Foolishness of the Cross

Over the past year or so, through classes and reading, I've come to realize just how odd the symbol of the cross is. To put it in simplest terms, how could a tool of brutal execution become so highly revered by a group of people. Philip Yancey has pointed out that one would expect to find the Resurrection as the symbol of our faith with the cross merely expressing an "unfortunate footnote in history." And yet, that is not the case. How puzzled Greeks and Romans would be to discover that churches today place this object on their buildings, on their necks, and in art.

Logically, the cross should be something I long to forget. Isn't it kind of morbid to celebrate execution, and execution of God no less? You don't see any other groups today that hold high the electric chair or hangman's noose and celebrate it. Why are we so obsessed with this object of the cross?

And yet, as I look at the cross, I cannot turn away. Indeed, Christ commands this. At the Last Supper, He called His disciples to "remember" the horror that was about to take place. There is something captivating about the crucifix. It is there that God proved His love for us. It is there that He demonstrated His nearness. It is incomprehensible that a god would not only become human but die as one as well. As Paul says in Phil. 2, Christ showed us the ultimate act of love and humility by stooping down all the way to the cross. Paul also sees the cross as the place where evil and death were defeated (Col. 2:13-15).

As I look at the cross I think: "if I were God, I would have made it easier." After all, the foolishness of this sacrifice has been a stumbling block for centuries. The idea that weakness and sacrifice triumph over evil continues to turn people off. And yet, that is what God has declared. Therefore, I am thankful that I am not God.