Boers quotes Jim Forest:
It is a pity we have stripped so many walls of their crucifixes and put up so many clocks in their place. We are surely more punctual than our ancestors, but we are spiritually poorer. Contemplating a crucifix, many of our forebears had a different idea of how to make use of time. A crucifix may not tell the hour, but it offers crucial advice about what to do with the moment we are living in.
-Arthur Boers, Living Into Focus, p. 141
I am not a big fan of crucifixes, but the point is well taken. Perhaps one could see this as a take on the idea of Deuteronomy 6:8-9 about God’s Law:
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
The cross can shape your heart and life without being on your wall, but your mind must never stray very far from it – hence the necessity of regularly reading the Scriptures and attending to the means of grace in general. And remember, he’s not on the cross anymore: he’s wearing the crown.
I’ve always found it interesting how different cultures will focus on different stages of Christ’s life. Some artists prefer the “baby Jesus” pictures. Then there are the crucifix images, and then the post-resurrection depictions of a glorified Christ. Very interesting to see which aspect people choose to spend the bulk of their dwelling upon.
Too bad an empty cave-grave doesn’t make a very discernible symbol.
I’m reading Calvin’s work on relics and images; I’m hoping it will help me codify my thoughts on this subject. I already have thoughts; I’m just afraid to put them down in writing for all the world to see!