The History Of The Cross goes back long before the Romans who introduced crucifixion. Hislop, in his book, The Two Babylon, demonstrates how crosses were used by the Assyrians, Greeks and Celts in their pagan worship. Therefore, it is not surprising when Constantine proclaimed his empire to be Christian that, along with many other superstitions, some connected with the cross were carried over. So it was that crucifixes were carried into battle to justify so-called holy wars: they were used by priests in an attempt to exorcise supposed evil spirits and even today an imaginary cross is drawn across the breast to ward off evil or fingers are crossed superstitiously. Because of such abuses, as a community, we do not display crucifixes or wear them as items of jewelry. While these are wise decisions, it is a great pity if we should allow the abuses of others to mar our understanding of what is a true biblical expression.
Paul’s use of the cross
Paul speaks of the cross freely and for him it obviously had deep significance. It is this significance that we should seek to understand and
relate to “the cross of Christ” in our reading or singing. Let others make what they will of the expression, but do not let them rob us of a very important biblical figure which has real doctrinal and exhortational value! Below are four references to the cross from the writings of Paul which show how he understood and used the figure.
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect (I Cor. 1:17).
It is quite obvious Paul is not thinking of the wooden structure upon which Jesus died, but about the sacrifice of Jesus. It was the preaching of this full meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice that caused the Judaizers to persecute Paul, as the next verse shows. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased (Gal. 5:11).
The next verse was paraphrased by Isaac Watts and now forms the words of Hymn 223. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world (Gal. 6:14). There is no superstitious use of the wooden cross upon which Jesus died either in Paul’s words or in the hymn which we sing, but a concentration upon Jesus who died upon it, as is made clear in verse two of the hymn.
The next verse speaks for itself. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven (Col. 1:20).
It is clear from the above verses that Paul had in mind the whole sacrificial life and death of Jesus and that the figure of the cross was used as the focal point through which it was expressed.
Hanged on a tree
The following verse helps us to a deeper understanding of Paul’s teaching: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree (Gal. 3:13). Firstly, we should note that the original words for “cross” in both Old and New Testaments have a much wider meaning than our word cross; they are translated wood, branch, tree, etc. The words refer to that which is made from a tree or to the tree itself.
So what is Paul saying? Does he mean that everyone who is hanged upon a cross or tree is automatically accursed? Is it that this clause was included under the Law to make it possible for Jesus, who was innocent of all sin, to die? Was this a mere technicality, which placed Jesus under a curse? Does it mean that any man innocent of specific sins would be cursed by God if he was taken against his will and hung upon a tree? These questions have been answered in many different ways, but their solution directs us to the heart of Paul’s message.
Not a technicality
Let us first remove the mistaken concept that, because Jesus was sinless, it required some technicality of the Law to expose him to death. Jesus was of Adam’s stock and in Adam all die! He shared our nature, therefore he was mortal. A figure which Paul uses when writing of the Levites is useful here. He said that they paid tithes to Melchisedec because they were in the loins of Abraham when he paid tithes to Melchisedec. The meaning was quite clear. Abraham at that point had no child, all his progeny were still encapsulated within his loins and therefore, being a part of him, shared in the paying of tithes to Melchisedec (Heb.7:9,10). Similarly when Adam sinned, he had as then no children and therefore all his descendants were within his loins and, being a part of him, share the consequences of his sin. In Adam all die! (I Cor. 15:22). It was not necessary, therefore, for a clause to be built into the Law so that Jesus could die.
What then did Paul mean?
Paul is quoting from Deuteronomy 21:22,23: And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. It will be seen that the reference is not a general one, affecting all who hang upon a tree, but is relating to one who has committed a sin worthy of death and has subsequently been hanged upon a tree.
Sinners were hung on a tree
Joshua 10:26 exemplifies this: And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. It seems that to hang the body of a dead person upon a tree was to expose his wickedness to all and to add shame to him; but because he was accursed of God, his body was not to remain on the tree after the evening. That sinners were accursed of God is very clear from Deuteronomy 27:15-19. Therefore, the clause in brackets in Deuteronomy 21:23, “he that is hanged is accursed of God,” refers to the man who has committed a sin worthy of death, has been slain, and then hanged upon a tree.
The Romans did not slay their malefactors first; they combined the two stages in one, but the principle was the same. They hung the living man upon a tree and left him to die. In their eyes, the man had committed something worthy of death; as punishment, and a warning to all, he was hanged upon a tree and left to die slowly.
He bore our sins
This now puts an entirely different complexion on the verse — the man was already cursed before being hanged upon the tree; did this apply to Jesus, and if so how? Jesus used a very helpful type of himself; he said, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up (John 3:14). The serpent, a type of sin from the beginning and now particularly representative of Israel’s sin at that time, was lifted upon a pole to display their wickedness. Those who looked upon it in recognition of their sin and in belief of God’s promise of healing were saved. This, said Jesus, represented his being lifted upon the cross.
We are now at the very crux of Paul’s teaching and of why he used the cross as the focal point of the gospel. We can also bring together some very powerful verses, which are relevant to the subject.
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (I Pet. 2:24).
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (II Cor 5:21).
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:6 ).
So Paul says of Jesus, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree (Gal. 3:13). He was made a curse for us not because he was hanged
upon a tree but because in a very real sense he who knew no sin was made sin for us. As Paul writes to the Colossians, Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way. nailing it to his cross (Col. 2:14).
The figure of leprosy
It is well known that in Isaiah 53 the language of leprosy is used, such words as “stricken” and “healed” being found many times in the leprosy chapters, Leviticus 13 and 14. Isaiah is drawing a powerful picture of sin; it is as though the world is one huge leper colony from which there can be no escape, but Jesus comes to take that leprosy upon himself and carry it to an unclean place outside the camp. The figure draws the same conclusions as we have seen in the teaching of Paul – Jesus was made a curse for us, not by hanging upon the cross, but in being made sin for us though he himself knew no sin!
Psalm 22
This understanding helps us to follow what is meant in Psalm 22 when Jesus is heard to say, “My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” Let it never be said that Jesus is quoting the Psalm whilst hanging upon the cross; such a statement robs the Psalm of all its true meaning and still leaves us with no answer as to what the words mean! It is the Psalmist who is quoting Jesus!
By the power of the Holy Spirit, he is projected into the future to describe the whole scene of the crucifixion, to see Jesus’ suffering and to hear the words which fall from his lips. This is no mere recital of a Psalm, it is the birth of a Psalm!
By the Holy Spirit we have a perfect prophecy of what would happen, as well as what would be said by Jesus. But why did Jesus feel forsaken at that time? Surely it was because at the end of his life of obedience, he was accepted by God as the one who would take away the sins of the world and God placed upon him the iniquity of us all. Up to that time, Jesus had not known the barrier which sin places between the sinner and God, but now as he carried our sins and became a curse for us, he tasted the consequences of sin for all men.
The Psalm leaves us in no doubt of Jesus’ faith and trust in God as it goes on to show his confidence in ultimate vindication. From beginning to end the Psalm is a perfect demonstration of God’s power to see into the future. It describes so fully the whole environment of the crucifixion.
Conclusion
The cross of Jesus is the focal point of the whole story of how Jesus carried our sins in his own body to die with him that we might share in his glorious resurrection. Let others have their vain superstitions, if they will, but do not let them rob us of one of the most precious figures of speech used by the apostle Paul.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One