Chapter 10.18
The Cross
The ICHTHUS
Cross Beam – The Sign – The Law – The Ankh
The Great Exchange – The Fish – Fish Wars
Nail prints – Taking up the Cross - Barabbas
What does the Cross have to do with
anything?
First Word
In
my Belief System; I don’t believe
that you have to understand everything about Jesus Christ to be saved. As a ten year old, I believed in God and His
son Jesus and wanted to be a good person; a child of God and I didn’t want to
wait any longer, I just wanted to “Join the Church” as they called it back in
1947. I understood the stories of the Virgin birth, the Cross, the resurrection and being born again,
but not so much the deeper significance of WHY.
A newborn infant for the most
part can do nothing for himself, but nevertheless from his very beginning, he
is “A PART OF
THE FAMILY”
where he can GROW. I seem to grasp that a baby could be born to
a girl who was not married and someone who was dead could come back to life,
but what bothered me was WHY a cross; a
piece of wood was a place where Christians would look towards for the hope and
the promise of living with God for eternity.
This
study is THE WHY;
the significance of the Cross.
Early
Symbols
The Egyptians Ankh was a pagan symbol for “eternal life”.
It was in the form of a “T” with a loop handle on the top. The Coptic Christian Church adopted the Ankh
calling it the “crux ansata”, the cross with
a handle. The Ankh also had another meaning; “mirror”; later we find the loop portion
was made into a “hand mirror” which then utilized the “T” as a handle.
There were various early Christian symbols
such as the lyre,
fish and dove, the shepherd and the lamb and of course the Cross.
God had also providentially put the
shape of the cross into an anchor with its crossbar, the mast of a ship, into
tools such as an Ax or a plow. Christians would often pray with their arms
outstretched forming a cross.
The Greek word for fish “ICHTHUS”
was made into an acronym meaning “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior. Christians would often secretly make the sign of the fish with two opposite intersecting “crescents” as a password to distinguish each other as friend or foe
or to mark a place to meet for worship which was usually in a tomb. Sometimes one person would casually start the
upper crescent and the other would finish it with the reverse bottom.
About 400 years after the death of Christ
the fish gave way to the symbol of the Cross, but oddly enough, about 1500
years after that, the fish has made its comeback in the form of a bumper
sticker and jewelry. I like it because people ask, “What is that?”
and it gives me an opportunity to talk about Jesus making us fishers of men.[1].
Sometimes the fish body is empty and other times it contains the word ICHTHUS. That
has given birth to FISH WARS where non-believers can have a fish with
the word DARWIN
in the body with four little legs under it; and even that has given way to one
with EVOLVE
in the body; it’s a Shark fish that eats all the Jesus Fish.
The Cross has evolved into fuzzy things we
hang on our rear view mirror, decals for our bumpers, lucky charms for our
bracelets and sometimes we decorate our gardens with it and we can even get it
on T shirts as well as buy it covered
in chocolate; it is a manufacturers and merchandisers profane money making
dream.
Crucifixion
Webster; Crucify:
to put to death by nailing or binding to a cross and leaving to die of
exposure; to be very cruel; to torment. From
the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD the cross was an
instrument for the most torturous and excruciating painful method
that could be administered that would painfully and slowly lead to
death. (Hence the term excruciating, literally "out of crucifying.") It was gruesome, humiliating,
and public.
Crucifixion methods varied considerably with location and time period.
In the time of Christ, it was the Romans
who used crucifixion on the Cross as a method of capital punishment. ONE because it
was torture and a horrific death, and TWO because it was humiliating and served as a
warning to others who were passing by on the public road.
Roman crucifixion included nailing
the condemned to the CROSS and also tying with ropes to
support the weight. Jesus shows his
disciples the hard evidence of the holes in his hands and tells them to quit
doubting.[2] Technically, the nails were put into the
wrist; the reference to hands would include the wrist as well. Archeologist have uncovered remains with nails
in their feet and wrist.
Note: the KJV Bible
does not directly say that nails were used, but later translations such as the
New Living Translation and the Message Bible interpret the word “crucified”
to include nails because of the Roman custom and Jesus showing the nail prints
in his hands to (doubting) Thomas.[3]
Jesus said, BLESSED are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.[4]
Construction
The Greek and Latin words corresponding
to "crucifixion"
applied to many different forms of painful execution: impaling on a stake into their private parts; picture a sharp pole
impaled up the buttocks into the torso of the body. Then there was the simple affixing to a tree, or affixing to an upright pole
and then there was the combination of affixing the person to an upright pole and a
crossbeam. Some have the
condemned affixed by stretching out their arms above their head on the gibbet
which was only one vertical stake, called in Latin “crux simplex” while other variations
include affixing them upside down with their head down to the ground.
The Church of the Great God believes that
pagans used the cross as a religious symbol before the time of Christ. Although this is true, there is no evidence
that Christians intentionally borrowed the cross from any cultic pagan
religion. Two intersecting lines are
simple and are very common throughout all of history. You can see it in a plow, an anchor and a sail
mast; the Christian Cross is a “distinct feature” of Christian art.
The Jehovah Witnesses reject the
notion that Jesus was crucified on a cross in favor of an upright pale or stake
using Paul’s expression of Jesus dying “on a tree” as their defense. They further point out that for the first 300
years after the death of Christ that there is no evidence of Christians
utilized the cross in worship. It was
when the PAGAN Emperor
Constantine became a convert to the faith that the cross was promoted as a Christian
symbol. JW literature states that “apparently the cross was used to make it easier for pagans to
accept Christianity”.
Therefore JW believe that True Christians do not use the Cross in
worship because it is of pagan origin and
linked with nature worship and pagan sex rites. –– HOWEVER
–– Most historians believe that the
cross was most likely an upright vertical beam that was already set in the
ground at the place of execution. It
was already notched on the top to accept a “cross beam” that the condemned would be tied to. It would then be hoisted up and dropped
securely onto the fitted notch which would then formed a “T” shape.
In some cases, the condemned was forced to
carry the crossbeam to the place of execution. A whole cross would weigh well over 300 pounds,
but the crossbeam would not be quite as burdensome, varying in weight between
40 to a 100 pounds. Wikipedia
Normally only the horizontal crossbeam of the Roman
cross was carried strapped across the shoulders. We don’t know if it was this beam or the
whole cross that Jesus labored and struggled under.
Galatians 3:13 – JW – It was NOT a Cross, it was
a TREE
13 Christ redeemed us from the
curse of the law by becoming a curse for us; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone
who is HANGED ON A TREE”
(ESV)
Deuteronomy 21:22 – JW – Jesus was hung on a TREE, not a Cross
22And if a man has committed a
crime punishable by death and he
is put to death, and you HANG HIM on a
TREE,
(ESV)
The Cross Beam
Jewish tradition has it that Jesus
stumbled
under the weight of the cross, and as some suggests, a black Jew from an old Greek settlement on the coast of North Africa, named Simon from
Cyrene, was forced to carry the cross for Jesus. This was not done out of compassion for Jesus;
but was done to expedite the process; Let’s Getter Done.
It is thought that this Simon
was already a disciple and that they selected him to bear the cross as a
reprisal; to set an example to others who might be thinking about discipleship.
To Simon,
this troublesome unwieldy load of the cross came out of nowhere, but now Simon’s
name will be remembered and honored wherever the Gospel is preached as a
memorial.
The story is not only about Simon and the cross he had NO
CHOICE to
carry, but it’s also about US; EXCEPT we have a CHOICE to accept or
reject the cross. Our Life is Choice driven.
Luke
26 They seized Simon from Cyrene, and put THE CROSS on him and MADE
HIM carry
it behind Jesus.
(ESV)
The Sign
There were other shapes or forms of the pole
that were in the shape of an X or a Y usually with a SIGN with
an inscription over the individuals left shoulder identifying their name and
their crime.
Pilate placed a sign in three languages; Aramaic, Latin and Greek above the head of Jesus[5]
for the crime of “claiming to be the King of the Jews”;[6]
ironically, this was not a “crime” for which Jesus was crucified, but for
an absolutely true statement that He is the King
of kings and the Lord of lords.
INRI
represents the acronym representing Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum which is the Latin inscription, “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”.
(Note: Latin uses “I” instead of the English “J” and “V” instead of the English “U”)
Placing a sign above the head of Jesus on a “T” beam would make it resemble the
shape of the cross as we know it today.
The
Law
The reason the Cross is a
pivotal point in the life of the believer is because of The Law which says; anyone who hangs on a tree
is under the CURSE of God.
Jesus who knew no sin, took our
sins, on the tree so that we would not have to, thus removing the curse of
death from us; fulfilling scripture. Hold that thought
Galatians 3:13 - Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree
13Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the law by becoming a curse for us; it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO IS HANGED ON A TREE”
(ESV)
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 – Man hanged on a
tree is cursed by God
22 And if a man has committed a
crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you HANG HIM ON A TREE,
23 his body shall not remain all
night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for A HANGED MAN IS CURSED BY GOD. You shall not
defile your land that the LORD your God is
giving you for an inheritance. (ESV)
The
Great Exchange
Jesus is led to a place just outside
the city called GOLGOTHA which means “the place of the
skull”. The most common
conjecture for the name Golgotha is because of the skull like appearance of the
rock formation on the hill; it literally looked like a skull; this place
overlooked a public highway.
Interestingly, there were already three
crosses prepared for some rebels, which included an insurrectionist named Barabbas.
Barabbas comes on the scene as a deliverer of the
Hebrew people from the oppression of Rome and was a favorite of the silent
majority. He had been arrested and
charged with homicidal
political terrorism; being a notorious revolutionary, an insurrectionist
as well as being a bandit; a robber and a murderer;[7] you
could say he had a few flaws in his character.
Many think that the Zealot Barabbas was also named “Jesus” which was a common name, and to make
sure that Pilate did not misunderstand which Jesus they were talking about”,
they used the word “Bar-abbas” so as to not be confused with the other
Jesus from
Nazareth. Bar
means O, the rendering of his full name is written as “Jesus Barabbas”
as found in the book of Matthew. [8] (I
fully embrace this in my Belief System.)
Barabbas was the
son of the “Father”; His path was to overthrow Rome with the
sword.
Jesus was also
known as the Son of the Father; His path was
peace and suffering which did not
attract the masses as Barabbas did.[9]
The Pharisees tried to get Jesus connected with this Zealot Resistance Movement which
opposed taxes by asking him the question; “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar”? Those
Pharisees were tricksters.[10]
Jesus the deliverer of
the Hebrew people had been on the scene now for about 3 years and Barabbas
was also considered a deliverer, from the power of Rome
Did you see it? We have TWO
men named Jesus;
TWO “Sons of the Father”; both with a
path for deliverance of Israel. TWO paths; one of Peace and the other of the sword.
One was a Sinner and the other One was sinless.
Today there are still TWO paths in life… It’s a CHOICE
Did you see it? THE GREAT EXCHANGE: Jesus took the
Sins of Barabbas
to the cross and Barabbas was SET
FREE,
Jesus took OUR sinful place on the
cross & paid the price for OUR life so we
could be SET
FREE from the Law of “If you sin you will
die.”
The
Death
You would think that death by
crucifixion would be from the blood loss from the beatings and the piercing of
the hands and feet, but it was not; Death came from
suffocation. The
condemned person’s arms would be elevated and tied higher than their head and
sometimes draped and tied over the back of the cross beam making it extremely
hard to breath, causing them to push with the feet and pull up with the arms
for each breath accompanied with excruciating pain from
the nails in both the hands and feet. Death came from
lack of air, suffocation; but if by strength their life was being
prolonging, then they would break their legs so they could not push up to
breath.
This kind of changes our picture of the crosses
that we observe today. Some crosses depict Jesus still nailed to the
cross, but as believers we know that “it is finished”, He is no longer on the cross.[11] The next time you buy a cross; get one that
is “empty”.
HE IS NOT HERE, HE HAS RISEN.
The Why
In the Old Testament SINS
were “atoned for”
through REPEATED animal
sacrifices, the blood of spotless unblemished animals temporarily covered the
sin, but it did not remove it.[12] This atonement was a SHADOW of the true
form of the one that was to come.[13]
In the NT the CROSS comes into view
as the pivotal point in history, where the signature symbol, the perfect sacrifice was made when Jesus’s
blood was shed on the cross for a “ONCE-AND-FOR- ALL” sacrifice[14]
for the forgiveness of sins; past, present and future.
Christ who knew no sin and born of a virgin, was made to become sin for
us.[15] Jesus chose to endure the shame of the cross. He was the unblemished spotless sacrificial Lamb that God
requires.
Propitiation is a word that we really don’t use that much; it
is Christ's sacrifice for SIN that provided the reconciliation of BELIEVERS to God; hence
the removal of God's WRATH: it is through
propitiation that LOVE trumped
God’s anger toward SIN, abolishing it. The victory of death was NOT for all mankind, if so all mankind would be
saved. The Cross was victory over death
for the Believer;
but not for the MAKE-BELIEVER.[16]
The cross is the
place where Satan is forever defeated, it is a place of victory, a place where sin no
longer has dominion over us.[17] Our flesh with its passions and desires
has also been crucified with Christ on the cross.[18]
That brings us
up to “TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME” which has lost
some of its original meaning. To some
this phrase brings on thoughts of perhaps some kind of inconvenience or of a bothersome
circumstance.
Billy Graham said
those words were like saying; “bring your electric
chair with you”. For the
Jews it would be “take up the gas chamber”. Jesus
had in mind that the road of the cross would probably lead to death.[19]
NOTE: Grabbing hold of the cross still means death in
many parts of the world. Today
Christians because of their faith in Jesus Christ are being beheaded by Muslims.
The Take Away
The dainty golden cross hung around
your neck on a golden fine chain is more than jewelry, it is a symbol of what
Jesus did for us. Charles Stanley said; “It is the consciousness of the debt we owe
God and the willingness to LIVE or DIE for Him”.[20] We are to present our bodies as a LIVING SACRIFICE, holy and acceptable to God, which is our
spiritual worship.[21]
Paul says to Count it all joy when you
meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith
produces steadfastness.[22] The cross is a reminder of the greatest
sacrifice LOVE
has ever made. When I see a Cross, I
picture myself, because I should have been up there; Jesus took my place even
before I was ever born. It’s a pardon; a reprieve
from death for those who do not deserve it.[23] While we were yet still sinners, Christ died
for those who would BELIEVE.[24]
THE CROSS is followed by
the Resurrection; the Cross is symbolic of DEATH and LIFE, it can be your END or your BEGINNING … it’s up to
you… It’s never too late; the thief on the cross made a decision TO BELIEVE in his last hour
of his life and was saved. [25]
LIFE IS CHOICE DRIVEN
It’s in the Book
[2] John 20:24-25 – Unless I see in his HANDS THE MARK OF THE NAILS, and place my finger into
the mark of the nails, & place my hand into his side, I will never believe -- John 20:27 – Put your fingers here in my
hands and believe
John 20:29 – Blessed; they that have not seen,
and yet believed
[3] Psalm 22:16 - They have pierced my hands and feet
[4] John 20:29 – Blessed;
they that have not seen, and yet believed
[6] John 19:21-22 – The chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do
not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but
rather, ‘THIS MAN SAID,
I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written”
[7] Mark 15:7 – Barabbas a REBEL;
was in prison – Sinner
-- Matthew 27:16 - Barabbas a NOTORIOUS prisoner – Sinner -- Luke 23:19 – Barabbas an INSURRECTIONIST
- Sinner -- Acts 3:14 - Barabbas was a MURDERER – Sinner -- John
18:40 – Barabbas was a ROBBER
[8] Matthew 27:16 - At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose
name was JESUS BARABBAS
[9] Luke 23:4 – Jesus - SINLESS
– No fault was found
[10] Mark 12:13-15 – The Trick
of the Pharisees; should we Pay taxes or not to Rome; are you a Zealot?
[11] Matthew 28:6 - He is not here, for he has risen
[12] Hebrews 10:3-9 – It is impossible for animal sacrifices to permanently
take away sin; they were only a temporary covering of sin
[13] Hebrews 10:1-2 – Animals sacrifices were but a shadow of THE TRUE
FORM of
these realities that of Jesus Christ
[14] Hebrews 10:10-11 - We are sanctified through the sacrifice of
Christ’s body ONCE FOR ALL
[15] 2 Corinthians 5:21 – God made His Son who knew no sin to become
sin so that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God
[16] Matthew 20:28 – The plan of Salvation was for Jesus to give His life; NOT FOR ALL, but for
as many as would believe
[17] Romans 6:14 – The Cross is where sin has no dominion over us since
we are not under law anymore, but under His grace
[18] Galatians 5:24 - The Cross has crucified our flesh also with its PASSIONS and DESIRES
[19] Luke 9:23-24 – Take up your cross daily and follow me, and for
my sake perhaps lose your
life
[20] Hebrews 12:2 – Jesus endured the cross and it shame for us
[21] Romans 12:1 - Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
[22] James 1:2-3 – Count the trials and testing as Joy for you know
that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness
[23] John 1:29 - BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD who takes away the sins of those who believe,
repent and confess His name.
[24] Romans 5:8 - The very people Jesus wanted to save wanted to Kill
Him; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us;
[25] Luke 23:39-43 – The Thief said, remember me, I believe; It’s NOT too late to come to the Lord
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