“In this cross this level of our being has thrust itself up out of its deepest underground cellar so that we humans may see what is in all of us and take heed. The cross is crucial because it shows what possibilities for evil lie hidden in human beings”- Morton T. Kelsey
This is the thesis statement of Kelsey’s essay and today’s reading. When we see, truly see, Christ on the cross we truly see ourselves. Kelsey gives examples of the depth of human evil showing how seemingly normal, good people can get to the point of committing hellish atrocities. He might over simplify the examples but Kelsey’s assertion that when we look at the cross we should see what we are capable of, yet can be saved from is poignant. Kelsey closes with a look at some of the notorious characters at the cross, Pilate, Caiaphas, Judas, and even the carpenter who fashioned the cross. He paints them to be relatively “good” people with a slight flaw that is expanded within the pressure and scope of the events surrounding Jesus resulting in their roles in the evils of the cross.
The cross reminds us of our own propensity for evil but also points to victory. Kelsey ends with this encouraging summation, “The empty cross is planted there to remind us that suffering is real but not the end, that victory is still possible if we strive on.”