The Cross is the Crux of the Matter

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick

It's always a special day when we take time to observe Communion. It's at this time, more than any other, that we are prompted to reflect on the meaning of the death of Jesus on the cross. Just this week someone said to me, "Since I have come to this church, my life has changed, and it's because when I came to Crossroads, I was at my own crossroads in life. This brought again to my mind this simple idea, the Cross is at the crossroads. If we encounter the Cross when we are at the point of making important decisions, there is the wonderful certainty of everything changing for the better. What comes to mind when you think of the Cross? For some it's merely ornamental, for others is superstitious - the Cross may also be for identification, like a badge or button worn during a political campaign. Furthermore, the Cross has become a symbol of controversy, as those who oppose Christianity seek to remove it from public view. For example, last month the county supervisors in Los Angeles caved in to a legal threat that the ACLU would sue if the county did not remove a small cross from its seal, even though the seal is historically and geographically correct, reflecting the Christian roots of the county named after "the queen of the angels." In response, a Christian law organization, the Thomas More Law Center, has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent these Los Angeles County officials from removing the cross. As you can see, this cross is very small, and one of many symbols on this seal, and yet the cause of much controversy. For a moment, let's use our imagination for this purpose: to once again see in our mind's eye, the cross of Jesus. If a "Time Machine" were able to transport us back there, what would we see? Of course not everyone agrees as to what the cross actually looked like. Jehovah Witness teachers reject the traditional Christian symbol and insist that the original word meant "stake." Others believe that the shape would have been like the letter "T". We all know that over time, word meanings change, and by the time of the Roman execution, there's little doubt that there were both a vertical and horizontal bar, and the fact that a sign was fastened over Jesus' head supports the shape of the cross as we have always pictured it. Let me tell you a funny story associated with the cross. A ten year old boy was failing in math class. His parents tried everything from tutors to hypnosis, but to no avail. Finally, at the insistence of a family friend, they decided to enroll their son in a private Catholic school. After the first day, the boy's parents were surprised when he walked in after school with a stern, focused and very determined expression on his face, and went right past them straight to his room, where he quietly closed the door. For nearly two hours he toiled away in his room - he emerged long enough to eat, and after quickly cleaning his plate, went straight back to his room, closed the door, and worked feverishly at his studies until bedtime. This pattern continued ceaselessly until it was time for the first quarter report card. The boy walked in with his report card, unopened, laid it on the dinner table and went straight to his room. Cautiously, his mother opened it, and to her amazement, she saw a bright red "A" under the subject of "MATH". Overjoyed, she and her husband rushed into their son's room, thrilled at his remarkable progress. "Was it the nuns that did it?", the father asked. The boy only shook his head and said, "No." "Was it the one-on-one tutoring? The peer-mentoring?" "No." "The textbooks? The teachers? The curriculum?" "Nope," said the son. "On that first day, when I walked in the front door and saw that guy they nailed to the 'plus sign,' I just knew they meant business with math!" More seriously - upon closer inspection, what would we see if we could take that trip back through time? First, we'll notice that we have made a 650 yard journey from the fortress Antonia to a hill called Golgotha just outside the city, a site visible to travelers coming from or returning to the country. As we begin to look around on the ground in front of the cross, perhaps we would see a discarded, now dried up piece of sponge. It had been soaked in "Posca," the cheap, sour wine which is the staple drink of the Roman legionnaires, and offered to Jesus as a form of anesthesia. Perhaps there would be a few nails lying around, they would be large, square, crudely hammered iron nails. There's less of a chance that the crown of thorns would still be found - no doubt one of Jesus' followers, perhaps John or Jesus' mother picked it up, or maybe Joseph took it off Jesus' head before the body was laid out in the tomb. Then our eyes would begin moving up the base of the cross - it was called the "stipes", a rough hewn beam permanently set in the ground. We would be shocked to see the discoloration of the wood due to the abundant blood stains. This would remind us that not only had an innocent man died here, but His willing sacrifice provided the necessary blood sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven and forgotten. We might also notice a small piece of wood protruding from the vertical beam, not far from of the ground - it was there that the feet would have been fastened, and pressing down on that small platform, the victim would use whatever strength could be mustered to lift his body up in order to give room for the lungs to expand enough to take in one more breath. Further up, the eyes would naturally follow the lines to the joining of the two beams and then move to the right or left along the cross bar called the "patibulem." Weighing about 110 pounds, this beam is what Jesus attempted to carry from the judgment hall to the site of execution. Near the end of the patibulem, one would see the holes left by the nails which had been pounded through the wrists. (If the nails had been driven through the hands, the flesh and bones of the hands would have been stripped out under the weight of the body. Ancients assumed the wrists to be part of the hand. Note, John 20:20,25). The nails would have been extracted after the death of the criminal. (Incidentally, in the early days of our country, nails were used to fasten the ear lobes of criminals held in the stocks located outside the court house. In that case, the nails were not removed, but rather the ear lobe was cut off so as to "ear mark" the criminal for life!) Returning one's eyes to the vertical beam, above where the head of the victim would have been, was fastened the sign. It is both ironic, and indicative of their misunderstanding of Jesus' role that the sign said, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." The religious leaders protested, wanting instead the words, "He said I am King of the Jews" (John 19:21), which provides further evidence of their rejection of His claims of being the Son of God, their long-awaited Messiah. However, perhaps to justify his death sentence, Pilate said, "What I have written, I have written." After all, it would be more politically correct to crucify a traitor than a self-deceived imposter. At the beginning it was noted that if the right decision is made when one encounters the Cross at the crossroads, life changes. What are some of those changes? First, relationships change both with God and with man. This is symbolized in the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the Cross. When we are in right relationship with God by receiving His love and forgiveness, all other relationships are impacted. Many other things are also changed at the Cross: morals and ethics - we now have a clear awareness of right and wrong and a desire to practice the right in our everyday lives. After being at the Cross, our behavior becomes more loving and helpful rather than selfish and destructive. What comes out of our mouths gets cleaned up. Not because our mouths have been washed out with soap, as parents have done in the past, but because the hurt, anger and bitterness which fuels our fowl and hurtful language has been removed. Furthermore, how we deal with death and dying gets changed at the cross. We now know that even as Jesus faced with faith and patience the most horrible death, even forgiving those who were taking His life, we also can face death drawing from the power of the Spirit within. We no longer fear death, because we know that it is only a doorway into a much better, brighter and abundant life forever and ever. It's always been of interest to me that Paul once claimed, "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (I Corinthians 2:2) In fact, Paul "knew" many other things - he didn't only talk about the Cross, he talked about faith and grace, love and good works, perseverance, sound doctrine and heresy, marriage and family relationships, the law and circumcision. (Remember a couple of weeks ago we talked about strange names people assign to their children? Well I heard of another one this week - parents in South America wanted to give their child a Bible name and chose, "Circumcicion"!) So why did Paul say that he "determined not to know any thing . . . save Jesus Christ, and him crucified"? Well, when we examine the word "cross," we learn that it has a great variety of uses. Yes, we know it to have been an instrument of torture and punishment, sending out a message of deterrence. However, there are other uses, in expressions such as "double-cross," "cross over," "cross-eyed," "cris-cross," "cross-stitch," "cross-fire," "cross-dressing" and "crossword puzzle" (first found in "New York World" newspaper Dec. 21, 1913, called "word-cross.") The word is also used as an adjective meaning "ill-tempered," or "contrary" - this comes from the idea of "cross winds" in reference to sailing ships. However, "cross" is also the word from which we get our word "crux," which means "a main or central feature." This is what brings us to an understanding of what Paul meant. It's not that there are not other matters to be dealt with in Christian teaching. Life is complex with a great many facets, all of which come into relationship with Christ and the will of God. He cares about every part of us and every aspect of our lives, and He is constantly providing messages to help us manage events and relationships in a healthy and godly manner. But there's a center-piece to it all, there's a reference point, and it's the Cross. The Cross is to the spirit what the heart is to the body. If the heart is well and strong, the body can take a great deal of stress and even trauma. In the same way, if we embrace the cross, a lot can go wrong in our lives, and we'll still be all right. Discussion Questions The Cross is the Crux of the Matter 1. For what purpose did Jesus institute what some call the "Eucharist"? 2. What are some of the ways the Cross of Jesus affects our destiny? 3. Why is there such a great controversy over the public display of religious symbols? 4. What are a couple of logical reasons for accepting the traditional configuration of the Cross? 5. Why do you think the hill of execution was located where it was? 6. If you were to arrive at the scene immediately after the body had been removed from the Cross, what items may have been found lying about? 7. What was "Posca," and why was it offered to Jesus? 8. What are the names given to the veridical and horizontal beams which made up the Cross? Which one was the victim required to carry? 9. The very visible blood stains would remind us of what important truth? 10. Why do we think that the nails were not driven through the hands, but the wrists? 11. Why did the Jewish religious leaders want the "superscription" changed, and why did Pilate refuse? 12. When people encounter the Cross, relationships, morals and behavior all change. Why is this so? 13. Certainly, Paul in his preaching and teaching dealt with more than one issue, the cross. What are some other topics he covered? 14. What can be done to help keep the Cross at the center? - - Return to Top of this Page - Email a link to this page - Go To Next Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick - Back To Sermons Page or to the Sermons Alphabetical List - - Download This Sermon This Page's Title Is: Your Name Is: Your Email Address Is: Your State and Country: Please identify your vocation: Senior Pastor. 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