Beneath the Cross of Jesus

By Mark Largen

The cross of Jesus Christ stands at the center of human history, a place of suffering yet also a place of redemption.  As Jesus hung on that cruel wood, abandoned by most of His disciples, only a few devout women and the Apostle John remained by His side.  His enemies mocked Him, soldiers gambled for His garments, and the crowds passed by without care.  It was a place of rejection, yet it became the place where love and sacrifice met in their fullest expression.

Golgotha, the “Place of the Skull,” was not an inviting place.  It was a location of execution for criminals, a place of tombs.  His loved ones watched in agony as their Lord suffered.  His enemies perhaps experienced a degree of satisfaction in seeing Him crucified.

Yet, for Christians, it has become a place of refuge.  Beneath the cross, we find shelter in Christ’s sacrifice.  His suffering brought forgiveness, and His death gave birth to new life.

The world sees the cross as foolishness, but for those being saved, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).  Jesus Himself called His followers to take up their own crosses—to deny themselves, to lose their lives for His sake, and in doing so, to find true life (Matthew 16:24-27).

The Apostle Paul echoed this truth when he declared, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).  The cross is not merely a historical event but a daily reality for those who follow Christ.  It is the place where pride dies, sin is forgiven, and hope is restored.

As the hymn so beautifully says:

“I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place;

I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;

Content to let the world go by, to know no gain or loss;

My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.”

May we, like those faithful few at Calvary, remain near the cross—not as spectators, but as those who embrace its message and carry it into the world.