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Being attached to a cross of wood as a death sentence, or crucifixion, was the cruelest penalty in Roman times. Being crucified involved acute pain and suffering, and the process could take days. A person who was crucified was usually being punished for a capital crime or committing a serious offense, and it was the utmost punishment a person could receive.

It is therefore important to remember the image that a cross would convey – an image of ultimate pain and suffering on earth. Even in modern terms, crucifixion still stands out as particularly cruel.

There are many current media reports of people being tortured or subject to harsh interrogation techniques, but few of these reports measure up to the pain and suffering one would go through on the cross. Unclothed, suffering wounds from beatings, nailed to a board with arms and legs mutilated, exposed to elements and creatures, and hanging for hours or even days until your life slowly ebbed away is an image that haunts the imagination in any era or civilization. Such punishment is or should be reserved for a truly evil being, a person who has defiled and mutilated fellow humans without remorse.

In other words, a person who has forfeited their place as a member of the human family.

In contrast, punishing an innocent person, someone who helped and guided people, someone who showed love to everyone, would be the ultimate injustice carried out, and a seeming triumph of evil.

The victory of the cross is easy to miss. Yet it is not just the victory over evil that Christians celebrate on the cross, but the great gift of a loving father, our father. He who desired to show his love for us, to forgive us for all our transgressions, sacrificed his blameless son so that one day we could all know of his love and draw closer to him.

The cross was also a reminder for all Romans, a very stern warning, to avoid making the same mistakes or they too would face the same punishment. Displaying the cross in public was a deterrent against future transgression or it was supposed to be at least.

Instead, it turned out to be quite a motivator for all members of the church to take up their own crosses and spread the word of this injustice against God's only son. What Christians must remember is that wearing a crucifix does not make one holy or protect that person from evil.

The purpose of the crucifix is to serve as a personal reminder.

It is a reminder of God's love for all and his greatest sacrifice.

It also reminds us of the evil within us that, if unchecked, could go on a rampage and destroy everything innocent in its path. For Christians, the cross is reminder of the cost of life and the depth of love.
Anton Petrov is a prolific writer concentrating on subjects related to teaching, religion and Christianity. For the latest Christian news , views and events, visit http://www.FreeChristianPress.com.

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