40 Crosses for 40 Days: 37th Cross - The Wounds of Christ Crucifix

Today is Wednesday of Holy Week, one day closer to the self-sacrifice of Christ. In preparation for Good Friday, today's Cross of Christ, the crucifix, focuses on the wounds Jesus bears as He is dying.

It's easy to see that this is an old crucifix. I'm not really sure how or when it appeared. It was just there when it was time to be added to our Wall of Crosses. As can be seen by the photo, this crucifix has three places where it is supposed to be hung: just over the head of Jesus and in both of His hands.

I will freely admit that when I was hanging it, it was indeed disturbing to drive the two nails through Jesus' hands. It brought home the understanding that it was not really the individual Roman soldier (whoever he was) who nailed Jesus to the cross, but it was all of us, each of our individual sins as well as our corporate, group societal sins are those instruments of suffering and death.

The Crown of Thorns is also visible on this crucifix. That crown really gives me pause. It reflects the cruelty humans are capable of. When this crown of mockery was shoved down deeply onto Jesus' head, He had already been scourged, condemned and was on the way to His crucifixion. Scripture tells us that Jesus was not defiant and angry. He had accepted His death. His body was already beaten and bloody from the scourging, which of itself was capable of killing a person. Why, then, did the soldiers feel it was necessary to give Him even more pain? In fact, it is likely that this crown was constructed from long, spikey thorns that stood upright, resembling "the “radiant” crown, a diadem with spikes worn by Hellenistic kings." (footnote to Mt 27:29) Whoever wove this crown could have only done made it by inflicting pain on his own hands. The soldier or soldiers who wove it were willing to suffer themselves if that could increase the mockery and pain of a man already suffering and condemned. There it is - the mob mentality on display - our willingness to ignore mercy and rush past justice to violence and vengeance, to work directly against the kingdom of God.

We are healed through the wounds of Christ.

Yet, we also know that it is through the wounds of Jesus that we are healed. Because Jesus took all the sin of the world on Himself, we are able to pray through His wounds for our own help. Through the wounds of Jesus' hands and feet, we can pray for the purification of our own hands, that they do the work God wants us to do, and for the purification of our own feet, that they follow the path God wants us to take, walking in the footsteps of the Lord. Through the Crown of Thorns, we can pray for the purification of our minds, for our emotions and thoughts, that we gain true understanding and wisdom. We can pray that we ourselves are not mocked, because of the Reed of Mockery that Jesus held. Through the wound in Jesus' side, we can pray for the purification of our own hearts, for compassion and charity, that we see everyone as a real brother and sister, for courage and fortitude in doing God's will and that we will love the things of God. Our own restoration is made possible through each of the wounds of Christ, despite the original intent of those who inflicted them. Through His Passion and resurrection, Jesus, the New Adam, changes death into life, wounding into healing, and invites each of us to participate in His victory.

Let us pray: Holy Trinity, we wonder at Your love. Help us enter well into the Passion of Jesus the Son, so that we may be healed and made whole by His wounds. And in all things, let us praise You. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. world without end. Amen.