Anyone with even a basic knowledge of
Catholic sacramental theology knows this isn’t true. And while both a crucifix
and a cross are worthy symbols to direct the attention of a Christian to the
Savior, a crucifix is a richer symbol. I would like to simply share my own perspective
when I look at each, a perspective informed by the historical fact that Jesus
Christ was not the only person to be crucified—but his crucifixion was unique
among the many, many thousands of others who were killed by this procedure.
When I look at a plain cross with nobody
depicted on it, I see an instrument of terrorism, torture and execution upon
which many thousands of people were grotesquely slaughtered at the hands of the
Roman government (as well as others) over a period of about a thousand years. Looking
at a plain cross I see an instrument devised by cold-hearted human beings to
deliberately inflict terror and unspeakable cruelty upon other human beings,
horrifying cruelty unimaginable in the civilized mind. I see the evil of those
that conceived such a device, and the inhumanity of those who were involved in
nailing fellow-human beings to their death.
Looking at only the instrument minus a
victim (for these things had thousands of victims), numerous adjectives come to
mind: horrendous, loathsome, abominable, gruesome, appalling, heinous,
shameful, revolting, sickening.
When I look at a crucifix depicting Jesus
on one of these crosses, I see only one of the many thousands of executions
that took place through crucifixion—one that was extraordinarily unique. Here
God’s own Son willingly succumbed to this humiliating and awful torture out of
total, selfless love for sinners. In this unique crucifixion Jesus Christ took
on humanity’s most vile enemy and conquered it for all time. This was a unique
crucifixion, vastly different from all the others taking place on this same instrument,
and some adjectives that come to mind are: wonderful, glorious, loving,
devoted, generous, passionate, wondrous, awesome, heroic, magnificent,
triumphant, sacred.
On a crucifix I see an image of the total, self-sacrificing and self-giving love and mercy of the God who laid down his life for us; a plain cross suggests that potential, a crucifix displays it. While both are valid and worthy symbols of Jesus Christ, a crucifix is a much more powerful and accurate reminder of who he is and what he did for us.
