Did Jesus promote the cross?
No, He didn’t. Jesus, like every prophet of God before Jesus and after Jesus promoted repentance, not the cross.
A blunt denial of passages that tie repentance and forgiveness directly to Jesus' sacrificial death.
Jesus explicitly foretold His crucifixion and its purpose:
Matthew 16:21:
"From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."
Mark 8:31:
"And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again."
John 12:32-33
: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die.
These verses show that Jesus consistently taught the necessity of His death on the cross as central to His mission.
Jesus identified the cross as essential for salvation:
Matthew 20:28:
"The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
John 10:17-18:
"For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord."
John 6:51:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."
These verses make it clear that Jesus understood His death as the sacrificial act by which salvation would be offered to humanity.
Jesus tied discipleship to taking up the cross:
Luke 9:23: "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me."
Matthew 10:38: "And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me."
Mark 8:34-35: "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."
These passages demonstrate that Jesus explicitly called His followers to embrace the cross, indicating its vital role in the life of a believer.
The cross fulfills Old Testament prophecy:
Isaiah 53:5-6:
"But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed."
Psalm 22:16-18:
"For dogs encompass Me; a company of evildoers encircles Me; they have pierced My hands and feet—I can count all My bones—they stare and gloat over Me; they divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."
Jesus fulfilled these prophecies on the cross, showing that His crucifixion was part of God's redemptive plan.
Jesus preached repentance and the cross together: While Jesus certainly called people to repent (e.g., Matthew 4:17: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"), He also made it clear that His death was the means by which forgiveness of sins would be secured. For example:
Matthew 26:28:
"For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
John 3:14-15:
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life."
These passages tie repentance and forgiveness directly to Jesus' sacrificial death.
The Apostles confirm the centrality of the cross in Jesus' teaching:
1 Corinthians 1:18:
"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
Galatians 6:14:
"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
Philippians 2:8:
"And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
The apostles' teachings reflect the fact that Jesus promoted the cross as the cornerstone of salvation.
Matthew 27:32-44 –
Describes Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross, Jesus being crucified alongside two criminals, and the mocking of Jesus by those who passed by.
Mark 15:21-32 –
Simon the Cyrenian helps Jesus carry the cross, and Jesus is crucified with the inscription “King of the Jews.”
Luke 23:26-43 –
Simon carries the cross, Jesus talks to the women of Jerusalem, and He is crucified and forgives the criminals on the crosses next to Him.
John 19:17-27 –
Jesus carries His own cross to Golgotha, where He is crucified between two others, and His garments are divided by casting lots.
Matthew 27:50-54 –
Jesus cries out and dies on the cross, leading to the tearing of the temple veil and extraordinary events like an earthquake and resurrections.
Mark 15:37-39 –
Jesus dies with a loud cry, the curtain of the temple is torn in two, and the centurion proclaims Jesus as the Son of God.
Luke 23:44-49 –
Darkness covers the land, the curtain of the temple is torn, and Jesus breathes His last, witnessed by all, including the centurion.
John 19:28-37 –
Jesus fulfills Scripture by saying He is thirsty, and after His death, soldiers do not break His legs but one pierces His side.
Matthew 27:1-2, 11-26 –
Jesus is presented before Pilate, questioned, and handed over to be crucified after Barabbas is released.
Mark 15:6-15 –
Pilate releases Barabbas instead of Jesus and hands Jesus over to be crucified after the crowd chooses so.
Significance and Meaning of the Cross
1 Corinthians 1:18 –
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Galatians 6:14 –
“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.”
Ephesians 2:16 –
“And in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”
Colossians 1:20 –
“And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Colossians 2:14 –
“Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”
Philippians 2:8 – “
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
Hebrews 12:2 –
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
1 Peter 2:24 –
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’”
Galatians 2:20 –
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
1 Corinthians 2:2 –
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
Prophecies and Predictions about the Cross
Isaiah 53:5 –
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Psalm 22:16-18 ent.”–
“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garm
Zechariah 12:10 –
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
Isaiah 53:12 –
“Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Daniel 9:26 –
“After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.”
Isaiah 50:6 –
“I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”
Psalm 69:21 –
“They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”
Psalm 34:20 –
“He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”
Isaiah 53:3 –
“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”
Psalm 109:25 –
“I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.”
The Power and Effect of the Cross
Colossians 1:22 – “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Galatians 3:13 – “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.'”
Ephesians 2:13-14 – “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”
1 Peter 3:18 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”
Romans 5:10 – “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
Ephesians 2:18 – “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
Romans 6:6 – “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”
1 Corinthians 1:23-24 – “but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
Christ’s Suffering and Sacrifice on the Cross
Hebrews 9:28 – “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
1 John 3:16 – “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 10:17-18 – “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Isaiah 53:7 – “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Philippians 3:10 – “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
1 Peter 4:1 – “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.”
Hebrews 2:9-10 – “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.”
Luke 24:46-47 – “He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.'”
Redemption and Reconciliation through the Cross
Romans 3:24-25 – “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.”
Ephesians 1:7 – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
Colossians 2:20-22 – “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.”
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
Romans 5:18-19 – “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
Hebrews 10:14 – “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
1 Peter 1:18-19 – “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
Ephesians 3:12 – “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
Hebrews 9:15 – “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”
