Have you ever wondered why Catholic
symbols of the cross have Jesus hanging on it, and non-Catholics show
the cross as two intersecting lines without the Christ? My
background is not Catholic so I believed the "empty cross"
was the best way to emphasize the risen Lord, and not get hung
up on the suffering Lord. After all, we serve a God who is
alive, not dead, right? Certainly our Lord is resurrected, and not
overcome by the grave, but some verses in the Bible (such as the that
shown below) help us appreciate both the humanity of Christ
and his divinity.
The following verses recently
challenged some of my thinking. In chapter 11 of the book of
Hebrews, the writer discusses what is commonly though of as the
"heroes of the faith." Here is the last verse of that
chapter and the first 3 of the next. "These
were all commended for
their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since
God had planned something better for us so that only together with
us would
they be made perfect. Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us
throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles. And let us run with
perseverance the
race marked out for us, fixing
our eyes on Jesus, the
pioneer and
perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the
cross, scorning
its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider
him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not
grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 11:30-31, 12:1-3). Our
Christian faith is based solely on what Jesus has accomplished on
earth, culminating on the Cross, and in heaven, bulminating on the
Throne. Jesus extends perfect mercy, while ruling with perfect
justice.
The phrase "fixing our eyes on
Jesus" jumps out at the center of these verses. Our perception
of Christ will determine how we live out out faith. There are two
extremes to gravitate towards. One over-emphasizes mercy, and the
other over-emphasizes justice. One over-extends the human activity,
and the other over-extends the divine. One dignifies the human to
diminish the divine, and the other devalues the human to
over-spiritualize the divine. Our gaze on Christ should not be
either human or God, but both human and God. The words
used in the Scripture above are "pioneer" and "perfecter"
of faith. Faith is "perfected" in the human condition, and
faith is "pioneered" in the heavenlies. The physical and
spiritual realms are both active together accomplishing the purposes
of God.
How does this work out practically?
Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now
faith is confidence in what we hope for and
assurance about what we do not see." Because of our confidence
the spiritual reality, we can act with assurance in our physical
world. For Noah, it meant bulding an ark to protect from floods,
even though the world had never known rain before that time. For
Abraham and Sarah it meant trying for a promised child though Sarah
had not been able to bear children and they were well beyond
child-bearing years. For Moses, it meant leading his people out of
Egypt even though the king's army had the ability to wipe them out
with little effort. For King David, it meant many incidents of
courageous battle in the face of overwhelming odds against him. For
Samson it meant returning to God for a second chance, even though he
had lost his strength to wild living.
The cross of Christ is more than a
symbol. It is the intersection of the divine and the human. God
desires relationship with his created human race. He wants humans to
know him. Religion does not produce relationship with God. Religion
emphasizes human self-effort to perform good works for gaining favor
with God. Contrary to what many believe, God is not impressed with
good works. Religion has a way of erecting barriers to nullify the
Cross. Relationship, on the other had, breaks down barriers.
Relationship accepts the Cross for what it really means. Jesus paid
the debt owed by the human sinful condition. No matter where you are
in your relationship with God, the Cross can have more power to
resurrect your circumstances. If you already know Him, great. By
surrendering more of your heart to God, his divine ability to wash
your soul clean of shame and guilt becomes more real. If you don't
know God at all, it's never too late, or too soon, to start to get to
know Him. "Fix your eyes on Jesus" and you're sure to find
God. Jesus is a safe refuge. The cross is our refuge and hope.
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