The cross silences me

Greetings to all my friends in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ! All the glory to my Lord and my Savior, Jesus Christ!

A cross is the best known symbol of Christianity. It was a kind of altar on which the blameless lamb of God was sacrificed for the redemption of mankind from the bondage of sin and death. Cross is a sign of suffering indeed for many, but is also the only answer to all questions of mankind at all times. To accept and believe it is one’s choice. And one’s choice rules their lives, making them go through the consequences of their choices on this earth and in the life thereafter. Let’s look into three lives from the Bible, who were silenced by the cross. One saw the cross and failed to perceive the cross. One perceived the cross, but failed to respond rightly to the perception. While the third character perceived and responded to the cross rightly.

Mt.27:3-4, ‘Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”’

Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver, just as it was prophesied by the prophets in the Old Testament. He fell in greed for money.  He never thought that Jesus would indeed be condemned and killed.  But when he saw his thoughts crumble into pieces, he saw remorse and guilt in himself. He tried to make up for the wrong he had done. He returned back the thirty pieces of silver to the Chief priest and elders. He even confessed his sin of betraying ‘innocent blood’. But all these could not save Judas. No man could help Judas and neither could he look at the One who could help him out. He went frantic and killed himself. Sadly, this is the end of many lives who see cross but fail to see what lies beyond the cross. Guilt prevailed and destroyed Judas. The cross is not the end, but a passage to resurrection, that lies beyond the cross. This revelation silences all helpless, depressing & destroying cries of guilt and brings in the comforting and restoring forgiveness The sight of cross silences every sin and rebellion of mankind and causes guilt as its consequence, but the insight of cross which sees Christ resurrected and seated on the right hand of the heavenly Father, silences all the consequences of guilt of the entire mankind, with divine peace of forgiveness and restoration. Judas saw the cross but failed to perceive it and thus fell into eternal condemnation.

Mt.27:24, ‘ When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.[d] You see to it.”’

Pilate took efforts to release Jesus. He saw that He was innocent. He believed his wife’s report about Jesus being a just man. He himself was convicted of the fact that Jesus was the ‘Son of God’ (Jn.19:7-8). Yet the pressure of the multitude to crucify Him prevailed.  Jesus was refused justice of this world. Inspite of the fact that He was tried in five courts and was found ‘not guilty’, He was condemned to be crucified. The chief priest and the elders accused Jesus falsely but He was silent to the extent that it marveled the Pilate.  The cross silenced the protests against the injustice of this world and made way for divine justice to be made available to all who trust in the completed work of salvation on the cross. The only way to conquer the injustice of this world is to silence our slogans for justice by grasping the truth of cross deep into our hearts and wait patiently with a thanks giving & forgiving heart, for the divine justice. The Pilate saw the cross and perceived it in the right way, but failed to respond rightly to the perception about Christ and the cross. Hence, he fell into eternal condemnation.

Lk.23:40-43, ‘But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord,[k] remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”’

Here, we see a third character, who confessed the innocence of Christ. Two thieves were crucified on either side of Jesus, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus being numbered with the transgressors (Is.53:12). One of the thieves mocked Jesus while the other rebuked the mocking thief. The latter one confessed the innocence of Christ. Though he himself was condemned justly on the basis of his transgressions, the silent suffering of innocent Jesus silenced his very sinful nature. His sinful nature was not only silenced, but was also uprooted through a divine rebirth. He perceived Jesus as his’ Lord’ and his ‘King’ who would come into His kingdom. Thus he submitted before the Lord and pleaded for mercy to be remembered by the Lord. The silent suffering of Christ caused salvation in the heart of the dying thief. Today too, the cross and the silent suffering of Christ to save the sinful and condemned mankind silences all our questions and sighs of painful trials and persecutions. The right response to the perception of cross of Christ resurrected the condemned dying thief.

Seeing, perceiving and responding rightly to the cross is a continuous life transforming phenomena in the life of a believer. If we go steadily and firmly in this path, we can see more and more of Him and less and less of ourselves in our lives. For the cross represents ‘I’ or self-will and crucifying ‘I’ does cause much pain and suffering. All sinfulness arises from ‘I’. Jesus refused to sin and proved to be righteous. All slogans for justice in this world arises from ‘I’. Jesus was silent before all the false accusations and condemnation, but received divine justice from the heavenly Father. All sighs and cries of unjust suffering arises from ‘I’.  Jesus suffered silently on behalf of our sins, and thus blotted out all the handwritings on the cross that was against us, making us His children. Jesus carried His cross and has commanded us to carry our cross in order to follow Him.

Judas, Pilate and the thief on the cross- all the three confessed with their mouths that Jesus indeed was innocent and had done nothing wrong. But this knowledge and confession did not save them all. The sight of cross silenced the greed of Judas & continues to silence all the sinfulness that rises its head time and again in our daily lives. The insight of cross caused Pilate to fear and believe in Jesus as the Son of God and continues to cause the same in many lives. But only a few, like the thief on the cross, choose to respond rightly to the insight of cross and thus be saved.   Is Jesus indeed the Lord of our lives? Is He ruling every aspect of our lives? Is the cross merely giving us a religious feeling with no transformation? Does the cross of Christ strengthen us to carry our own cross and thus silence all that arises from ‘I’? May we be among the few remnants who choose to carry our own cross. May we respond rightly to the insight of cross received from the Lord. Be blessed to be a blessing to many.

God bless us all.