Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

Jesus’ cross has been for over 1800 years the best-known symbol of Christianity, and we should ask the Lord to keep us, in the words of Fanny Crosby, “near the cross.”

“As an instrument of death, the cross was detested by the Jews, so it became a stumbling block for them when considering Jesus. How could the Messiah be executed on a cross? After all, the Greek and Roman Empire executed thousands of criminals and captives in just this manner (Alexander the Great executed two thousand Tyrian captives in this way, after the fall of the city)” (“PleaseConvinceMe.com”).

Crucifixion was usually reserved for people convicted of treason, desertion, robbery, murder and such crimes. The Romans used it until Constantine’s rule, when it was abolished as an insult to Christianity, sources say.

“During the first two centuries of Christianity, the cross may have been rare in Christian iconography (symbolic representation), as it depicts a purposely painful and gruesome method of public execution. The Ichthys, or fish symbol, was used by early Christians” (“Wikipedia”).

Many people wear small religious-jewelry crosses, but if they want a “modern translation” of the cross, they might wear a tiny model of an electric chair. Electrocution was used first in 1890 to replace hanging. Between August 1890 and March 2010, a total of 4,442 people suffered death by electrocution in the U.S. “The chair” is being replaced by lethal injection.

Can you picture Jesus shackled and walking between two guards on his way to an electric chair? Can you imagine him lying on a prison bed, ready to take a lethal injection? If the Romans had been more “modern,” Jesus might have been executed in one of those ways. But he was dispatched on a cross, the Romans’ first-century way of dealing with the worst criminals.

Perhaps “the empty tomb” is a more pleasant symbol of Christianity, but the cross became the symbol the world connects with the Church. The cross reminds Christians of God’s act of love exhibited in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary.

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he (Jesus) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).

The Bible informs us that man’s sin must be paid for.

“[In fact] under the Law almost everything is purified by means of blood, and without the shedding of blood there is neither release from sin and its guilt nor the remission of the due and merited punishment for sins” (Hebrews 9:22, Amplified Bible).

Old Testament sacrifices “covered” sins but did not eradicate them, as I understand. Animal sacrifice pointed to the Lamb prepared before the foundation of our world.

John the Baptist, seeing Jesus coming to be baptized, said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Jesus predicted his own death.

He said, “And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself” (John 12:32, Amplified Bible).

Let us not forget the cross of Christ. The Apostle Paul said, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14, NIV).

Fanny Crosby (1820-1915), a blind-from-birth hymn-writer, wrote “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross.” That song reminds us of the importance of Jesus’ cross. Here are the lyrics to that beloved song:

“Jesus, keep me near the cross / There a precious fountain / Free to all, a healing stream / Flows from Calvary’s mountain.

“(The Refrain) In the cross, in the cross / Be my glory ever / Till my raptured soul shall find / Rest beyond the river.

“Near the cross, a trembling soul / Love and mercy found me / There the bright and morning star / Sheds its beams around me.

“Near the cross! O Lamb of God / Bring its scenes before me / Help me walk from day to day / With its shadows o’er me.

“Near the cross I’ll watch and wait / Hoping, trusting ever / Till I reach the golden strand / Just beyond the river.

“(The Refrain) In the cross, in the cross / Be my glory ever / Till my raptured soul shall find / Rest beyond the river.”