What does the Cross of Jesus Christ Mean?

What has the gory events of circa A.D. 29 in Palestine to do with us today?

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

The cross, as we commonly know it today, was a work of Roman carpentry made of two sturdy planks of wood crossing each other such that the shorter of both pieces intersected the longer of the pieces about a quarter way up the longer piece, and at half of the shorter piece. The longer piece was usually buried into the ground; thus, the shorter piece was suspended.

This wooden cross was no fanciful piece of furniture or work of Roman craftsmanship to be admired. Rather, it was the cruellest instrument of death that the Romans designed to execute the vilest of criminals — thieves, rebels, traitors, etc. Also, the Romans ordered the criminal to carry the cross on which he would be executed to the execution ground while whipping him if he moved too slowly or dropped the cross. Such horrible and humiliating treatment was usually reserved for the vilest criminals in the eye of the Roman State. By now, it should be clear that the cross we are describing was a very heavy item.

The metamorphosis of Roman execution instrument

The instrument of Roman execution had metamorphosed from a one-piece wooden log to which criminals were tied and burnt or shot…