By Azusa Hanashima, InterHigh Staff

What about the cross (where Jesus was “lifted up”) causes people to know that Jesus indeed is the one that he claimed to be?  Is it possible to know who Jesus is apart from the cross?  How often do I meditate on Jesus and his death on the cross?

The cross causes people to know that Jesus is indeed the one that he claimed to be, because through it he accomplished what he claimed he came to do, to forgive our sins and bring restoration and life between us and God which we could never hope to do on our own.  The cross is the ultimate symbol of the great paradoxes that Jesus exemplified from his birth.  He was born in a lowly manger, lived a humble life, cared for the downtrodden and outcasts of society, and embraced suffering.  It goes against the world’s definition of power and glory… yet he turned the shameful cross into a symbol of true power and glory, because he has broken the chains of sin that we simply could not free ourselves of.  When we really realize our sinful condition, we cannot help but look at the cross and know that he was who he claimed to be, because it is where he took our place to die the death we deserve, so that we may have life.

It is impossible to know Jesus apart from the cross because the very reason he came to this earth was to go to the cross.  Our relationship is centered around the fact that we are redeemed sinners, and a full relationship with him entails a deep gratitude of the great reversals accomplished through the cross: from death to life, shame to glory, just punishment to undeserved mercy.

If a relationship with Jesus is centered around the cross, then I do not meditate on Jesus and his death enough.  Especially if things are going well in my life, then it is uncomfortable to think about the cross and why that is so central to my life.  This is why it is so important to come to the cross each day, to daily engage in confession of the truth of who I am as a sinner, and thank God for my salvation accomplished through the cross.