Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others one on each side and Jesus in the middle. John 19:17-18
Have you noticed how many people wear a cross as jewelry? You see cross necklaces and cross earrings–gold ones and silver ones, plain ones and fancy ones. In fact, crosses are such common accessories that we rarely stop to think of what they signify.
To the people of Jesus’ day, wearing a cross as a decoration would be about like you wearing a little electric chair on a chain around your neck or little electric chairs dangling from your ears! It was not a shiny ornament you could hold in the palm of your hand. It was a rough, heavy instrument of torture that Jesus had to carry on His own back. It was a dreaded device of death to which He was nailed. It cost Him everything.
Now it is a symbol of victory! The cross is empty because Jesus rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. It’s a symbol that means everything to God!
Do we really think about what happened to Jesus when we wear that cross around our neck or do we use it for just a piece of jewelry? I admit when I saw “Passion of Christ” I went to their website and looked at all they had to sell for that movie. They had a crown of thorns on a chain that I bought for $75 dollars. Did I buy that for looks or did I really understand the meaning behind those crown of thorns? I knew the meaning behind it, I was and am a grounded Christian, but as I think about it I also wanted people to see it and comment on that piece of jewelry because I had never seen a necklace in that form before, so I actually bought that necklace for the wrong reason. As I look at that crown of thorns today that I don’t wear as often anymore…I think of what Christ had to go through for me and it’s a reminder and not just a piece of jewelry anymore!
What’s your thoughts on jewelry that represent or signify what Christ did for you??
