The Compelling Cross

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” John 12:32

Jesus spoke in descriptive terms of the death that He would die. The people who were listening understood that Jesus was referring to crucifixion when He used the phrase, “lifted up from the earth.” The Romans commonly crucified people as a means of execution, and the Israelites believed that the Messiah would rise up and cast off the Roman occupation, so Jesus’ statement must have been more than a little confusing for them. Though the repulsive specter of a crucifixion may have normally drawn a crowd of onlookers, Jesus was not referring to this base sort of curiosity and fear. He was not talking about the crowd that would gather around His cross and mock Him on the day that He was crucified. Jesus was speaking of a phenomenon that would affect all people everywhere. Jesus said His cross would “draw all men” unto Him. The cross of Calvary possesses a universal appeal. Everyone who hears of the cross is drawn to Christ; not because of the gruesomeness of His death, but because of the greatness of His sacrifice. Jesus left His rightful place on the right hand of God the Father in heaven to come to this earth and live as a man for thirty-three years. He willingly took the sins of the world upon Himself and died on the cross as the sacrifice for those sins. His love for us compels us to His cross. Once we have partaken of His great forgiveness, we must lift Him up in our lives so that others will be drawn to Him as well.