In 2017, 60 miles north of London, archaeologists discovered the ancient remains of a man who had been crucified by the Romans, proven by the two-inch iron nail smashed through and still stuck in his right heel bone. Scientists detected signs of trauma on the decomposed body, but the most disturbing detail was the indentation next to the nail hole. Apparently, the Romans tried to drive the nail through his foot, but it lodged in the bone, so they ripped it out and tried again nearby. Search for “Fenstanton cross,” and you’ll see the disturbing details of a Roman crucifixion.

Jesus died like that. “They crucified him” (Mark 15:24). It is easy to gloss over those words when you live so far in time and space from the cross. Sometimes it takes an archaeological discovery to remind us just how brutally Jesus suffered.

But glimpses of the cross give us glimpses of God’s love. Despite the immense cost, Jesus was willing to pay that price, enduring the nails, the thorns, and the scorn of the crowds. God’s passion to save you was so profound that even the shame of the Romans would not stop him from finishing the job and declaring you free.

Marvel with me at the cross of Jesus. No one has ever or ever will love you like that. This is why, no matter how simple or complicated your life might be, you have every reason to praise Jesus today!