The Significance of the Cross

On this Easter weekend and as we reflect on the death and resurrection of our LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ, I want to look at the cross and its significance. The cross is a HUGE topic, and I won’t be able to cover it all, but I hope to just capture some of the main points that Jesus’ death and resurrection accomplished.

The cross of Jesus is central to the Christian faith. It reveals to us God’s character: His love for lost sinners, His perfect mercy and grace and His redemptive heart. He sent his one and only Son to die the most horrific death on a cross to show us just how much He loved us. If we want to grow in our love for God, which is the first and greatest commandment, we must understand and appreciate fully the significance of the cross and what Christ did for us.

So what happened when Jesus died on the cross, and rose again three days later?

1)      God’s presence was made available to all

We read in Matthew 27:51 that when Jesus died, ‘’ the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.’’ This piece of information is hugely significant, as before this point, there were certain rituals and sacrifices that had to be carried out for one to gain access to God’s presence. And even then, only the highest priest of the temple could enter the part of the temple where God’s presence dwelt, the holy of holies, which was separated from the rest of the temple by a huge curtain. The veil, or curtain, is thought to have been around 60ft high and around 4 inches thick of twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet material, due to Jewish tradition, although specific measurements aren’t given in the Bible. These details make this act even more remarkable. It was impossible for material that thick to tear at all. But it didn’t just tear. We read that the curtain was torn ‘’from top to bottom.’’ When you tear material, does it tear from top to bottom? No, it tears up the seam. So this occurrence demonstrated God’s incredible power! He performed an absolute miracle as Jesus drew His last breath. The curtain being torn meant that we no longer had to be separated from God’s presence. We would no longer need to go through rituals and sacrifices to be in His presence, we could just come. It meant we could now all receive His presence and God’s presence would now dwell inside of us, as we would now become the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). How amazing!

2)      God broke the power of death

When Jesus died on the cross, everyone, including his disciples, even though Jesus had prepared them, were confused. They were confused as to why He had to die and how He could leave them. But, three days later when some women were at the tomb (see Matthew 28), they found the grave empty, and the stone rolled back. Jesus Christ had risen from the grave! We read of many accounts in the Bible where people saw Jesus after he had risen; Luke 24:13-32 and John 20:19-30 are just some examples of this. God demonstrated His awesome power and sovereignty by raising Christ back from the dead, therefore breaking the power of death! God’s power is so great that even the power of death couldn’t hold Him down!

3)      God healed us

When Jesus died on the cross, he healed us. We read in Isaiah 53:5, ‘’But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed.’’ These stripes would have been the lashes across Jesus’ back from when they whipped and tortured Him. He bore our pain for us, healing us in the process. He took upon himself the sins of every human being; all our guilt, shame, pain and hurt. He carried them so that we wouldn’t have to. What a sacrifice!

4)      Prophecies were fulfilled

When Jesus died on the cross, and was raised three days later, many prophecies were fulfilled. In the Old Testament, before Jesus was even born, there are thought to be around 28-33 prophecies which Jesus fulfilled at the cross, proving He was the Son of God, and again showing God’s awesome power.

5)      Jesus bore our punishment

We are all sinful, and we all deserve God’s judgement and to be punished. We disobeyed God right back in the Garden of Eden, and ever since, we have gone against God. God has every reason to send us to hell for eternity, but He loves us so much that He gives us a second chance. He doesn’t want us to be separated from Him for eternity. The Bible says in Romans 10:13, ‘’whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’’ God the Father sent His only Son, perfect, spotless and blameless, to die the most horrific death on a cross so that we don’t have to. By doing this, He forgave us for all the times we have messed up, and will mess up. He loved us so much that He bore our punishment for us; Jesus’ blood paid our debt. He took the punishment that we deserve and now we can live in the freedom God won for us. We are no longer under the curse of sin and death, but instead have the gift of eternity with our Father. But ONLY if we accept and truly believe what Jesus did for us on the cross. God offers this gift of eternity with Him to anyone, on the condition that they believe and put their trust in Jesus and accept that He died for them and bore the weight of their sin and shame. So will you accept Jesus as your LORD and Saviour this Easter? He waits for you, His arms open wide, ready for you, His son or daughter to run to Him.

 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, ‘’…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according to the scriptures (…)’’

Thank you for reading and please leave a comment below on what you thought of today’s post. I would love to hear your feedback and also receive any questions you may have!

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Love in Christ,
Chloe xxx