A Graven Image – or a Visible Proclamation of Jesus Christ?
A QUESTION THAT DESERVES AN HONEST ANSWER
A serious objection is sometimes raised against the use of a Crucifix:
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…”
— Exodus 20:4, AKJV
If this is God’s command, the question naturally follows:
Is a Crucifix – depicting Jesus upon the Cross – a forbidden graven image?
This question should not be brushed aside. Nor should those who raise it be ridiculed or dismissed.
It deserves to be examined seriously, honestly and entirely in the light of Scripture.
But there is another principle that is equally important:
A serious Christian belief should not be written off as unscriptural on the basis of one verse considered in isolation.
Before declaring the Crucifix to be contrary to Scripture, we should examine:
1. what Exodus 20 actually prohibits;
2. what God Himself commanded concerning sacred representations;
3. what Scripture teaches about the Incarnation;
4. what Jesus said about the bronze serpent;
5. what the prophets foretold concerning His suffering;
6. what Jesus Himself said about giving His life as a ransom;
7. and what the Crucifix actually represents.Only then can we responsibly answer the question.
A. WHAT DOES “GRAVEN IMAGE” ACTUALLY PROHIBIT?
The commandment reads:
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:”
— Exodus 20:4, AKJV
But the command does not end there. The very next verse says:
“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.”
— Exodus 20:5, AKJV
The context therefore matters.
The commandment is directed against idolatry – making an image into an object of worship.
It cannot simply mean:
“No religious representation of any kind may ever be made.”
Why?
Because God Himself subsequently commanded Israel to make sacred representations.
B. GOD HIMSELF COMMANDED SACRED REPRESENTATIONS
God commanded Moses concerning the Ark of the Covenant:
“And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold…”
— Exodus 25:18, AKJV
The Tabernacle therefore contained physical representations of heavenly beings by God’s own command.
This establishes an important biblical distinction:
God forbids idols; He does not forbid every representation.
The decisive question is:
What does the representation signify, what purpose does it serve, and is it itself being worshipped?
C. THE BRONZE SERPENT MAKES THE MATTER EVEN CLEARER
God commanded Moses:
“Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole.”
— Numbers 21:8, AKJV
Moses obeyed:
“And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole.”
— Numbers 21:9, AKJV
Here was a physical representation, made by God’s command and used for a God-appointed purpose.
Yet centuries later, the people began treating it improperly, and King Hezekiah destroyed it:
“And he brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made.”
— 2 Kings 18:4, AKJV
The lesson is profound:
The biblical problem was not simply the existence of the object. The problem was the object’s misuse as an object of devotion.
An object intended to point people towards God must never become a substitute for God.
D. JESUS HIMSELF GIVES US THE KEY
Now comes one of the most remarkable connections in Scripture.
Jesus referred directly to the bronze serpent when explaining His own Crucifixion:
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” – St. John 3:14, AKJV
Jesus Himself therefore took an Old Testament physical sign and applied it to His own death upon the Cross.
And He immediately explained its purpose:
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” – St. John 3:15, AKJV
The Cross is therefore not merely an object.
It points to the Person and saving work of Jesus.
This is especially significant when considering the Crucifix.
E. THE INCARNATION CHANGES THE QUESTION
There is another fundamental consideration.
Jesus is not an imaginary representation of an invisible deity invented by human beings.
The Christian proclamation is:
“And the Word was made flesh.”- St. John 1:14, AKJV
The Son of God entered human history.
1. He had a real human body.
2. He was seen.
3. He was heard.
4. He was touched.St. John writes:
“Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled…”
⁃ 1 St John 1:1, AKJV
The Crucifix therefore represents the historical Jesus Christ in His Passion.
It does not create another god.
It does not claim to depict the invisible Father.
It depicts the Son of God who became flesh and willingly gave Himself for the salvation of the world.
F. THE CRUCIFIX REVEALS THE MISSION OF JESUS
This brings us to the heart of the matter.
Jesus Himself explained His mission:
“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” – St. Mark 10:45, AKJV
The word “RANSOM” must not be overlooked. Jesus came to give His life.
Scripture likewise says:
“For ye are bought with a price.”
— 1 Corinthians 6:20, AKJV
This is precisely what the Crucifix makes visible.
A plain Cross shows us only the instrument.
A Crucifix shows us Jesus giving Himself upon that instrument.
1. That is not merely an artistic difference.
2. It is a theological difference.
3. The plain Cross tells us:
4. Here is where He died.The Crucifix tells us:
Here is the One who gave Himself for us.
G. THE CRUCIFIX FULFILS PROPHECY
The Crucifix becomes still more meaningful when viewed through the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.
Isaiah — the Suffering Servant
Isaiah foretold:
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.”
— Isaiah 53:5, AKJV
And:
“The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
— Isaiah 53:6, AKJV
And:
“He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.”
— Isaiah 53:7, AKJV
And:
“When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.”
— Isaiah 53:10, AKJV
Here is the heart of the Gospel:
1. The Servant suffers.
2. The sins of others are laid upon Him.
3. He is led as a Lamb.
4. His life becomes an offering for sin.
5. The Crucifix allows us to contemplate visually what Isaiah had proclaimed centuries before.Psalm 22 — the Suffering Messiah
Psalm 22 begins:
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
— Psalm 22:1, AKJV
These are the words Jesus spoke from the Cross.
The Psalm also declares:
“They pierced my hands and my feet.”
— Psalm 22:16, AKJV
and speaks of the dividing of His garments:
“They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”
— Psalm 22:18, AKJV
Zechariah — the Pierced One
Zechariah declares:
“They shall look upon me whom they have pierced.”
— Zechariah 12:10, AKJV
The Crucifix therefore does not merely depict an execution.
1. It depicts the fulfilment of prophecy.
2. The promised Lamb.
3. The suffering Servant.
4. The pierced Messiah.
5. The offering for sin.
6. The One who gives His life as a ransom.H. THE CRUCIFIX IS NOT THE OBJECT OF WORSHIP
This distinction must be absolutely clear.
A Christian who uses a Crucifix does not thereby worship wood, metal or plaster.
The Crucifix is not Jesus.
1. It represents Jesus.
2. The material is not divine.
3. The object is not a god.
4. The worship belongs to God alone.
5. The Crucifix serves as a visual proclamation directing the mind and heart towards Jesus Christ.If someone were to worship the physical object itself, the biblical prohibition against idolatry would rightly apply.
The object must never replace the One whom it represents.
I. A WARNING ABOUT THE MISUSE OF “GRAVEN IMAGE”
We should also be willing to acknowledge something uncomfortable.
The phrase “Graven Image” can sometimes be propagated in such an over-broad manner that it becomes a convenient way of dismissing sacred Christian representation without examining the whole counsel of Scripture.
THAT MUST BE RESISTED.
Not because the commandment is unimportant – it is profoundly important – but because God’s commandments must be understood according to their actual meaning and context. We must not turn:
“Do not worship idols”
into:
“No sacred representation may ever exist.”
Scripture itself does not permit that simplification.
There is a further danger.
An argument about whether a Crucifix is permissible can become a distraction from something infinitely more important:
Are we consciously obeying Jesus Christ?
Jesus said:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
— John 14:15, AKJV
The Christian’s primary duty is therefore not merely to argue about symbols.
It is to:
1. HEAR JESUS,
2. BELIEVE JESUS,
3. OBEY JESUS,
4. FOLLOW JESUS.The Crucifix should never become a substitute for obedience.
Rather, properly understood, it should continually remind us whom we are called to obey.
J. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE RESERVATIONS
Those who prefer a plain Cross are entitled to their conviction.
But before writing off the Crucifix as a “GRAVEN IMAGE,” they should consider the whole biblical evidence.
Consider that:
1. God commanded sacred representations.
2. God commanded the bronze serpent.
3. Jesus Himself used the bronze serpent as a sign of His Crucifixion.
4. The Word became flesh.
5. Jesus truly suffered and died.
6. The prophets foretold His suffering.
7. Jesus described His death as giving His life as a ransom.
8. The Crucifix represents that historical and saving event.
9. And the worship of the Christian belongs to God alone.Therefore, the question deserves more than a quotation of Exodus 20:4.
It deserves the whole testimony of Scripture.
A serious Christian belief deserves a serious biblical examination.
K. THE TRUTH REVEALED
After all the arguments, objections and explanations, we arrive at something very simple.
THE CRUCIFIX DOES NOT ASK US TO WORSHIP AN IMAGE.
⁃ It asks us to remember Jesus.
⁃ It does not glorify wood.
⁃ It proclaims His sacrifice.
⁃ It does not replace the Gospel.
⁃ It makes the Gospel visible.It reminds us:
1. The Lamb was promised.
2. The Servant was foretold.
3. The Messiah was pierced.
4. The sins of many were laid upon Him.
5. His life was given as a ransom.
6. His blood was shed.
7. He died upon the Cross.
8. He rose again.And therefore the Crucifix ultimately points beyond itself.
THIS IS JESUS.
1. This is the Messiah foretold by the prophets.
2. This is the Lamb of God.
3. This is the One who gave His life for us.
4. This is the Crucified Christ.
5. This is the Risen Lord.The plain Cross tells us where He died.
The Crucifix shows us Who died there.
And the empty tomb tells us:
“HE IS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE”.
The Crucifix, properly understood, is therefore not a RIVAL to the Gospel.
IT IS THE HOLY GOSPEL MADE VISIBLE.
Cecil K. Dewars