Why the Cross
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” —1 Corinthians 1:18
Some people do not revere the cross.1 They should, here’s why.
The cross is the center of the world, the pivot upon which the entire universe spins. The cross is the center of paradise. The cross is the center of the temple. The cross is the center of salvation history.
The Cross is the tree of life
The cross was a tree. Paul quotes Moses in Galatians 3:13 that Christ was “on a tree” when He was crucified. Christ was also a new Adam, “the first Adam is of the earth, the second Adam is the Lord of Heaven.” At the cross we have Adam and a tree. Does the tree have fruit?
Christ was the fruit of the cross. One of His last miracles was to curse a fig tree that appeared green, but bore no fruit. Christ “dried up a green tree.” The cross was a dead piece of wood, but Christ made “the dry tree flourish.” Both miracles were prophesied by Ezekiel, and both were fulfilled together. Christ made the dead cross flourish causing it to bear fruit.
Christ was called the “fruit” of Mary’s womb before He was born. On the day of His birth, Mary placed Him into a manger, which is a feed trough, because Christ was born to be eaten. Of Himself Christ said that men had to eat His flesh to have eternal life, that He was the true manna from heaven. His flesh was truly food, and his blood truly drink.
At the cross we have the new Adam, the tree of life, and the fruit of the tree of life. The cross is the center of Paradise.
The Cross is the Holy of Holies
Upon Christ’s death the veil of the temple tore in half. This apocalypse revealed that the center of the Jewish temple was empty, it was missing the Ark. Christ’s throne was no longer in the Jewish temple made by hands. God had made a new temple, cut without hands, that would roll down from the mountain of Golgatha and fill the entire world with holiness.
Christ is enough to establish that Calvary is the Holy of Holies. His sacred blood was that of which all other sacrifices had merely been a symbol. His sacred blood pouring from His side sanctified that site as holy. But God also gave us other signs to show us this new temple that He built for us.
Cherubim protected the tree of life, who is Christ, and cherubim guarded the Ark of the Covenant, which is Christ’s throne. Luke opens his gospel by revealing that Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant.2 The box made by hands was merely a symbol for the Ark that God made to carry His most precious Son. God had symbols of angels made to decorate the old Ark, but God Himself provided angels to protect the real Ark from sin, that she might be “full of grace,” or “highly favored” or “kecharitomene” as the angel declared. Mary was protected from sin by angels. When she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit, Mary’s womb was the throne of God. While Christ was a child, her lap was His throne. When He courageously rose to the His destiny on the cross, His mother hugged the foot of the cross while her Son bled and died above her. The Ark was present at the cross, because the cross was the new throne of God, the new center of the new temple.
Those of us who partake of the flesh and blood of Christ become living stones that build up the new temple of which He is the cornerstone.
The Cross is the New Covenant
The entire Old Testament was a betrothal. The cross was the wedding. When the wedding party was set, those who were invited refused to attend. The cross is the marriage supper of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, described by Saint John in his Apocalypse.
The first marriage recorded in scripture is between Adam and Eve. Eve is cut from the side of Adam while he slept, to be made an help, meet for him, meaning a perfect match. Even so Christ’s perfect bride, the Church, was taken from His side while He slept, even water and blood, and not water only. By the water of baptism we prepare for the feast, and His blood is the wine we drink at the royal wedding. Those who are not baptized are not part of His church. Those who do not drink His blood have no place in Him.
The Church is the bride of Christ. For her He died. It is a great mystery. We are to follow His example in our own marriages, in being willing to suffer and to die for our own wives.
These are a few reflections on the cross. The crucifixion is a holy mystery, meaning it is something you can prayerfully ponder about for the rest of eternity.
To be disciples of Christ, we must take up the cross, and follow him.
Jehovah’s witnesses, who completely reject tradition, see that the Greek word is σταυρός, which means pole, so they rewrite history to match their understanding of the translation. Mormons do not talk about the cross. Mormon art does not depict the cross. They prefer to focus on “the living Christ.” They find Catholic cross imagery morbid. This neglect has made them ignorant of the cross. Perfidious Jews reject the cross because they reject Christ.
Compare 2 Samuel 6 to Luke 1-2