Wisdom Wednesday: The Meanings of the Cross

A thought for the start of Lent

The meaning of the cross is not singular, but a kaleidoscope.

~ Brian Zahnd, The Wood Between the Worlds

I recall as a child looking through different toy kaleidoscopes over the years, and the ways different images would appear as you turned the end of it. Different shapes and colors revealed themselves, in beautiful ways. The color, light, shape, and movement were, in their own small way, revealing of a simple but multifaceted beauty.

The cross is like that. Many truncate the meaning of the cross to some theory of atonement, focused solely on forgiveness of sin. Of course forgiveness is a central dimension of what Jesus did for us on the cross. But the cross is about much more than that. The cross is about redemption, reconciliation, renovated hearts and renewed minds, transformed character, union with God, the renewal of all creation, and the very heart of God. My hope and plan over this season of Lent is to explore the meanings of the cross in a focused way, both by reading Zahnd’s book and engaging with the Scriptures. I’ll share about that here, as I think of things that might be of interest and useful to you.