Covenants Old and New

In the Old Covenant God dealt with His sinful and rebellious people through the zealous young priest Phinehas. During a time of apostasy and immorality Phinehas' judgment on rebels "turned back [God's] wrath from the people of Israel." Numbers 25:11
Phinehas punished sinners by driving a spear through them both. It's graphic. It's violent. It's propitiation. It's horrifying.
In the New Covenant God deals with His sinful and rebellious people by entering into their history as the great High Priest Jesus. During a time of apostasy and immorality Jesus came to bear the punishment for their rebellion. He allowed Himself to be led like a lamb to the slaughter and rather than driving a spear through the offending sinners, He let nails be driven into His hands and feet. Jesus had a spear thrust into His side, not because of any wrong that He had done, but because of the wrong that we have done. And because of all of this, God's wrath is turned back from His people.

It's graphic. It's violent. It's propitiation. It's horrifying.
And this is how God demonstrates His rescuing love for us.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10