the 19th century a hangman’s gallows, or the 20th century an electric chair.
However, if we look beyond the gold plated iconic crosses that we see in some churches, and consider the rugged, hand-hewn cross upon which Jesus hung, then we will get a glimpse of the astonishing thing that He did for us, and why it is the most significant event of history.
Our attention should not be turned to the cross, rather, to the one who hung there. Even then, our amazement should have less to do with what He did, and more to do with why He did it. (See: “Why Did Jesus Have To Die?”)