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This article was given to me several years ago. It is hard to read but I think it is necessary for us to truly understand a little bit what Jesus endured. Not only for the saved but for the lost as well. Jesus died for all--knowing that few would accept His gift.
~~Mrs. B
The Crucifixion of Christ: As Seen Through the Eyes of a Medical Doctor
(Based on an article taken from the JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, by Dr. William D. Edwards)
It is easy for us to thank God for the gift of Jesus Christ. In fact, we say it many times without even thinking about it. This Easter, take some time to reflect on the gravity of the pain and suffering Jesus Christ endured for you. As you read the explanation of the crucifixion below, you will begin to truly understand the great love Jesus has for you. He was willing to die the most horrible of deaths so that you might live forever with Him.
Preparation For The Cross
"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him." John 19:1
Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution, and only women and Roman senators or soldiers (except in the case of desertion) were exempt. The usual instrument was a short whip with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals. Occasionally, staves were also used.
For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing and his hands were tied to an upright post. The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers or by one who alternated positions. The scourging was intended to weaken the victim to a state of just short of collapse or of death.
After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim. As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim's back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. As the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of the blood may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross.
Then, Jesus was severely whipped. (Although the severity of the scourging is not discussed in the four gospel accounts, it is implied in one of the epistles, 1 Peter 2:24.) It is not known whether the number of lashes was limited to 39, in accordance with Jewish law. When it was determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner was near death, the beating was finally stopped. The half-fainting Jesus was then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood.
The Humiliation of Our Lord
The Roman soldiers saw a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a King. They threw a robe across His shoulders and placed a stick in His hand. They still needed a crown to make their travesty complete. A small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns was plaited into the shape of a crown and was pressed into His scalp. Again, there was copious bleeding, the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body.
After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers took the stick from His hand and struck Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tired of their sadistic sport and the robe was torn from His back. This had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, caused excruciating pain, almost as though He were again being whipped-and the wounds again began to bleed. In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans returned His garments.
The Road To Calvary
The heavy horizontal beam of the cross was tied across His shoulders, and the procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution party walked along the Via Dolorosa.
In spite of His efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by the copious blood loss, was too much. He stumbled and fell. The rough wood of the beam gouged into the lacerated skin and muscles of his shoulders. He tried to rise, but His muscles had been pushed beyond their endurance.
The centurion, anxious to get on with the crucifixion, selected Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross. Jesus followed, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock. The 650 yard journey from the fortress Antonia to Golgotha was finally completed. Jesus was once again stripped of his clothes-except for a loincloth, which was allowed.
The Crucifixion Begins
Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic mixture. He refused to drink. Simon was ordered to place the cross beam on the ground, and Jesus was quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire felt for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drove a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through His wrist and deep into the wood.
~~Mrs. B
The Crucifixion of Christ: As Seen Through the Eyes of a Medical Doctor
(Based on an article taken from the JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, by Dr. William D. Edwards)
It is easy for us to thank God for the gift of Jesus Christ. In fact, we say it many times without even thinking about it. This Easter, take some time to reflect on the gravity of the pain and suffering Jesus Christ endured for you. As you read the explanation of the crucifixion below, you will begin to truly understand the great love Jesus has for you. He was willing to die the most horrible of deaths so that you might live forever with Him.
Preparation For The Cross
"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him." John 19:1
Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution, and only women and Roman senators or soldiers (except in the case of desertion) were exempt. The usual instrument was a short whip with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals. Occasionally, staves were also used.
For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing and his hands were tied to an upright post. The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers or by one who alternated positions. The scourging was intended to weaken the victim to a state of just short of collapse or of death.
After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim. As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim's back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. As the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of the blood may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross.
Then, Jesus was severely whipped. (Although the severity of the scourging is not discussed in the four gospel accounts, it is implied in one of the epistles, 1 Peter 2:24.) It is not known whether the number of lashes was limited to 39, in accordance with Jewish law. When it was determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner was near death, the beating was finally stopped. The half-fainting Jesus was then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood.
The Humiliation of Our Lord
The Roman soldiers saw a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be a King. They threw a robe across His shoulders and placed a stick in His hand. They still needed a crown to make their travesty complete. A small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns was plaited into the shape of a crown and was pressed into His scalp. Again, there was copious bleeding, the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body.
After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers took the stick from His hand and struck Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tired of their sadistic sport and the robe was torn from His back. This had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, caused excruciating pain, almost as though He were again being whipped-and the wounds again began to bleed. In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans returned His garments.
The Road To Calvary
The heavy horizontal beam of the cross was tied across His shoulders, and the procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution party walked along the Via Dolorosa.
In spite of His efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by the copious blood loss, was too much. He stumbled and fell. The rough wood of the beam gouged into the lacerated skin and muscles of his shoulders. He tried to rise, but His muscles had been pushed beyond their endurance.
The centurion, anxious to get on with the crucifixion, selected Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross. Jesus followed, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock. The 650 yard journey from the fortress Antonia to Golgotha was finally completed. Jesus was once again stripped of his clothes-except for a loincloth, which was allowed.
The Crucifixion Begins
Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic mixture. He refused to drink. Simon was ordered to place the cross beam on the ground, and Jesus was quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire felt for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drove a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through His wrist and deep into the wood.
Quickly, he moved to the other side and repeated the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but allow some flexibility and movement. The beam was then lifted in place at the top of the vertical beam with the title reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," and nailed in place.
"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left." Luke 23:33
The Death of Jesus
Jesus Christ was now crucified. As He slowly sagged down and more weight was on the nails in the wrist, excruciating, fiery pain shot along His fingers and arms to explode in His brain. The nails in His wrists were putting pressure on the median nerves. As He pushed Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He placed His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again, there was the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of His feet. At this point, another phenomenon occurred. As His arms fatigued, great waves of cramps swept over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless throbbing pain. With these cramps came the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles were paralyzed and intercostal muscles were unable to act. Air could be drawn into the lungs, but He could not exhale.
Jesus fought to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide built up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subsided. Spasmodically, He was able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences which were recorded in the Bible.
He suffered hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue was torn from His lacerated back as He moved up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony began. A deep crushing pain in His chest as His pericardium slowly filled with serum and began to compress His heart.
It was now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids had reached a critical level…..the compressed heart was struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues….tortured lungs were making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues sent their flood to stimuli His brain.
His mission of atonement had been completed. Finally He could allow His body to die. With one last surge of strength, He once again pressed His torn feet against the nail, straightened His legs, took a deeper breath and uttered His seventh and last cry, “Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit:” (Luke 23:46)
"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left." Luke 23:33
The Death of Jesus
Jesus Christ was now crucified. As He slowly sagged down and more weight was on the nails in the wrist, excruciating, fiery pain shot along His fingers and arms to explode in His brain. The nails in His wrists were putting pressure on the median nerves. As He pushed Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He placed His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again, there was the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of His feet. At this point, another phenomenon occurred. As His arms fatigued, great waves of cramps swept over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless throbbing pain. With these cramps came the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles were paralyzed and intercostal muscles were unable to act. Air could be drawn into the lungs, but He could not exhale.
Jesus fought to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide built up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subsided. Spasmodically, He was able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences which were recorded in the Bible.
He suffered hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue was torn from His lacerated back as He moved up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony began. A deep crushing pain in His chest as His pericardium slowly filled with serum and began to compress His heart.
It was now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids had reached a critical level…..the compressed heart was struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues….tortured lungs were making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues sent their flood to stimuli His brain.
His mission of atonement had been completed. Finally He could allow His body to die. With one last surge of strength, He once again pressed His torn feet against the nail, straightened His legs, took a deeper breath and uttered His seventh and last cry, “Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit:” (Luke 23:46)
