A fresh look at the Cross.
John 12:27
Every religion and every ideology has its own symbol for its identification. . For the Buddhist it is the Lotus Flower. Judaism has the Star of David and Islam the Crescent. In this century the Communists were known for the hammer and the sickle and the Nazis for the Swastika. Christian symbols are used to honor beliefs of the faith such as the crucifixion and resurrection. They have also been used to conceal the identity of believers. Many symbols have been used and the important symbols are the cross, fish, and the Greek letters alpha and omega.
In the ancient world, the cross was a depraved and distasteful affair. Romans used it, but the sparse reference to it in their literature shows their aversion to it. They considered it a barbarian form of punishment Similarly, the Jews detested it. The Jewish law declared that a man impaled on the tree was cursed by God and should not remain there overnight because it would defile the land (Deut. 21:23).
However scripture asserts that the Cross was central to God’s plans. During His ministry, Jesus taught the disciples at least three times in plain, explicit lan¬guage, that “‘the Son of Man must suffer many things and . . . be killed’” (Mark 8:31, ESV). He also alluded to His death at least eight other times. In addition, the Gospel of John registers seven references made by Jesus in the last week of His ministry to the “hour” of His death. The disciples, however, were unwilling to accept this idea. 2 Peter 2:24-25 ESV shows us that through Christ's death on the cross , those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and power of sin. This is clearly the meaning of the words, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree.” By using the word “tree” rather than “cross,” Peter no doubt had in mind Deuteronomy 21:22-23, where it prescribes the penalty for a condemned criminal, that his body be hanged on a tree: “For he who is hanged is accursed of God.” The apostle Paul refers to the same text in Galatians 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’” Both apostles are saying that Christ took on Himself as our substitute the condemnation which we deserved.
The death of the Son of Man was a most astonishing idea. The ti¬tle “Son of Man” identified Jesus with the glorious, heavenly figure of Daniel 7, who would receive dominion and a kingdom that would never be destroyed: “‘I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed’” (vss. 13, 14).
How could this glorious figure, beneficiary of God’s dominion over the kingdoms of the earth, be given into the hands of sinners and be executed by these same powers? Yet Jesus asserted that the suffer¬ing, rejection, and death of the Son of Man were the specific reason for His coming to earth (John 12:27).
The disciples resisted this notion. Peter rebuked Jesus (Mark 8:32, 33; Matt. 16:22, 23), and the rest of the disciples, though distressed (Matt. 17:23; Mark 10:32), failed to understand because the whole matter was simply unthinkable (John 12:34). It was only after the Resurrection, when Jesus explained it from the Scrip¬tures, that they finally understood (Luke 24:26, 44). Therefore, it was because of Jesus’ own teaching and emphasis that the Cross became central to the apostles’ preaching (Acts 1:16; 17:3). Paul called the gospel simply “the word of the cross” (1 Cor. 1:18), and the Gospels devote so much attention to the Passion that they could be considered Passion narratives with extended introductions. Thus, Scripture attests that the Cross was not simply the result of capricious historical forces or the vileness of Jesus’ enemies but the outworking of God’s purpose.
The centrality of the Cross to the gospel can be understood only in the context of the great controversy between good and evil. This is suggested by the fact that, in addition to the normal Greek noun translated as “cross,” The New Testament authors referred to the Cross with the noun translated as “tree” (Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; 1 Peter 2:24). The use of the word" tree" for the Cross is very significant because it refers back to two important ideas of the Old Testament.
The first of these is that by calling the Cross a “tree,” New Testament authors clearly meant that Jesus died under the curse of God according to Deuteronomy 21:23. This point is clearly made in Galatians 3:13.
The second is a little more subtle but no less significant. By calling the Cross a “tree,” the apostles al¬luded to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the Garden of Eden, suggesting that what Adam and Eve lost by their dis¬obedience at that tree was recovered by Jesus’ obedience at the Cross. Paul makes this point explicitly in Romans 5, arguing that while Satan obtained a major victory at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God obtained the decisive victory at Calvary.
This connection between Jesus’ death on the Cross and Adam and Eve’s fall in Eden is crucial to understanding of what was achieved at the Cross and will provide the foundational perspective to study what He accomplished there. The New Testament authors asserted that the Cross was the evidence of God’s wisdom and righteousness - 1 Cor. 1:18-2: 5, the moment of God’s victory over—and subjugation of—the forces of evil, and the revelation of God’s glory.
When God created Adam and Eve, He put them in the garden He had planted in Eden. This garden contained every kind of tree that was “pleasant to the sight and good for food” (Gen. 2:9). In the midst of the garden were also the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (vs. 9). The tree of life symbolized the truth that all life comes from God as a gift. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was denied to Adam and Eve (3:3), symbolized the sovereignty of God over the universe. It was a reminder that though God had given humans stewardship over everything, they themselves were under the benevolent rule of God.
The significance of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil can be understood only in the context of God’s purpose in the creation of humanity. “God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’” (1:26).
Scripture suggests that the image of God included moral, physical, relational, and functional aspects of the human nature and role. Just as God has dominion over the universe, He also gave humans stewardship over the world. In referring to the creation of humans, Psalm 8 describes them as “crowned . . . with glory and honor,” having “dominion over the works of your [God’s] hands,” and, therefore, made just a little lower than God Himself (vss. 5, 6).
Genesis records that humanity’s stewardship was to be exercised literally by serving and protecting the earth ( Genesis 2:15). Jesus would later affirm this ideal when He taught His disciples: “‘Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave’” (Matt. 20:26, 27). Genesis also tells us that God blessed Adam and Eve and commanded them: “‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it’” (Gen. 1:28). The plan was that, through their service, God’s blessing would flow to all creation. God’s purpose was that His own benevolent rule (referred to in the New Testament as “the kingdom of God”) would be mediated and extended to all creation through the administration of Adam and Eve.
The exalted position of humanity and the significance of the tree of the knowl¬edge of good and evil help us to under¬stand the gravity of humanity’s sin. The serpent asserted that, contrary to God’s warning, Adam and Eve would not die should they eat of the tree; instead, they would become “‘like God, knowing good and evil’” (3:5). By eating of the fruit, Adam and Eve accepted the serpent’s allegation that God was not as loving as He claimed to be and demonstrated that instead God was selfishly retaining a benefit that was rightfully theirs.
They also implied that God was not as righteous as He said He was and that they believed, instead, that God would not destroy them for eating from the tree. Most important, they rebelled against God. Unsatisfied with their exalted position as administrators of the world, they attempted to become God themselves. They did not want to remain under God’s tutelage; they wanted to be rulers (gods) in their own right. In short, it was an attempted coup d’état. The irony was, however, that in their attempt to free themselves from their responsibilities to God, they fell under the dominion of the serpent, and Satan became the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). These two things—the impeachment of God’s character and the dispute over the dominion of the world—are at the core of the great controversy be¬tween God and Satan. These issues would be solved only at the Cross.
God did not abandon Adam and Eve to their fate when they rebelled. God was the first missionary seeking after Adam and Eve after they sinned by asking " Where are you" Gen. 3: 7-9. He promised a Seed of the woman; a seed who would de¬stroy the serpent by crushing its head with His heel. He also predicted that, in the same act, the serpent would strike the Seed through His heel (Gen. 3:15).
The turning point in the tragic story of human sin and failure finally came at the Cross. God gave His own Son to the human race as the greatest gift of love and grace to raise human beings from the depths of their debased condition. Jesus became hu¬man nature and was born as the Seed of the woman (Luke 1: 26-38)), the Seed of Abra¬ham (Gal. 3:16), and the Son of David (Luke 1:32, 33). His mission was to recover what Adam had lost and fulfill the mission Israel and the Davidic kings had failed to accomplish.
Scripture’s descriptions of the achievements of the Cross are multi¬faceted, because they were God’s solution to a multifaceted prob¬lem. At the Cross, Jesus paid the penalty for Adam’s rebellion, but He also defeated the devil, recovered the lost dominion over the world, and laid to rest forever the doubts raised regarding God’s character of love and righteousness. Thus, the tragedy in the Garden of Eden, with its devastating and wide-ranging consequences, found a unified and astonishing solution at the Cross.
The Bible teaches that Jesus died under the wrath of God at the Cross. When the people sinned God punished His people by forsaking them (Hosea 1:9; Zech. 7:13, 14; Num. 32:15), withdrawing His pres¬ence (Hosea 5:6; Isa. 1:15; Zech. 7:13), or hiding His face (Deut. 31:17, 18; 32:20; Micah 3:4; Ps. 89:46), which resulted in catastrophes and defeat. So much so that they lamented: “‘How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?” (Ps. 89:46 ).
Paul’s descriptions of the penalty for sin included many aspects. Jesus described the punishment for sin both as the breaking of a relationship—the wicked will be rejected and barred from the king¬dom and left in outer darkness - Matt. 22:13; 2 Pet.2. . Similarly, Paul described divine wrath in terms of the breakdown of the relationship between God and sinners and destruction. Romans 1:18 to 32 affirms that the wrath of God re¬sults from humanity’s suppression of the truth and that, as a result, God gives peo¬ple up to the lusts of their hearts, to their degrading passions, and to their debased minds (vs. 24, 26, 28). Wrath, then, is a life devoid of God, given over to sin, whose final destiny is complete exclusion from a relationship with God (Rom. 9:3; 2 Thess. 1:5–10). Paul also described this as the total punishment of sin¬ners. The wicked, he warned, would die (Rom. 6:21, 23), perish (2:12), and be cut away from His presence. (Gal. 6:8; 1 Cor. 3:17). They will never come back, for their punishment will be “eternal” (2 Thess. 1:9). Thus, the most profound manifestation of God’s wrath is the termination of a relationship.
God’s wrath, is the holy action of retributive justice towards persons whose actions deserve eternal condemnation. This understanding of the wrath of God helps to explain why divine punishment is both the normal con¬sequence of committing evil deeds as well as an act of God. Though it is true that final, eternal punishment is God’s abandonment of the sinner, this abandonment is the outcome of the sinner’s previous abandonment of God. Therefore, by punishing sinners, God honors their freedom to choose to be without Him forever. Spiritual Death is the penalty for sin (Rom. 1:32; 5:12; 6:23) because it separates from God those who have intentionally separated themselves from Him, the Source of life.
Scripture asserts that Jesus died under the wrath of God. Jesus was hanged on a tree (the Cross), which, according to Deu¬teronomy 21:23, meant that God had cursed Him. Jesus described His death on the Cross as a cup He had to drink (Matt. 26:39). The Old Testament authors often describe God’s judgment upon the wicked as a cup He gives them to drink: “For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, . . . and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs” (Ps. 75:8).
The Gospels also say that Jesus was “rejected” (Mark 8:31), delivered over “‘to the Gentiles’” ( Mark 10:33), mocked at the Cross, and forsaken by God ( Mark 15:34), all of which were signs of the wrath of God in the Old Testament.8
But why did Jesus die as a convicted criminal under the judgment of God if He never committed any sin (Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:15; 7:26–28; 9:14)? He died this death because He suffered God’s wrath in our place. For Jesus, the Cross was the dread¬ful moment in which God’s wrath on humanity’s sin would be poured on Him without mercy. According to Paul, Jesus redeemed us from the curse “by be¬coming a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). He was referring to the curse upon those who broke the covenant (Deut. 27:26) and the curse upon humanity and creation as a result of Adam’s sin (Gen. 3:16–19). He also said that Jesus became sin so that we might “become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21) and be saved from His wrath (Rom. 5:9, 10).
It is hard to understand Christ’s becoming sin for us in any other way than that in dy¬ing Christ exhausted the effects of divine wrath against sin. According to Scrip¬ture, Jesus bore the ultimate penalty for sin in our stead (Rom. 5:6, 8; 2 Corinthians 5:21) and experienced in our place the eternal punishment reserved for the wicked (1 Tim. 2:5, 6; 1 John 2:2).
The principle of love and service to others is foundational to the well-being of creation. Adam and Eve introduced to this world selfishness and distrust, which are devastating to the order of the universe and human well-being. There is a notion in the Old Testament that “a wicked action—just like laws of nature which operate so that an action inevitably is followed by a reaction—inevitably results in disastrous con¬sequences.” This is especially clear in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs, which suggests that evil actions have destructive, built-in consequences. Evil actions have in themselves a weight that weighs down the sinner (Ps. 38:4; 40:12). Thus, sin brings about sadness and tragedy, but the commandments of God are a blessing, a gift, and the wisdom (Deut. 4:5, 6; Isa. 48:18). God cannot tolerate sin. If He loves His children, He will eliminate it. Thus, God’s very love for creation requires the destruction of evil.
Scripture balances both God’s wrath against sin and His love for the sinner by describing Jesus’ death on the Cross as a sacrifice in which He substituted His life for ours. He died so that we don’t have to die eternally. In the Levitical system, when people sinned, they could bring an animal to be offered as a sacrifice to make atonement, namely, to bring reconciliation between himself and God: “If he brings a lamb as his offering . . . he shall . . lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it. . . . [So] the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven” (Lev. 4:32–35). The sacrifice substituted the life of an innocent animal for the life of the sinner (17:11). Isaiah 53:7 had predicted that the Messiah, God’s servant, would be “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter.”
Thus, John the Baptist called Jesus the “‘Lamb of God’” because as a sacrifice for sin, He would carry the sins of the world (John 1:29, 36 ) It was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that God would lay on the Messiah “the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6); number Him “with the transgressors” (vs. 12); and “crush him” (vs. 10). This is why Isaiah 53, which explains the death of the Messiah as a sacrificial death in the place of the deaths of many, was the most important Old Testament passage for the New Testament writers. So Jesus died giving His life as a sacrificial death (Mark 10:45; Eph. 5:2; 1 Cor. 5:7, 8; Rev. 5:6, 12; 7:14).
Scripture also affirms that Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross and delivered us from his power. When Adam and Eve sinned at the tree in the midst of the garden, they not only committed an offense that re¬quired atonement but also became subju¬gated under the power of the enemy, which required deliverance. Adam’s sin was not only a crime but also a defeat. Romans 5:12 to 21 says that because of the sin of one man, death reigned over all human beings—all sinned. Adam’s transgression was similar to being infected with a mortal disease that was then transmitted to all humanity because no one had the resources to fight it. Thus, humanity was subjugated under the power of evil (2 Cor. 4:4; Ephesians 2:2). Paul showed this to be evident by the fact that even though human beings may want to do what the law says, they cannot because there is a law in their flesh that wars against them and makes them cap¬tive to the law of sin (Rom. 7:14–25).
Death reigns because humanity is power¬less before sin. And sin is the sting of death (1 Cor. 15:56). These are the factors that made possible Satan’s oppressive rule over humanity (Heb. 2:14, 15). Satan rules over us by tempting and deceiving us into sin, which results in death.
God promised, however, that this subjugation would not be total and would finally be overcome. There would be “‘enmity’” be¬tween the serpent and the woman and her descendants, and one of her descendants would smash the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). This was accomplished at the Cross, where Jesus defeated Satan, the usurping ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).
When Jesus began His ministry on earth, it was very clear that He had come to de¬stroy the power of the enemy. He cast out demons (Mark 1:23–25) and healed sicknesses (Matt. 4:23, 24), and nature recognized His lordship (Mark 4:39). His disciples also participated in this assault on the enemy. When they told Jesus how the demons were subjected to them in His name, He told them: “‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’” (Luke 10:18). He later explained His power over demons as that of a “‘stronger’” man who “‘overcomes’” his adversary and “‘divides his spoil’” (Luke 11:22).
The victory over Satan was achieved at the Cross. Three times Jesus said that Satan would be overthrown at the Cross (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Ironically, Jesus de¬feated Satan by dying on the Cross. Hebrews says that “through death” Jesus destroyed the one who had “the power of death, that is, the devil” (2:14). Paul explained this in the following way: God gave us life “by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the Cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Col. 2:14, 15). The power of Satan resided in humanity’s helplessness to overcome sin and the legal demand of death for those who sinned. But Jesus stripped Satan’s weapons from him by satisfying the legal demands against humanity. Thus, Scripture relates Satan’s defeat to God’s ability to forgive sins because of the Cross of Christ.
The original sin of Adam and Eve was that they rebelled against God at the tree when trying to be¬come like God and take His place. The Son of God, however, took human form and was “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). The defeat suffered by Adam and Eve at the tree in the middle of the garden was redeemed by the victory of the Second Adam at the Cross. The rebellion at the first tree was solved by total obedience at the second “tree.” Satan had been tireless in his attempts to make Jesus sin, but Jesus defeated him (John 14:30; Heb. 4:15). He tempted Jesus repeatedly to avoid the Cross but was rebuked (Mark 8:31–33). Finally, when Jesus hung on the Cross, Satan made desperate attempts to get Him to come down from it (Matt. 27:39–50), but Je¬sus refused. When Jesus said, “‘It is finished’” (John 19:30), He stripped Satan of his power and exposed before the universe his weakness.
The victory over sin and death was not achieved at the Resurrection, but at the Cross. Jesus rose from the dead because He had achieved the victory at the Cross. The Resurrection was a demonstration of that victory. And we are invited to participate in Jesus’ victory. Paul says that Jesus “was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God” (2 Cor. 13:4). As the church preaches the gospel, the victory of Jesus is extended to those who believe in Him (2 Cor. 10:3–5) and will be consummated in the end when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil. 2:10).
Jesus’ victory at the Cross was total, and we are invited to enjoy its benefits. We can overcome the devil thanks to the Cross (Rev. 12:11). Our victories do not add anything to Jesus’ victory; they serve only as corroborating evidence that Jesus stripped Satan of his weapons and defeated him at the Cross. Je¬sus conquered, and we enjoy the benefits.
Finally, Scripture also affirms that the Cross revealed the glory of God and the Son. When Jesus died, the veil of the temple, which protected the people from the glory of God, was torn in two, revealing the Most Holy Place, which represented the Throne room of God (Matt. 27:51). Among other things, this was a powerful symbol that the Cross had given us the possibility to come into the very presence of God. When some Greeks requested to see Him, Jesus said, “‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified’” (John 12:23) and then explained that this would be accomplished through His death (vss. 24–28). Also, when Judas had left the upper room to lead those who would apprehend Him, Jesus said, “‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him’” (John 13:31).
Finally, in His last prayer before dying, Jesus said, “‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you’” ( John 17:1). In each case, the reference to the Cross was indisputable. Jesus Himself had said at the beginning of His ministry that He would be “‘lifted up’” just as Moses “‘lifted up the ser¬pent in the wilderness’” ( John 3:14), implying both the manner of His death and its significance. He would die on a cross, but that would be, in fact, an exaltation—a glorification.
Similarly, Paul asserted that God gave His Son to die on the Cross to demonstrate both His justice and His love, that is, to reveal His character. Jesus’ death on the cross “was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:25, 26). A couple of chapters later Paul added, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8 ). The Cross was, therefore, a revelatory act.
This understanding of the Cross actually substantiates John’s assertion at the begin¬ning of his Gospel: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). This assertion is very significant. It is an allusion to God’s proclamation of His glory to Moses at the mountain (Ex. 34:6). John’s expression “full of grace and truth” reflects the Hebrew expression in Exodus, “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” These are convectional terms. Love refers to the firm loyalty that characterizes relationships between relatives, friends, and others with whom one is bound by ties of love and honor. Faithfulness refers to the truth that was spoken when a covenant was made and that is evidenced in acts of loyalty ac¬cording to the covenant terms.
Our relationship with God has always been based on a covenant relationship of trust and love with Him. Adam broke this covenant (Hosea 6:7), but God maintained it with Noah (Gen. 6:18; 9:9), Abraham (Gen. 15:18), Israel (Ex. 24:7, 8), and David (2 Sam. 7:8–16; 23:5) and finally restored it fully through Jesus (Luke 22:20). God’s protection and blessings have always shown that He is a loyal and loving God. His judgments upon the trespassers, however, also show that He spoke “truth” when He made the covenant with them. Thus, Paul says that the gospel reveals God’s righteousness (Rom. 1:17), because the Cross revealed the depth of God’s love as well as His un¬movable commitment to truth and justice. It revealed His righteousness, because at the Cross He punished fully the transgressions of the wicked. This commitment to truth was so strong that it could result only in God’s full wrath poured on His own Son, who died in our place (Rom. 3:21–26).
This is why there is power and wisdom in the cross (1 Cor. 1:18–31). The love and righteousness demonstrated there compel us in ways that nothing else can (2 Cor. 5:14)..
What did Jesus accomplish on the Cross? The answer to this question depends on one’s understanding of the problem of sin. The Cross was the solution to the problems that arose from the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. What was lost at the tree of knowledge of good and evil was re¬covered on the Cross. On the Cross, Jesus endured the full measure of God’s wrath against our sins in our place so that we could be restored to a righteous relation¬ship with God. At the Cross, Jesus defeated and mastered the enemy, liberating us from the power of sin and death and recovering for us our dominion over the world. At the Cross, Jesus revealed the full measure of God’s love and righteousness.
Because of that supreme revelation, we have learned to trust and love Him.
