Easter is a strange feast.
The execution of a God is as strange as the resurrection of a human. The symbolism of the Cross has been tamed over 2,000 years, often encrusted with jewels, or subsumed as part of our greatest artistic creations, or worn as an elegant centrepiece in beautiful necklaces. To the inhabitants of the Roman Empire in Jesus' time, crucifixion was an ultimate deterrent. Rome was ruthless. There was then no need for states to seem to follow Christian principles of justice.