The Cross on My Wall – From Torture to Treasure

I overheard my husband talking to our daughter about symbols a few days ago. Those conversations can go one of two ways: torture or treasure. I couldn’t tell which way it was going, but I was going to listen and find out.

Alan explained how symbols slowly lose their meaning over time. I wondered which symbols he was referring to. The flag? We recently replaced the one hanging from our house because the old one was raggedy and torn. Or perhaps he was referring to wedding rings. Rings have become more of a status symbol than an emblem of neverending love. Maybe Christmas trees? We don’t even know why we put those up anymore!

I wasn’t even close. He was talking about…the cross.

The cross lost its meaning.

I was shocked to hear Alan say the cross is a symbol that’s lost its meaning.

“Our culture is numb to what the cross actually is because we see it so often,” Alan explained. “The cross was a horrible tool of torture in ancient Rome. They beat people with whips and then nailed them by their hands and feet to the beams of the cross. Then the soldiers let them hang there to die. It was a long and agonizing death.”

McKinley was quiet. She looked around the room, searching for something. Finally, she nodded her head toward the wall. “Mom, why is a Roman torture device hanging on the wall of our house?”

A fair question!

The cross is in my way!

Years ago, I was on staff with a pastor who wanted to temporarily build a giant cross in the middle of the sanctuary platform. He wanted it to be obnoxiously large. He wanted it so big the praise team couldn’t lead worship; he couldn’t preach; the congregation couldn’t see past the cross. His theme was, “The cross is in my way!”

Great object lesson, right? Fortunately, however, he decided against doing it. The people in that church were extremely traditional, and that kind of drama would’ve sent them over the edge. (Not in a good way.) And yet, I appreciate his point. The cross should be big enough in our lives that it monopolizes what we see, what we do, and where we go. It should demand our attention and dictate our attitude.

From torture to treasure.

All of that to say, analyzing the cross as a symbol is difficult. On one hand, the Romans used it to torture – – not just Jesus – – but thousands of people for more than 500 years. It is a symbol of humiliation, violence, hate, and death.

But on the flip side of that, the cross symbolizes God’s gift of salvation. He provided the sacrifice; He made a way where there was no way. He justified us through grace! That’s a big deal!

The apostle Paul explained it like this to the church in Rome :

But God’s grace is much greater, and so is his free gift to so many people through the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15

God used a Roman torture device as a gift to humanity.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT

He fixed what was broken. That’s why the cross is hanging on our wall. It’s not a tool for torture; it’s a treasure.

The cross became a symbol of good.

I’m not sure when the church adopted the cross as an emblem. But God’s people designated some thing, or some place to recognize and remember God’s faithfulness, all the time in the Old Testament. Here are a few examples:

My favorite is 1 Samuel 7:12.

10 Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the LORD spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them. 11 The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to a place below Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12, NRSV

Samuel recognized the Israelites would have been slaughtered without God’s help. He called on God (once his friends and family repented), and God showed up. After the battle, Samuel lifted a stone, propped it up, and named it Ebenezer to celebrate God’s faithfulness.

I have more to celebrate!

I have just as much to celebrate as the Israelites that day! Actually, I have more to celebrate! When I see the cross, I remember that God didn’t just win a battle for me. He beat death. Then three days later, He blew the gates of hell open!

It’s ironic but when the centurions brutally crucified Jesus and raised that cross, they raised an everlasting tribute to the one true God.

I can’t wait to tell the stories!

If God can change a Roman torture tool into an Ebenezer – a memorial to what He has done so far – He can certainly redeem the bad things in my life.

Trauma, abuse, insecurities, addictions, and rebellion, get ready! God will redeem you, just like he did the cross! And I can’t wait to tell the stories of how He does it!

Yes, McKinley. We have the cross on our wall. We call it “Ebenezer.” It’s not a tool of torture. It’s a reminder of grace. “Thus far, the Lord has helped us.”

I was wondering whether Alan and Mickey’s conversation was going to be torture or treasure. I’m happy to report it was definitely a treasure.

Find out how we are celebrating! We aren’t Jewish but we are celebrating Passover.
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