There are things that we encounter that are of such magnitude that they take our breath away. These things, once we see them, hold our attention to the point that it is almost impossible to look away. Some images may have come to mind as we read the preceding sentences. Maybe it was the memory of a particular view from a trail we have hiked. Maybe it is remembering time spent at the edge of the ocean listening to and watching the waves crash against the shore. Perhaps the first time we saw our significant other, or one of our children or grandchildren. Breathtaking. When we think of these things that take our breath, it is most often things that are positive in some way, but that may not always be the case.

Imagine being a traveler in first-century Palestine. You and your family, and possibly your extended family are making your way to the city for a very important religious festival. You walk along and are excited to arrive. You talk about the things that you will most likely encounter during this time. You think of all the people you hope to see, people you maybe haven’t seen since the last one of these gatherings. As you near the city, you encounter a large crowd of people that are just outside the city gate. It seems odd, but there must be something big happening. As you get closer, you hear shouts, maybe even some mocking laughter, along with screams of pain. Then you see it. Roman crosses are standing there, all occupied by those who have been condemned to die. The sight takes your breath away.

Crucifixion was one of, if not the worst way to die. It was designed to prolong death while inflicting the maximum amount of pain. Death by crucifixion could take as short as a matter of hours or as long as a few days. It was a sign of what happens if you dared to rebel against the Roman Empire. It was a shameful death, as the victim of it was stretched out, exposed, nailed to that instrument of death by nails driven through the hands and feet. As a person living under the rule of the Roman Empire, just the sight of a cross would bring images of immense suffering to mind. It was something that was not spoken of in polite society. It is something so grotesque that it takes our breath away just to think about it.

Yet, the cross, this instrument of death is attractive to us. It has become an object with which we decorate our church buildings, is present in various ways in our homes, and serves as jewelry that we proudly wear. How could this shift take place? Could it be that because of Jesus we see something incredible in the cross?

In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul makes the following statement. “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)”

In the cross we see more, far more, than just an instrument of death. We see the desire that God has to be with us. Our sin has separated us from God and on our own, there is nothing we can do to close that gap. We were without any resource to remedy the problem. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)

We see how far God will go in order to be with us. At the cross we see God pull out all the stops. He is willing to give and give in order to be with us. Paul words it this way:  “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)

In the cross we see the love of God on full display. Jesus willingly went to the cross. He willingly subjected himself to the pain, the humiliation, the mockery all for our benefit. He didn’t deserve it. The innocent suffers for the guilty. And what motivated him to do this was the great love he has for us. It’s no wonder that the cross is something that continues to take our breath away.