Ever heard of the Roman Cross of Shame?

The Colosseum at Rome was built to host gladiatorial contests and public spectacles including animal hunts, executions etc. The Romans found joy in watching those condemned to execution, being sent into the arena, naked and unarmed, to face beasts like lion, tiger etc, which would literally tear them to pieces. The shame, the pain, the abandonment felt by those on death row is huge.

But for Romans, this was not the most shameful and painful punishment. Crucifixion was the highest form of capital punishment in those times. In fact, the Roman writer Cicero wrote: “Even the word ‘cross’ must remain far, not only from the lips of the citizens of Rome, but also from their thoughts, their eyes, their ears.” The cross was a symbol of shame awarded to the lowest in society.

A common sight if you visit any church is of a man nailed to a cross. Has the question ever crept into your mind, “Why must this man be crucified?” When a person is hung on a cross with nails pierced into their hands and legs, death is unavoidable. It will ultimately occur through a combination of constrained blood circulation, organ failure, and suffocation as the body is strained under its own weight on the cross. The agony from the slow and painful death is beyond our imagination.

So now you might ask, “What cruelty did this man do to deserve such a painful death?” The answer might surprise you – “Nothing”. Does that mean that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was in vain? Absolutely not! Jesus Christ took the incarnation of God on earth, taking the lowest manifestation of himself by being a man, bearing all the pain on the Cross so that he could save us, the sinners. If you are wondering how we are sinners, in the beginning, the first humans, Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator in the Garden of Eden which resulted in the fall of the entire human race.

Jesus Christ chose to die on the cross for one reason alone – His Love for humans. The Holy Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”(John 3:16). How great is God’s love for all humanity !!

Jesus Christ died to rescue us from our sins. You no longer have to be slaves to sin. Jesus Christ has won freedom for us! By his wounds we are healed.