To this day, the cross is an instrument of a shameful and painful execution, as well as the most famous religious symbol of Christianity. It was on it that Jesus Christ, the son of God, was crucified, who made the greatest sacrifice in the name of mankind, so that it would not finally be mired in its sins.
Crucifixion of Christ
In the ancient East, execution by crucifixion was the most cruel and painful way to kill a person. Then it was customary to crucify on the cross only the most notorious robbers, rebels, murderers and criminal slaves. The crucified man experienced suffocation, unbearable pain from twisted shoulder joints, terrible thirst and death longing.
According to Jewish law, the crucified were considered damned and disgraced - that is why this type of execution was chosen for Christ.
After the condemned Jesus was brought to Golgotha, the soldiers furtively offered him a cup of sour wine, to which were added substances designed to alleviate his suffering. However, after tasting the wine, Jesus refused it, wanting to accept the intended pain voluntarily and fully so that people could be cleansed from their sins. Long nails were driven into the palms and feet of Christ lying on the cross, after which the cross was raised to an upright position. Above the head of the executed by order of Pontius Pilate, the soldiers nailed a tablet with the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews", engraved in three languages.
Death of Jesus Christ
Jesus hung on the cross from nine o'clock in the morning until three o'clock in the afternoon, after which he cried out to God with the words "My God, my God! Why did you forsake Me?" So he tried to remind people that he is the Savior of the world, but almost no one understood his words, and most of the onlookers simply laughed at him. Then Jesus asked for a drink and one of the soldiers gave him a sponge soaked in vinegar on the tip of a spear. After that, the crucified man uttered a mysterious "it happened" and died with his head on his chest.
It is believed that with the word "finished" Jesus fulfilled the promise of God, accomplishing the salvation of mankind by his death.
After the death of Christ, an earthquake began, which terribly frightened all those present at the execution and made them believe that the person they were executing was indeed the Son of God. On the same Friday evening, people celebrated Easter, so the body of the crucified Jesus had to be removed from the cross, because Easter Saturday was considered a great day, and no one wanted to desecrate it with the spectacle of the dead executed. When the soldiers approached Jesus Christ and saw that he was dead, doubts came over them. To make sure of his death, one of the soldiers pierced the rib of the crucified with his spear, after which blood and water flowed from the wound. Today this spear is considered one of the greatest relics of Christianity.
