The cross is fundamentally not beautiful. The cross was the Roman version of a gas chamber, electric chair, or any other executionary tool. How could that be beautiful? Yet, Christians sing hymns with words like “I will cherish the old rugged cross.” Cherishing an ugly cross seems like a foolish notion, doesn’t it? No one is going to say “I will cherish the sword that cuts off a criminal’s head!” No one would say “I will boast in the electric chair!” But that’s precisely what Christians are saying when we rejoice in the cross.
What makes this instrument of death beautiful? It isn’t beautiful because of the cross itself, but because of what happened on the cross. We cherish the old rugged cross because the greatest event in history happened on the cross - God the Son took the place of sinners and died for our sins.
