Have you noticed how many crosses you face daily? People wear crosses as ornaments. Many houses have crosses on their walls. Crosses mark the spot on a highway where loved ones lost their lives in an accident. Most hospitals have a cross somewhere. Certainly, most churches share the image of the cross in or on top of their buildings.
The ubiquity of the cross testifies to the glory that it bestows upon the followers of Christ. The cross was a shame for Jesus. Crucifixion was confined to criminals, which the Romans wanted to set an example for. The purpose of seeing a man slowly die on the cross was to be a deterrent to anyone trying to hurt the Roman Empire.
The Jews did not crucify. Stone pelting was his death sentence. From the Jewish point of view, Jesus was dominated by uncircumcised dogs and was being crucified. , , And he called himself the son of God! Not only was the cross a shame. All the events of the weekend he died in were designed to bring unbearable anger to Jesus.
From the time Jesus was arrested, until He was crucified, He was brutalized, shamed, defiled, and beaten. Why whip the man you are going to kill? Why do you press a crown of thorns in his head? Just kill him and get on with him. Why go around and bang your head when you ridicule him? to embarrass him. It wasn't enough to kill him, he must be maligned and cheapened. Can you imagine your anger if you were a witness to all those events happening there with Jesus? Can you imagine the wrath of God?
In "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", before the evil Ice Queen kills Aslan, the figure of Christ, he cuts off all his fur and his handsome mane. Aslan, who went to the death table, had lost all dignity. The children saw him as a shell of his former glory. They hurt as much about the loss of her dignity as the loss of her life. He deliberately presented his glorious fur to be shaved on his way to be killed.
When someone is taken prisoner and handcuffed, he is controlled by his captives. He is powerless. Jesus was never a prisoner. He was never controlled by his oppressors. In his own words: The reason my father loves me is because I give my life - only to have it again. Nobody takes it from me, but I keep it of my own free will. I have the right to keep it and to take it again (John 10:17-18).
From the time he was arrested to his last breath, Jesus was in control. No one had the right to arrest him unless he allowed it. No one could beat him or make fun of him until he became soft. They had to take his permission. When he was being whipped and pieces of metal and glass were ripping his back, all he had to do was shout "Wait" and it would end there. There were angels who were ready to kill foolish men who dared to mock the Holy Son of God. Jesus not only had to endure torture and shame, but he had to be incredibly careful about what he said, for what would have been a plea for us: "Wait!" There would have been an order for that.