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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 today’s terms, crucifixion still stands out as unusually cruel. There are many current news reports of people being tortured or subject to severe interrogation techniques, but few of these reports equate to the pain and suffering one would experience 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 a just person, someone who healed and guided people, someone who demonstrated love to everyone, would be the ultimate injustice carried out, and an apparent triumph of evil. The victory of the cross is easy to miss.

Yet it is not just the triumph over evil that Christians celebrate on the cross, but the great sacrifice of a loving father, our father. He who wanted to show his love for us, to forgive us for all our wrongdoings, sacrificed his innocent son so that one day we could all learn of his love and come closer to him.

The cross was also a reminder for all Romans, a very severe warning, to not make the same mistakes or they also would face the same sentence. Putting the cross on view in public was a deterrent against future crime or at least it was supposed to be. Instead, it ended up being quite a motivator for all those affiliated with the church to take up their own crosses and share the message of this wrong committed 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 value of life and the boundless reaches of love.

Anton Petrov is a seasoned writer centering on subjects related to education, spirituality and Christianity. For the latest Christian news, views and events, visit http://www.FreeChristianPress.com. This and other unique content ” articles are available with free reprint rights.

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