Jesus was not the first nor the last person to be crucified. Crucifixion was public state sponsored violent execution. It was an act of public humiliation. Often the Romans would do this to discourage followers of a particular movement. The Romans thought that by crucifying Jesus it would stop all of his followers. The Romans used crucifixion against the Jews in the Jewish Wars of the 1st century. According to tradition a lot of the apostles also were later crucified by the Roman Empire. Reflect on the fact that God redeemed the world through such a violent means of the Cross. How does this change the way you look at the Crosses we have around our faith? – Vicar John Augustine
