By the Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19114

Written 20 March 2002

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Interpreting the cross of Jesus has been done since the first century of our era. Jesus of Nazareth was one of many thousands of men who were executed by crucifixion in the Roman Empire. To interpret the cross is to bring out its meaning.

Some people have interpreted the cross of Jesus as a defeat. After all, the Torah said clearly, “Anyone whose body is displayed on a tree is cursed by God” (Deuteronomy 21:22). How could you have a crucified Messiah? Those who see the cross as a defeat can point to three forces that brought Jesus down. There were the forces of organized religion, business, and politics. When Jesus disregarded Sabbath laws and attacked the Temple in Jerusalem, his religion saw him as a rebellious son. The Torah prescribed death for such a person (Deuteronomy 21:20). Religion was centered in the Temple. It created business for animal-sellers, money-changers, inn-keepers, and the Temple hierarchy. This organized business needed to defeat the man from Nazareth. Besides religion and business, there was organized politics that defeated Jesus. For centuries, the Christian Creed has specified that Jesus’ death happened by order of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

While some have interpreted the cross as a defeat, others see the cross of Jesus, along with his subsequent resurrection, as a victory. Twenty years after Jesus’ death, a Pharisee named Saul quoted a Christian hymn about Jesus that said, “He always had the nature of God . . . he walked the path of obedience all the way to death – his death on the cross. For this reason God raised him” (Philippians 2:6-9). The love of God, embodied in Jesus, won the victory over the fear of death, for, as Jesus said, “The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends” (John 15:13). The love of God, incarnate in this human life, won the victory over hate, for God would not allow his love to be determined by human worth or worthlessness. Again, as Jesus said, “Your Father [God] . . . makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who are good and to those who do evil” (Matthew 5:45). Through the cross and resurrection, “God shows his great love for us: Christ died for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). Though some have interpreted the cross as a ransom paid to the devil, and others see it as a sacrifice offered to God, I see it as a loving sacrifice made by God to reclaim all his human children.