A beautiful cross?

from Daily Picture Hosted by Stephanie Hawkins

Today I sensed the words, "Beautiful cross". How can it be considered beautiful when it was an appallingly cruel instrument of torture used by the Romans over two thousand years ago? However, Jesus's excruciating suffering during the lead up to the Cross and on the cross, was the outpouring of His perfect love for mankind. His love is pure beauty. Jesus looked down on those who so cruelly crucified Him and asked His Father God to forgive them "as they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). He also died for us and all our sins. Old Testament prophet Isaiah over 700 years before Jesus was born prophesied accurately re Jesus's birth, ministry and death, part of which declared that his face was so disfigured that it was hardly recognisable as human (see Isaiah 52:14). We can hardly bear to describe in words and pictures the atrocities heaped on Jesus, to their full extent; it stretches us to conceive of His immense suffering. Similarly, do we know the full extent of the effect and benefit to mankind of Jesus's sacrifice? Do we fully appreciate Jesus's beautiful love for us as He hung on the cross? He gave fully of Himself for us, whilst knowing that we find it difficult to give of ourselves to Him. We don't even thank Him. What love!