It actually happened. I was driving the short distance today to my college campus. I looked to my right and saw this guy walking along the sidewalk with a wooden cross! It was not a mammoth cross like we often see in pictures and television. It actually was a manageable cross, if you have to carry it very far. The whole thing was simple: made from what I would guess were 1x1 wooden pieces. The vertical piece of the cross was fairly long---I would guess at least six feet or more. And the horizonal piece was perhaps four feet. I could describe it as skinny, but sizeable. However, he was carrying it with little labor. It was flung over his shoulder.
I was fascinated, as I sped by about 35 mph. There was no sign. I did not know who he was. He looked to be perhaps mid-forties, slight build and walking with a purpose. Obviously, it created many questions in my mind. Who is he? But then I stopped my brain. Would it actually matter if I learned his name was Bob and not Ralph? Since I never saw him in my life, I realized knowing his name would add nothing to what I really know about it. That was the first learning in my blow-by experience of seeing a pedestrian. Does my name really mean that much---ultimately or even sooner?
Actually, the fact that he was carrying a cross told me more about him than knowing his name would tell me. I have to assume that he was carrying that thing for a reason---and this would be true even if he were slightly off, mentally speaking. And that is exactly what I was missing: I did not know his reason.
At this point, it occurred to me that I was already beginning to interpret his reason---no doubt broadly speaking. I began to interpret his reason for carrying those two pieces of wood tied together because he likely (?) was trying to “say” something to all of us whizzing past him in our cars. In more sophisticated language that cross is a symbol. Let me elaborate.
Many of you reading this piece have an association with a cross. Now think about the fact that it sounds so much different when I referred to it as a couple pieces of wood tied together. Described that way, you would not necessarily have pictured a cross. And without the image or symbol of the cross, you would go a very different way trying to interpret what the guy was doing in his stroll down the sidewalk. Let’s explore briefly what symbols or image do
I already tipped my hand when I said the guy was trying to “say” something by carrying this cross. Now I am going to guess, but I think it is a very good guess. I think he is religious; maybe he is quite religious. For Christians the cross is an important symbol. Indeed, some Christians would likely say it is the key or foundational symbol. A whole load of ideas, convictions and, maybe, even commitments come to mind when we see the image of the cross. Even though today is not Easter or Good Friday, most Christians will associate the cross with that Easter season---rightly so.
To make all these connections in our mind, causes us to link these two pieces of wood tied together with a whole narrative or story. For Christians it ties directly into the narrative of Jesus. Specifically, it brings us straight to Good Friday and the crucifixion of Jesus at the hands of the Romans. Then the narrative broadens a bit as we link it to Easter Sunday. Again, the narrative or story broadens even more to go back and include the entire life and ministry of Jesus. It is his life narrative that culminates in his death on a Friday at the hands of the Roman soldiers.
Amazingly, for Christians (and maybe others), death did not end the story. There was more. The more links to each of us and our lives. Significantly, the symbol of the cross actually “says” more about life than it does about death. It symbolizes new life, a different kind of life. It symbolizes that we can tap into that kind of life even before we die. Many of us have committed to living that way. We want that kind of rich, deep and meaningful life.
All of this means that cross is a “loaded symbol,” in my words. Think about how much I loaded on to that image of a guy walking down the sidewalk carrying this cross. He “spoke” to me and I have no clue his name or anything else about him. I am sure some would write him off as a looney. Maybe some would think he is funny or, doubtlessly, stupid.
That’s not all. Here is the clincher for me. As I think about the experience I had, I realized there actually were two images or symbols. One obviously was the cross. The other is the guy himself. By doing what he was doing, he was “telling” me a great deal about who he is, what his life intends and, maybe even, where he is going in life (but not in the sense of down the street). That turned the tables on me. I realized that in its own way, my life is also a symbol.
I now wonder what my life symbolically “says” to all the people who see me walking along my own highway of life? I bet your life symbolizes something, too!
I was fascinated, as I sped by about 35 mph. There was no sign. I did not know who he was. He looked to be perhaps mid-forties, slight build and walking with a purpose. Obviously, it created many questions in my mind. Who is he? But then I stopped my brain. Would it actually matter if I learned his name was Bob and not Ralph? Since I never saw him in my life, I realized knowing his name would add nothing to what I really know about it. That was the first learning in my blow-by experience of seeing a pedestrian. Does my name really mean that much---ultimately or even sooner?
Actually, the fact that he was carrying a cross told me more about him than knowing his name would tell me. I have to assume that he was carrying that thing for a reason---and this would be true even if he were slightly off, mentally speaking. And that is exactly what I was missing: I did not know his reason.
At this point, it occurred to me that I was already beginning to interpret his reason---no doubt broadly speaking. I began to interpret his reason for carrying those two pieces of wood tied together because he likely (?) was trying to “say” something to all of us whizzing past him in our cars. In more sophisticated language that cross is a symbol. Let me elaborate.
Many of you reading this piece have an association with a cross. Now think about the fact that it sounds so much different when I referred to it as a couple pieces of wood tied together. Described that way, you would not necessarily have pictured a cross. And without the image or symbol of the cross, you would go a very different way trying to interpret what the guy was doing in his stroll down the sidewalk. Let’s explore briefly what symbols or image do
I already tipped my hand when I said the guy was trying to “say” something by carrying this cross. Now I am going to guess, but I think it is a very good guess. I think he is religious; maybe he is quite religious. For Christians the cross is an important symbol. Indeed, some Christians would likely say it is the key or foundational symbol. A whole load of ideas, convictions and, maybe, even commitments come to mind when we see the image of the cross. Even though today is not Easter or Good Friday, most Christians will associate the cross with that Easter season---rightly so.
To make all these connections in our mind, causes us to link these two pieces of wood tied together with a whole narrative or story. For Christians it ties directly into the narrative of Jesus. Specifically, it brings us straight to Good Friday and the crucifixion of Jesus at the hands of the Romans. Then the narrative broadens a bit as we link it to Easter Sunday. Again, the narrative or story broadens even more to go back and include the entire life and ministry of Jesus. It is his life narrative that culminates in his death on a Friday at the hands of the Roman soldiers.
Amazingly, for Christians (and maybe others), death did not end the story. There was more. The more links to each of us and our lives. Significantly, the symbol of the cross actually “says” more about life than it does about death. It symbolizes new life, a different kind of life. It symbolizes that we can tap into that kind of life even before we die. Many of us have committed to living that way. We want that kind of rich, deep and meaningful life.
All of this means that cross is a “loaded symbol,” in my words. Think about how much I loaded on to that image of a guy walking down the sidewalk carrying this cross. He “spoke” to me and I have no clue his name or anything else about him. I am sure some would write him off as a looney. Maybe some would think he is funny or, doubtlessly, stupid.
That’s not all. Here is the clincher for me. As I think about the experience I had, I realized there actually were two images or symbols. One obviously was the cross. The other is the guy himself. By doing what he was doing, he was “telling” me a great deal about who he is, what his life intends and, maybe even, where he is going in life (but not in the sense of down the street). That turned the tables on me. I realized that in its own way, my life is also a symbol.
I now wonder what my life symbolically “says” to all the people who see me walking along my own highway of life? I bet your life symbolizes something, too!
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