Suggested reading: Matthew 27:27-54
I’m attracted to crosses in many forms. Over the years, I’ve acquired a variety of cross necklaces—some simple and plain, some a little bit fancier. There are crosses on the walls of my studio at home and my office at work. I like to see crosses on church buildings and steeples. After all, crosses are beautiful, aren’t they?
As 21st century, post-resurrection Christians, it can be easy for us to forget that in Jesus’ day, the cross was horrible. Crucifixion on a cross was an extremely painful, cruel, and humiliating form of punishment that was used by the Romans and reserved for the worst criminals. Jesus was definitely not one of those criminals, so why was He crucified? He could have been sent away—banished from the region. The Jewish leaders may have demanded that Jesus be crucified, rather than exiled, to elicit as much public disdain for Him as possible. And they succeeded.
When someone was crucified, it was customary for a sign stating the charges against that person to be placed over his head for all to see. Jesus’ sign read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews”. As Jesus hung on the cross on that terrible Friday, He was mocked and ridiculed by many. People passing by taunted Him to use his powers to save Himself. If He really was the Son of God and King of the Jews, why didn’t He just “come down from the cross”? In Matthew’s account, even the two criminals on crosses beside Him joined in the mockery.
Then, at about the ninth hour, a tired, thirsty, and suffering Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some scholars believe He was quoting the first verse of Psalm 22. Others believe that because Jesus took on all our sin, God did turn away from Him for a while, causing Jesus to feel the pain of that separation and to cry out in despair. Shortly after He cried out, Jesus breathed His last and died on that horrible cross.
Why then, do I think crosses are beautiful? Maybe for some of the reasons listed here:
1. When Satan tried to tempt Jesus through the taunting crowd at the Crucifixion, Jesus resisted—just as He had done years earlier in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus could have come down from the cross, but He chose to stay. If He had saved Himself, we would not have been saved.
2. Lives were changed because of the cross. Jesus’ attitude toward His accusers may have caused a change of heart in one of the robbers who was crucified beside Him. According to Luke, one of the two robbers did show repentance (Luke 23:39-43). When the centurion and others who were near Jesus saw the signs that occurred after He died, they were amazed and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54).
3. Jesus willingly gave up His life for our salvation. No one took it from Him (Matthew 27:50). It was the ultimate act of sacrificial love.
4. With His resurrection, Jesus conquered death for all of us (Matthew 28:6).
The church I attended as a teen and young adult, had an annual “Watch at the Cross” prayer vigil from Good Friday evening through sunrise on Easter Sunday. When I was a young adult, I signed up for a shift in the very early morning hours. When the time for my shift arrived, I entered the sanctuary, not knowing what to expect. What I experienced in my hour of silence and prayer was amazing. The sacrifice Jesus made when He gave His life on a horrible cross for me, suddenly seemed very real for the first time. It was a powerful and emotional experience. And it was beautiful.
Because Satan had no power over Jesus on the cross, I can see beauty. Because lives were, and still are, changed by what happened on the cross, I can see beauty. Because Jesus loved me enough to die on a cross for my sin, I can see beauty. And because Jesus rose from the grave and conquered death, I can see beauty. Maybe the cross can be both horrible and beautiful.