The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ was Scourged Crucifixion typically began with a scourging or flogging
of the victim’s back. This was the case for Jesus Christ as recorded in John 19:1-3:
"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him, And the soldiers platted a crown
of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe. And said, Hail,
King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.". Jesus faced a severe beating
and the torment caused by the Roman soldiers, that initially included the plucking
of His beard and the piercing of His scalp with a crown of thorns. In addition the
flogging followed, The Romans used a whip called a flagrum, which consisted of small
pieces of bone and metal attached to a number of leather strands. The number of blows
given to Jesus is not recorded; however, the number of blows in Jewish law was 39
[one less than the 40 called for in the Torah, to prevent a counting error]. During
the scourging, the skin was ripped from His back, exposing a bloody mass of tissue
and bone. Extreme blood loss occurred, often leading to near unconsciousness or often
death.
Jesus Christ Bore His Cross After the flogging, Jesus was forced to carry His own
crossbar, or patibulum, to the execution site. The patibulum could easily weigh 100
pounds. In the case of Jesus, the record shows that He may have carried His patibulum
the distance of over two football fields. In a weak and tormented state, it’s no
wonder the record establishes that Jesus Christ needed a great deal of assistance.
Once Jesus arrived at the execution site, the patibulum was placed on the ground
and Christ was forced to lie upon it. Spikes about 7 inches long and 3/8 of an inch
in diameter were driven into His wrists. The spikes would hit the area of the median
nerve, causing shocks of pain up His arms to the shoulders and neck. Already standing
at the crucifixion site would be the 7-foot-tall post, called a stipes. In the center
of the stipes was a crude seat for the victim “support” . The patibulum was then
lifted on to the stipes, and the victim’s body was awkwardly turned on the seat so
that the feet could be nailed to the stipes. At this point, there was tremendous
strain put on the wrists, arms and shoulders, resulting in a dislocation of His shoulders
and elbow joints. The position of the nailed body held the Jesus' rib cage in a fixed
position, which made it extremely difficult to exhale, and impossible to take a full
breath. Having suffered from the scourging, the beatings and the walk with the patibulum,
Jesus was described as extremely weak and dehydrated. He was probably losing significant
amounts of blood. As time passed, the loss of blood and lack of oxygen would cause
Him severe cramps, spasmodic contractions and probably near unconsciousness.
Jesus Christ Faced a Horrible Death Ultimately, the mechanism of death in crucifixion
was suffocation. To breathe, Jesus was forced to push up on His feet to allow for
inflation of His lungs. As His body weakened and pain in His feet and legs became
unbearable, Jesus was forced to trade breathing for pain and exhaustion. Eventually,
Christ would succumb in this way, becoming utterly exhausted or lapsing into unconsciousness
so that He could no longer lift His body and inflate His lungs. Due to the shallow
breathing, Jesus lungs would begin to collapse in areas, probably causing hypoxia.
Due to the loss of blood from the scourging, Jesus probably formed a respiratory
acidosis, resulting in an increased strain on His heart, which would beat faster
to compensate. Fluid would also build up in His lungs. Under the stress of hypoxia
and acidosis, His heart would eventually fail. There are several different theories
on the actual cause of death for Jesus Christ. One theory is that there was a filling
of His pericardium with fluid, which put a fatal strain on the ability of His heart
to pump blood. Another theory states that Jesus died of cardiac rupture. Another
theory is that Jesus' death was “multifactorial and related primarily to hypovolemic
shock, exhaustion asphyxia and perhaps acute heart failure.” Regardless of the actual
medical cause of His final death, the historical record is very clear -- Jesus suffered
numerous hours of horrible and sustained torture on the cross of Calvary. However,
the scripture clearly reveals in Luke 23:46, "And when Jesus had cried with a Loud
Voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit: and having said thus,
He gave up the ghost." John 10:18 states "No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it
down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of My Father" John 15:13 reveals: "Greater love hath
no man than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends."
Jesus Suffered for You and Me The crucifixion accounts of our Lord Jesus Christ are
in entire agreement with the customs and practices of the Romans in that period of
time. The evidence for Christ’s horrible and painful death is unquestioned by today’s
legitimate scholars. The only dispute is the nature and character of the “criminal
charges ” against Jesus Christ. Look at the record yourself -- Even with all the
pain, Jesus thought of others rather than Himself. His first words from the cross
were, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" Luke 23:34,. He thought
of His mother, who stood by the cross weeping, and asked His beloved disciple John
to take care of her. On either side of Jesus were two thieves executed at the same
time. When one of them accepted Jesus as Lord, Jesus shared with him, "To day shalt
thou be with Me in paradise" Luke 23:43. Finally, Jesus expressed His complete surrender
to the will of God as He said, "It is finished;" John 19:30. "Father, into Thy hands
I commend My spirit" Luke 23:46. Investigate the historical record as recorded in
the Holy Scriptures, and then examine your heart. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself
willingly and suffered a horrible death for you and me. Jesus loved us so much that
He willingly died in utter shame and pain for our sins. In fact, the Bible teaches
us that He who was without sin was literally "made sin" for us. God, in human form,
allowed Himself to be made sin to save us. On the cross, He bore all the sins of
all the Father gave Him because of His love for them. The only way to complete His
story of love is to love Him in return. The only sin that cannot and will not be
forgiven is the "sin of unbelief" of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Believe and repent
- or perish and be eternally separated from God!
