The Cross
Scripture Reading: John 12:23-33
The Gospel message can be stated simply and clearly. Paul did so in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… To believe, and have faith in this – who Christ is and what He has accomplished – is what saves. While that message can and should be stated simply and clearly as often as possible, the death of Christ is also worthy of a lifetime of prayerful meditation and thought.
On one of my bookshelves sits a small collection of books that were written on the theme of the Cross. None of them are exactly the same. “The Cross of Christ,” by John Stott; “The Attraction of the Cross,” by Gardiner Spring; “The Glory of the Cross,” by Samuel Zwemer and others are some of my favorite books. They all attempt to unfold some of the glories of the Cross of Jesus Christ. There is so much that can and needs to be said about the Cross.
Think of the multitude of ideas that are suggested about the Cross in our Scripture reading today. It was the purpose for which Jesus came. It was the designated and planned “hour.” Through the Cross, God is and was glorified. Jesus’ death was akin to a grain of wheat falling into the ground (dying and being buried) and rising up from the earth and producing much fruit. Thus, the Cross was a necessary step toward God’s harvest. The judgment of this world is tied up in the Cross. Satan’s defeat is through the Cross. There is a “lifting up” of Christ in the Cross. This language possibly has a double meaning of the manner of His death (that is obvious and explained in the text itself), but it also implies the glory of the Cross.
There is so much there and throughout the Scriptures concerning the Cross. It is the crowning glory of Christ’s accomplishment. It is the event toward which all of human history moved and to which all of history looks back. Nothing excels it. All other “great moments in history” are trivial in comparison.
Praise God for the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
