"To bind a Roman citzen is a crime, to flog him is an abomination, to kill him is almost an act of murder: to crucify him is—What? There is no fitting word that can possibly describe so horrible a deed." - Cicero -

This caught my attention this morning, as I was reading "The Cross of Christ" by John Stott. Most people would say that Cicero was one of the brightest minds in the Roman world. He was a thinker, he didn't just say stuff or write stuff lightly. Cicero wrote this referring, obviously, to his thoughts on how wrong it is to mis-treat a Roman citizen. Cicero stated that, "to bind a Roman citzen is a crime, to flog him is an abomination... to crucify him is—What? There is no fitting word that can describe so horrible a deed..." This is what he thinks of doing these things to a Roman citizen! OUR SINS MADE IT NECESSARY FOR GOD'S SON TO RECIEVE THOSE VERY PUNISHMENTS! If this is so shocking that a Roman citizen should die in such a way, HOW MUCH MORE should we be amazed that God's only Son recieved such punishment? May we be humbled as we reflect that such a death was necessary to allow us access to God. He had to crush His only Son for us.

ISAIAH.53.3.6.10
"He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;"