Checkout this powerful quote by the early twentieth century scholar, Albert Schweizer:

"In the knowledge that He is the coming Son of Man [Jesus] lays hold of the wheel of the world to set it moving on that last revolution which is to bring all ordinary history to a close. It refuses to turn, and He throws Himself upon it. Then it does turn; and crushes Him. Instead of bringing in the eschatological conditions, He has destroyed them. The wheel rolls onward, and the mangled body of the one immeasurably great Man, who was strong enough to think of Himself as the spiritual ruler of mankind and to bend history to His purpose, is hanging upon it still. That is His victory and His reign."

What moving imagery. In fact, the life and work of Jesus moved Schweitzer on such a deeply personal level that he abandoned his academic career in his 30's in order to move to Africa in 1913 to do medical missions work. (Forty years later he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian efforts there.) All of this, despite the fact that Schweitzer missed the hugely important truth that Jesus is no longer hanging on a tree, but rather rose again in complete victory over sin and death as God's instrument of redemption. Incredible to think that even when not fully understood, a personal encounter with Jesus can change everything.