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The Cross of Christ is the greatest of all paradoxes. It was the most tragic event in the history of the world, yet the most wonderful thing that ever happened. It was the saddest spectacle man ever beheld, yet it was the most stunning defeat Satan ever suffered and the most glorious victory Christ ever won. He won by losing. He conquered by surrendering.
The Cross was the greatest exhibition of divine justice in condemning sin, yet the most wonderful demonstration of divine mercy in pardoning sin. It was God’s greatest manifestation of hatred for sin, yet His supreme proof of love for the sinner. The Cross was the means by which God’s justice condemned sin, and His mercy forgave it.
The Cross was the darkest hour in history, yet it was the time of greatest light. Though the sun refused to shine and God hid His face from Christ, the Cross was the means by which Christ really became “the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12). In the Cross we see man’s hatred for Christ, yet we see Christ’s love for man. There we see human vengeance as they cry for His blood, yet we see divine forgiveness as Jesus prays, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34).
The Cross portrays man’s sinfulness and God’s holiness; human weakness and divine strength. It demonstrates man’s inability to save himself, and God’s ability and power to do this for him. The Cross, from the human standpoint, it foolishness; yet it is a revelation of the highest wisdom of God.
—Eugene Britnell, Little Rock, Arkansas
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto
us which are saved it is the power of God” —1 Corinthians 1:18
Who Crucified Jesus?
One of Rembrandt’s more famous paintings is entitled The Three Crosses. When one looks at the painting, he is immediately drawn to the center cross on which Jesus died. As one looks further at the crowd gathered around the foot of the cross, he is impressed by the facial expressions that depict so clearly the attitudes of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God. It would be easy to miss the character who can be seen in the lower edge of the painting. That figure is almost hidden in the shadows. According to many art critics, that figure is Rembrandt’s representation of himself. He recognized that by his sins he helped to nail Jesus to the Cross.
It is easy to blame Pilate or the Roman soldiers or the crowd who cried out, “Crucify him” (Mk. 15:13), or the religious leaders. One author put it this way, “It is a simple thing to say that Christ died for the sins of the world. It is quite another thing to say that Christ died for my sins. It may make us feel better to point the finger at those who put Jesus on the cross, but it is a shocking thought that we can be as indifferent as Pilate, as scheming as Caiaphas, as calloused as the soldiers, as ruthless as the mob, or as cowardly as the disciples. It isn’t just what they did—it was I who nailed Him to the tree. I crucified the Christ of God. I joined the mockery.”