2013 Doctrine Series #7 – Crucifixion

In my article from May on Justification I talked about how what Jesus did on the cross, by sacrificing himself, by shedding his blood, made a way for our sins to be forgiven.  This time I want to talk more about the Crucifixion itself.
In 2004 the Mel Gibson movie “The Passion of Christ” was released.  The movie was enthusiastically received by some and rejected by others.  There were some political and theological objections that were raised against the movie but I will not get into those here.  The greatest objections, however, were raised to the graphic violence depicted in the movie.  In my mind the graphic nature of the movie was its real strength.  The Crucifixion was a violent event, in many ways it was the most violent event in all of history.  Since we now live in a visual society rather than a verbal society we needed something like this movie to help us understand the reality of the Crucifixion.
In the gospels the authors simply state that Jesus was crucified.  They did not need to describe crucifixion because everyone who was part of the original audience of the gospels understood exactly what crucifixion was.  Most of them would have even witnessed a crucifixion firsthand.
Crucifixion was the most violent, painful, and inhumane form of execution ever devised by humankind.  It was how the Roman Empire dealt with those who rebelled and made political trouble.  Crucifixions were done publically so that all could see what happened to those who dared to resist Roman rule.  The condemned were nailed to a cross through the wrists and the feet and left hanging there until they died.
The Cross is the center of the Christian faith.  In the cross we see the breadth of God’s love meet the depth of human need.  In the cross we see how bad we are and how good God is.  In the cross we see how much God loves us and how much God hates our sin.  In the cross God says “yes” to us while saying “no” to our sin.  In a world whose creed has become “I’m OK; you’re OK,” the cross tells us no uncertain terms that we are not in fact “OK!”  If people cannot accept this – because they cannot accept the fact of their own sin and need for forgiveness – it has always been that way.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
When I look at the cross, or when I receive Holy Communion, I am reminded how much God loves me, even though I don’t deserve it.  However, it also reminds me that the cross does not have the last word.  Next time we will talk about the Resurrection.