Mark 15:24 – “Then they fastened Him to the cross.”
The cross was Rome’s ultimate deterrent, conveniently placed along busy highways as a warning to all would-be rioters – “Thus are the enemies of Caesar treated.” It was meant to strike fear into the hearts of all people – for this was the worst form of torture and death ever devised. No wonder Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father, … take this cup from me.” (Mk. 14:36).
But for a Jew, crucifixion carried the additional spiritual torture of being thought abandoned by God:
“… for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” (Gal. 3:13).
Something of this is heard in Jesus’ cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk. 15:34).
I find it helpful to think of the hammer and nail as symbolizing two significant aspects of “finality” and “unity” seen in Jesus’ crucifixion.
The hammer struck as Pontius Pilate had his inscription nailed to the wood above Jesus’ head. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews.” Some protested that it be changed to “He claimed to be king of the Jews.” But the hammer had struck, and the verdict remained as Pilate said, “What I have written, I have written.”
The hammer symbolizes “FINALITY.” It clinches transaction as the auctioneer’s hammer strikes and the item is sold. It clinches judgment as the judge reads the sentence to the defendant, strikes with gavel and dismisses the court. It clinches decision as the gun trigger releases its hammer, and the shot is irretrievably fired.
There is “finality” in the cross of Christ. The cross clinches Jesus’ decision, judgment, and transaction regarding our salvation. There were crucifixions before and after, but none of them was like this one. So dissimilar and unmatched was this crucifixion event that every generation since has looked to it as the final and all-perfect sacrifice for humanity’s sin. There can be no repetition of Calvary!
In every way the cross is God’s great consummating act of love for sinful humanity. It is his conclusive, decisive act of agape love, which is unrepeatable and unchangeable. Jesus declared, “It is finished.” The hammer struck and the completed act of God’s sacrificial love was confirmed.
The nail symbolizes “UNITY.” It joins together what is separate. Before his body was fastened to the wood, Jesus heard the sound of the hammer striking nail as the crossbeam was joined to the upright post. The symbol is now complete, for the cross is two-dimensional, both perpendicular and horizontal in both its earthly (material) and heavenly (spiritual) structure.
When Jesus hung there on that wooden framework, with body and arms stretched out, he symbolized a way of worship and living that is both upward and outward. His own life was a demonstration of this. When asked which is the first and greatest commandment he replied, “Love the lord you God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Mt. 22:37).
We can be sure that before any day was spent in “going about doing good” Jesus first went into a quiet place to pray and commune with the Father. Jesus’ life was constantly vertical in prayer and praise to the Father.
And yet, at the same time and equal in desire, His life was horizontal towards all humanity. His arms lovingly embraced the sick and the outcast. He spent His life in the ministry of helping others, and said
the second greatest commandment is this; “Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Mt. 22:39).
One further word. The three traditions of Hebrew, Latin, and Greek had their substitute remedies for man’s sins. The Jews found a solution in the annual substitutionary sacrifice made by the high priest in the Temple – by which the people’s sins were expiated or “atoned for.” This, together with a good knowledge of the Torah would be sufficient.
The Roman (Latin) answer was in law and order. The emperor’s decrees and the Senate’s legislation made sure that citizens of the empire “toe the line.” The Greeks turned to art and enlightenment. In the beauty of nature and art man found aesthetic fulfillment, and in the wisdom of the philosopher man found intellectual satisfaction.
These three convictions have their parallels in our present society. They may be helpful in some respects, but they remain no more than substitute solutions to man’s serious and deadly dilemma. We are all sinners in need of redeeming salvation, and we cannot save ourselves. In the hymn, “Rock of Ages,” we rightly sing, “All for sin could not atone. Thou must save and thou alone.”
May the sound of hammer and nail help us remember the finality and unifying actions of Jesus’ cross for our good. To remember that Jesus completed a full and final sacrifice of Himself for our sin, and that He constantly lives in relationship upward to Father God, and outward to us, interceding for us with gracious love, should forever incite grateful praise from deep within. Thank you, Jesus!
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – April 6, 2022
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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