As brutal and painful as the cross was, it was merely the culmination, not the beginning, of Christ’s suffering. Scourging was so painful that Roman law forbade it for any Roman citizen. The victim was bound to the scourging post and beaten with the flagellum (cat-o’-nine tails) which pierced and ripped open the skin with each strike. Many died from scourging alone. This helps explain why Jesus was unable to carry the cross all the way to Calvary. Physically, He had already begun to die.

As if physical pain weren’t enough, it was accompanied by gross mockery. Look at the crown of thorns, sharp enough and strong enough to literally dig beneath the skin. Setting this crown of thorns onto Jesus’ head was a further act of hateful malice, completely unnecessary, and without precedent. Consider the insult it represented to Jesus’ rightful authority, and how forcing it onto His head must have sent pain from the top of Jesus’ head down to the bottom of His pierced feet. By spacing out His wounds, the soldiers made sure that there was no spot on Jesus’ body that wasn’t racked by pain.

Traditionally, the Romans attached criminals to their crosses with ropes; using spikes was an added instance of cruelty. Pick up the spike and mallet. Together, they cut through the skin, crushed bone, and sliced through nerve endings. Jesus felt the pain. There was no anesthesia, no pain-killer, nothing to lessen the sheer agony of two cruel instruments of—let’s call it what it was—torture.

Wood wasn’t particularly common around Jerusalem, so crosses were typically re-used. Don’t imagine a nice, clean piece of lumber from Home Depot. Jesus’ cross was almost certainly a scuffed, stained, filthy, and bloody piece of a tree that had already endured the death of dozens of other men. This very earthly—even filthy—instrument of death and destruction became a precious tool to open the door to life and Heaven.

All of these items before you are instruments which men and Satan intended for harm, but God turned these into instruments of salvation. He brought peace instead of torture, hope instead of despair, and healing instead of hurt.

Whatever Satan or this world throws against you to destroy you, God can use those same events to bring maturity, hope, healing, and character. “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 God builds heavenly glory out of earthly pain.

You may feel like a filthy, used, even morally stinking “instrument” compared to others. But if you surrender your heart to Jesus, God can use you just like He used the cross. It’s not about what we bring to God; it’s what God brings out of us.