From the Forest to Calvary

Even though it has not been regarded as a widely known biblical character, wood has arguably been one of the most indirectly intricate parts of the bible stories we grew up on as children. It was the foundation of one of the world largest ships in the days of Noah. Also, it was caught on fire but refused to burn, when it spoke to Moses. However there is one piece of wood that unanimously stands out from the rest. This wood was the material crafted to make the cross of Jesus Christ. In the story The Dream of the Rood by Charles W. Kennedy, it brings life to that piece of wood that carried Jesus. It gives a depicting view of what it must have been like to experience the suffering of our Lord and Savior. As I was reading this masterful story, I began to see vast similarities between Christians and the Cross.

                When we look at the story of Christ and his crucifixion, we can deduce that criminals getting crucified was a common practice, just from the fact that Jesus was accompanied to his left and right. So trees were used to getting cut down, formed into a cross shape, being carried, and placed in front of a many angry hecklers. In this narrative, the wood that was to hold up Jesus felt different. It speaks as if it was carrying gold and jewels. When I read this story it brought realization to the fact that, that tree was selected to serve a greater purpose then just sitting in a forest. However, that tree would have never been able to achieve that purpose without Jesus Christ. Do you see the similarity now? It is impossible for a Christian to achieve his full purpose without Jesus Christ.

Going on with the rest of the narrative, the tree which was once before just a piece a wood in the forest, is now the cross that would lift this innocent man before the same people he was dying to save. The bible is very descriptive of Jesus’ death. It tells that he had a crown of thorns, nails in His hands and feet, and not to mention that He was stabbed in the side. All this blood flowing from Jesus, it was impossible for the cross not to be covered in his blood. Ironically enough, how the cross was literally covered by his blood, as Christians we are also figuratively covered by his blood. Jesus dying for us and even shedding an ounce of blood is the only reason we have the opportunity to be saved.

When reading this narrative and doing my research, I was not able to find any information about the body structure of Jesus. However, by critically analyzing this plot, I can imagine that if we gave the cross a personality it would say that carrying Jesus on Calvary was a physically daunting task. Having to hold up our lifeless savior without falling over must have been difficult. Similarly, any Christian can testify that it can be daunting to carry the name of being a Christian. It is not as physically exhausting, but it definitely can be a challenge. There are unsaid expectations and unfair critiques. Nevertheless, just as the cross was able to keep its resolve and hold up our Lord as died for our sins, it is the Christian’s duty to keep their resolve through the various pressures. The Dream of the Rood does an excellent Job of offering a different perspective of what took place that day. Through reading this is offers so much insight and a plethora of perspectives. As a critique it was my duty to dig out everything this text was offering.