The Cross

The cross was an ancient instrument of capital punishment used in places like Babylonia, the Persian Empire, Aram, Israel, Carthage, and ancient Rome. It was typically used to execute rebels, heretics, slaves, and people without citizenship. The instrument consisted of two logs arranged in a cross shape. Before the execution, the condemned person would be paraded through the streets carrying the horizontal beam until they reached the place of execution. The method was to stretch the person’s hands horizontally and nail them to the horizontal beam through the space between the two bones of the forearm. This beam was then attached to a vertical post, and the person’s feet were nailed to the vertical post. The cross was then stood upright, and the person was left to die a slow death. A person crucified could survive for two or three days. If they were still alive by the time the limit was reached, the guards would break their legs to hasten their death. This was because a condemned person on the cross had to push up with their legs to lift their back off the cross to allow their lungs enough space to take in air. If their legs were broken, they could no longer push themselves up and would suffocate from lack of oxygen.

According to the Law, Jews were not permitted to travel or work on the Sabbath. Therefore, they had to prepare on the preceding day, known as the “Day of Preparation.” After Jesus and the two criminals were hung on their crosses, the Jews, because it was the Day of Preparation and that Sabbath was a special Sabbath, asked Pilate to have their legs broken and the bodies taken down so they would not remain on the crosses on the Sabbath. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and then the other man who had been crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. These things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced” (John 19:31-34, 36-37).

In that society, this form of execution was a taboo. Because of the great resources it consumed, usually only a few people a year were executed this way, and only for the most severe crimes. In AD 337, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great outlawed the use of this instrument of execution. The cross later evolved into a symbol of the Christian faith, representing the Lord Jesus’ crucifixion, suffering, and death, which redeemed sinners. It symbolizes love and salvation and is often placed on the tops of churches.