Many people believe that Jesus was killed by being nailed to a wooden cross. So pervasive is this belief that the cross has become almost completely identified as a religious symbol representing Jesus’ death. But what does the bible say about it?

When the life and death of Jesus were written about in the Bible, the word used did not mean cross. That meaning arose as a consequence of translating the original Greek word into Latin as "crux", and it has spread throughout translations since then as the expected meaning. The original Greek word was "stauros", and it means a wooden stake of some kind. A stake in a cross shape, whether represented by a lower case t, an upper case T, an X or simply an upright pole I (), would all be included in the definition of "stauros". The Romans did use all four of these "stauroi" for crucifixion, however, the bible does not say which of these was used to kill Jesus. It would be reasonable to assume, though, that the cheapest type of "stauros" would be used unless there was a particular reason to use a specific kind. The cheapest would, of course, be a simple tree trunk of an appropriate length and circumference. So, it would be reasonable to believe that an upright pole made from an unworked log was used. But, the fact is that the bible does not say, and we do not know for certain. For that reason, so as not to mislead anyone and to be accurate, the New World Translation uses the expression "torture stake" instead of "cross". You may understand that however you wish.

There are, however, two other factors involved. I mentioned at the beginning that the cross, particularly the lower case t, has become an icon symbolising Jesus’ death. It is so pervasive that simply displaying one indicates particular religious beliefs. Some people treat it with extreme reverence, holding it while praying or kissing it as an act of reverence or worship, for example. Is this proper?

In the book of Acts, 21:25 it says, "As for the believers from among the nations, we have sent them our decision in writing that they should keep away from what is sacrificed to idols …" What is an idol? Is it not an object that represents a divine person, a god? Is it not a physical object used to focus a supplicant’s attention when approaching a god in prayer? I would suggest to you that the cross has become those things? It has become an object of reverence in itself, the very thing that idols represent. In effect, it has become an idol, and using it as the focus of prayers goes against the restrictions found in Acts. We do not need an object to approach Jehovah, not even one that represents his son’s sacrifice. We may approach Jehovah through Jesus Christ simply by talking to him. That is, after all, one of the reasons Jesus died for us.

The use of the cross as an object of reverence goes back a long time, even hundreds of years before Jesus preached in Israel. Even in the time of Moses, and for a long time before that, the egyptians revered a cross as a symbol of life and immortality, much as some people view the cross today. It was known as the ankh, and took the form of a T with a circle attached above the crosspiece.

Finally, consider this, if one of your relatives were shot and killed with a gun, would you drape a miniature image of that gun around your neck and kiss it whenever you remembered that relative? I suspect that you would not. After all, why would you honour the weapon used to murder your relative? That is why I do not understand why some people honour the weapon that was used to murder Jesus Christ? Why do they kiss it or use it to focus their prayers? Why bow to it? It seems unreasonable to me.

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