Jesus has always been the man in the middle. From birth until his death, he’s been the man in the middle. He was born to be in the middle, to bridge the gap between God and man. The cross is the image of the love and restoration of God to humanity, but it took his Son, Jesus. The man in the Middle.
Man was separated from God when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This was called sin, which is separation from God. This sin or separation from God resulted in a gulf, a gap between God and humanity. Something was needed to restore our relationship with God.