WHAT THEN IS THE CROSS?

The Romans introduced the cross as a means of executing the test of criminals among the Jews. Such a man was a problem both to the family and the society, he was inanrigible. The verdict of the elders for that man was for him to die by hanging on a tree or on the cross, because he was regarded as an accursed person, a defilement to the land and a cankerworm in the inheritance of the people. Moreover his death must not be in the center of town where people lives to avoid contaminating the people with his evil ways of life and drive away the evil from the city.

To show how vile such a death was, people with troubles and problems had to follow him outside the gate in order to cast their problem and troubles on him before he actually dies. Even those who took part in hanging him on the tree had to purify themselves before entering in to the camp of God’s people.

Even these days, the cross is the symbol of death. So anybody associated with the cross is regarded as a dead person and every transaction with that person is terminated. There are several significant symbols and analogical in the scriptures which gives us insight into the meaning the mystery and the ministry of the cross in our lives. Each of the analogies deals with a definite aspect of the cross that is necessary for our victorious work with the Lord on a daily basis.

THE BRAZEN SERPENT

In the book of John chapter three where Nicodemus a Pharisee and a river of the Jews had a discourse with Jesus. He told him about the truth about the kingdom of God saying;

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. John 3:3

Nicodemus was amazed and he asked Jesus “how can these things be?” in answer to this question, he gave him the analogy of what happen in the wilderness. The story of the Braze serpent.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life”. John 3:14-15

What led to the handing of the Brazen serpent was that the children of Israel in the wilderness sinned by murmuring against the Lord, rebelled against his servant, could not tolerate any longer the provision of God for them, the lusted after cucumbers in Egypt and were discouraged by the way. God had to punish them by death by the hand of fiery serpent.

This punishment led to the cry of the children of Israel who asked Moses to intercede for them. God answer that prayer by telling Moses to make a fiery serpent of brass and set it on a pole and it shall be that anybody that is bitten by the snake when he looked at the hung serpent shall live and not die. Moses obeyed.

This strategy, God used to foreshadow a spiritual reality. The lifting up of the serpent in the wilderness symbolizes the lifting up of the son of man (Jesus) on the cross so that sinners who believe in him and look up the cross, should not perish but have everlasting life.

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having naves it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Col.2:13-15

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God help us in Jesus name. Amen.

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