Today we have these little catchphrases like “Jesus died for our sins;” or “Jesus suffered and died for us.” But what was it really like? How much did he suffer?
Being tied to a stake by the Persians eventually evolved into Roman crucifixion. The Romans brought it to a new level of perfection about 100 B.C. The word excruciating did not exist until the crucifixion. Excruciating meaning, “Pain out of the cross.”
It was at Gethsemane where the suffering began in earnest. Luke 22:44, “And being in agony he (Jesus) prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood.”
He was then blindfolded, taken to the high priest, and accused of blasphemy. It was then Pilate said to the Jews who stood before him,
Matthew 27:17, “Who will you that I release unto you? Barabbas or Jesus which is called Christ? And the crowd answered “Barabbas.” Barabbas means 'Son of the Father.' Then the mob cried out, “Let his blood be on us, and on our children.”
The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus, striped him, placed a scarlet robe on him, then make for him a crown of thorns. The thorns that grow in that area are two inches in length. The soldiers pressed the thorns down on his head, cutting deeply into the flesh. They mocked him, bowed down, and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
The Roman whip consisted of three braided pieces of rawhide attached to a round wooden handle; the last 12 inches were not braided. At the ends of the three lashes were tied pieces of sheep bone and iron lead balls. The balls of lead would cause deep contusions in the skin tissue, and the bone would cause deep lacerations in the skin, tendons, and muscles under the skin.
After being tied to a post, the Roman soldier doing the lashing would whip the upper back and work his way down the legs. He would move to the other side and repeat his work. When finished, there would be deep cuts and trauma to the back and legs. The blood loss would be significant, causing a drop in blood pressure.
Typically, 39 lashes were required by law, but the Romans were not obligated to Jewish law, and depending on their mood, no count was necessary. The crossbeam Jesus carried is estimated to weigh 75 to 100 lbs. When they arrived where the sentence was to be carried out, the crossbeam was nailed to the vertical beam on the ground. He was laid down on top of the vertical beam, his arms in a horizontal position before being nailed to it. The nails used were about 6” long and ¼ inch square.
They were driven into the wrist just below the carpal bones, considered part of the hand back then. The nails crushed the median nerve and carpal tunnel, causing a great deal of excruciating pain. Then, his feet were nailed down into the vertical beam. But before being nailed down, the knees were bent to bring the feet down flat on the beam. The driven nail would crush the medial plantar nerve, causing great pain throughout his body.
The vertical beam would then be lifted and set in place. When this occurs, the weight of Jesus’ body is pulled downward, placing significant pressure on the elbow and shoulder joints. The nails in his feet would then be driven up into the bones of the feet. It has been estimated that the load on his elbow and shoulder joints was 150 to 200 lbs. on each arm, causing the bones of his joints to separate, lengthening his arms by 6 inches. What prevented the arms from tearing off were the tendons and muscles.
In this position, breathing out was much more difficult than breathing in. To exhale, the Lord had to push down on the nails, holding his feet to the beam to raise himself. Whenever he made this move, the open flesh on his back would rub up and down on the beam.
Eventually, in his condition, the blood became filled with carbon dioxide, causing him to suffocate. Also, from the loss of blood, he would become very thirsty as his tongue would cleave to the roof of his mouth. Due to the loss of blood, he would go into bulimic shock and eventually die of heart failure.
The Roman guard then plunged a spear into the right side of his heart, causing blood and water to come out through the wound, proving that he was dead. If he had been alive, they would have broken both of his legs.
Now, the next time any of us look at or speak of the man hanging from the cross, understand what he suffered for every one of us.
And we must give much thought to his sadness when we fail him in words, deeds, motives, and love.
Being tied to a stake by the Persians eventually evolved into Roman crucifixion. The Romans brought it to a new level of perfection about 100 B.C. The word excruciating did not exist until the crucifixion. Excruciating meaning, “Pain out of the cross.”
It was at Gethsemane where the suffering began in earnest. Luke 22:44, “And being in agony he (Jesus) prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood.”
He was then blindfolded, taken to the high priest, and accused of blasphemy. It was then Pilate said to the Jews who stood before him,
Matthew 27:17, “Who will you that I release unto you? Barabbas or Jesus which is called Christ? And the crowd answered “Barabbas.” Barabbas means 'Son of the Father.' Then the mob cried out, “Let his blood be on us, and on our children.”
The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus, striped him, placed a scarlet robe on him, then make for him a crown of thorns. The thorns that grow in that area are two inches in length. The soldiers pressed the thorns down on his head, cutting deeply into the flesh. They mocked him, bowed down, and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
The Roman whip consisted of three braided pieces of rawhide attached to a round wooden handle; the last 12 inches were not braided. At the ends of the three lashes were tied pieces of sheep bone and iron lead balls. The balls of lead would cause deep contusions in the skin tissue, and the bone would cause deep lacerations in the skin, tendons, and muscles under the skin.
After being tied to a post, the Roman soldier doing the lashing would whip the upper back and work his way down the legs. He would move to the other side and repeat his work. When finished, there would be deep cuts and trauma to the back and legs. The blood loss would be significant, causing a drop in blood pressure.
Typically, 39 lashes were required by law, but the Romans were not obligated to Jewish law, and depending on their mood, no count was necessary. The crossbeam Jesus carried is estimated to weigh 75 to 100 lbs. When they arrived where the sentence was to be carried out, the crossbeam was nailed to the vertical beam on the ground. He was laid down on top of the vertical beam, his arms in a horizontal position before being nailed to it. The nails used were about 6” long and ¼ inch square.
They were driven into the wrist just below the carpal bones, considered part of the hand back then. The nails crushed the median nerve and carpal tunnel, causing a great deal of excruciating pain. Then, his feet were nailed down into the vertical beam. But before being nailed down, the knees were bent to bring the feet down flat on the beam. The driven nail would crush the medial plantar nerve, causing great pain throughout his body.
The vertical beam would then be lifted and set in place. When this occurs, the weight of Jesus’ body is pulled downward, placing significant pressure on the elbow and shoulder joints. The nails in his feet would then be driven up into the bones of the feet. It has been estimated that the load on his elbow and shoulder joints was 150 to 200 lbs. on each arm, causing the bones of his joints to separate, lengthening his arms by 6 inches. What prevented the arms from tearing off were the tendons and muscles.
In this position, breathing out was much more difficult than breathing in. To exhale, the Lord had to push down on the nails, holding his feet to the beam to raise himself. Whenever he made this move, the open flesh on his back would rub up and down on the beam.
Eventually, in his condition, the blood became filled with carbon dioxide, causing him to suffocate. Also, from the loss of blood, he would become very thirsty as his tongue would cleave to the roof of his mouth. Due to the loss of blood, he would go into bulimic shock and eventually die of heart failure.
The Roman guard then plunged a spear into the right side of his heart, causing blood and water to come out through the wound, proving that he was dead. If he had been alive, they would have broken both of his legs.
Now, the next time any of us look at or speak of the man hanging from the cross, understand what he suffered for every one of us.
And we must give much thought to his sadness when we fail him in words, deeds, motives, and love.
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