Why a Cross?

 

There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

- Matthew 27:34 -

Why was Jesus crucified on a cross?  We know he was offered as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of every soul, but he could have been sacrificed in a countless number of ways.  He could have been beheaded, His throat slit, hung by a rope, dismembered, poisoned... Cain's lust for another's blood has never run dry since that travesty when he killed his brother.  Indeed, it has only grown more creative over the millennia.

To understand this, we need to go to Psalm 22.  This was a prophesy of the method of execution of the Messiah to come.  It also includes a prophesy of the resurrection and Lordship, but that is not the focus here.

In Psalm 22, David is ostensibly experiencing the Messiah's execution through His eyes, flesh and soul.  In this passage, the Messiah 

• cries out to God, asking why He has forsaken Him.
• is surrounded by others who despise Him.
• is mocked.
• is counted as a criminal.
• is pierced in the hands an feet.
• is stared and gloated at.
• has His clothing gambled over.
• To quote aboutbibleprophecy.com, "There are other descriptions in Psalm 22 that sound like an accurate description of what would happen to the Messiah being crucified, such as the disjointing of bones, the drying up of a person's strength, an intense sense of thirst, a heart melting like wax (Jesus was stabbed in the side with a spear during his crucifixion), and being 'poured out' of one's body. When Jesus was stabbed, blood and water poured out from the wound."

Of particularly impactful note, this Psalm predates this method of execution by about 600 years; that particular art of torment had not been invented yet.

The Son of Man's intent, even from birth I would submit, was to not only be sacrificed for Man. But it was also to show us that it had been His intent from the fall or even the creation of Man.  And finally, He determined that He was to pour His heart and soul into this by refusing to be anaesthetized of the agony of His entire being.

Such is not only the depths of His love for us, but also His passion for us.

Behold the manner of His love! (1 John 3:1)