The Cross

The cross is easy to wear as a symbol and hard to sit with as an event. A man was executed by the Roman state, on the charge of claiming to be a king, between two convicted criminals, outside the city wall. Every gospel writer slows down at this point and gives it more verses than any other single event in the story.

This week reads the cross from several angles Scripture itself gives: as something the Father planned, something Christ chose, something that dealt with sin, something that reconciles enemies, something onlookers reacted to, something that changes how we live, and something we are told to keep central. None of these angles cancels the others. They are how the New Testament talks about the same six hours.