Compiled by David Terasaka, M.D
Heb 12:2 - "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured
the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God."
In the last few hours of Jesus' life what did He endure, and
what shame did He suffer?
EXCRUCIATE: to cause great agony, torment.
Latin : ex : out of, from cruciate : cross
"from the cross"
The tone of this presentation can best be summarized in the
word "excruciate", (the root of the word "excruciating") which
refers to something which causes great agony or torment. The
Latin roots of the word are :"ex", meaning from or out of, and "cruciate",
meaning cross. The word "excruciate" comes from the Latin for
"from, or out of, the cross". (Websters)
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Jesus spent the last hours before the crucifixion at several
places in Jerusalem. He started the evening in the Upper Room,
in southwest Jerusalem. At the Last Supper, He told the
disciples that His body and His blood were to be given for them.
(Matt 26: 26-29) He went outside of the city to the Garden of
Gethesemane. He was then arrested and brought back to the to the
palace of the High Priest. where He was questioned by Annas, a
former High Priest, and Caiaphas, Annas' son in law .
Afterwards, He was tried by the Sanhedrin, and found to be
guilty of blasphemy by proclaiming Himself the Son of God. He
was sentenced to the death penalty. Since only the Romans were
able to execute criminals, He was sent to Pontius Pilate at the
Antonia Fortress. Pilate, not finding anything wrong, sent Him
to King Herod , who returned Him back to Pilate. Pilate,
submitting to the pressure of the crowd, then ordered that Jesus
be flogged and crucified. He was finally led out of the city
walls to be crucified at Calvary.
THE HEALTH OF JESUS AND DEMANDS OF THE ORDEAL
It is reasonable to assume that Jesus was in good health
prior to the ordeal that He faced in the hours before His death.
Having been a carpenter and traveling throughout the land during
His ministry would have required that He would be in good
physical condition. Before the crucifixion, however, He was
forced to walk 2.5 miles over a sleepless night, during which He
suffered great anguish through His six trials, was mocked,
ridiculed and severely beaten, and was abandoned by His friends
and Father. (Edwards)
THE UPPER ROOM OR CENACULUM
The ordeal began in an upper room of a house at what we now
call the Last Supper, where Jesus, in giving the first
communion, predicted that His body and blood would be
given.(Matt 26:17-29) Today in Jerusalem, one can visit the
Cenacle or Cenaculum (Latin for dining hall), a room which is
built over what is believed to be the site of the Upper Room, (Kollek)
which was located on the southwestern aspect of the old city.
GETHESEMANE : oil press
Luke 22:44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly,
and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
"the Spirit of God ....crushed"
From the upper room, Jesus went outside of the city walls
where he spent time in prayer at the Garden of Gethesemane. The
garden has many ancient olive trees today, some of which may
have grown from the roots of the trees that were present in
Jesus' time. (All trees in and around Jerusalem were cut down
when the Romans conquered the city in 70 A.D. Olive trees can
regenerate from their roots and live for thousands of years.)
The name "Gethesemane", comes from the Hebrew Gat Shmanim,
meaning "oil press" (Kollek). Since "oil" is used in the Bible
to symbolize the Holy Spirit, it may be said that the garden is
where "the Spirit of God was crushed". (Missler). It was here
that Jesus agonized in prayer over what was to occur. It is
significant that this is the only place in the KJV where the
word "agony" is mentioned. (Strong's concordance) The Greek word
for agony means to be "engaged in combat" (Pink) Jesus agonizes
over what He is to go through, feeling that He is at the point
of death.(Mark14:34) Yet He prays, "Not my will, but thine be
done."
Of medical significance is that Luke mentions Him as having
sweat like blood. The medical term for this, "hemohidrosis" or "hematidrosis"
has been seen in patients who have experienced, extreme stress
or shock to their systems. (Edwards) The capillaries around the
sweat pores become fragile and leak blood into the sweat. A case
history is recorded in which a young girl who had a fear of air
raids in WW1 developed the condition after a gas explosion
occurred in the house next door. (Scott)) Another report
mentions a nun who, as she was threatened with death by the
swords of the enemy soldiers," was so terrified that she bled
from every part of her body and died of hemorrhage in the sight
of her assailants.") Grafenberg) As a memorial to Jesus' ordeal,
a church which now stands in Gethesemane is known as the Church
of the Agony. (also called the Church of the Nations because
many nations donated money to its construction. (Kollek)
ABANDONED BY MAN
Matthew 26:56: "Then all the disciples deserted him and
fled."
Psa 22:11: "Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and
there is no one to help."
While in Gethesemane, Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested
by the Jews. His disciples all desert Him, even at the expense
of running away naked (Mark 14:51-52). He is bound (John 18:12)
then brought back to the city to the court of the High Priest,
which is located near the Upper room.
ILLEGAL ASPECTS OF THE TRIAL OF JESUS
Following are some of the illegal aspects of the trial of
Jesus Trials could occur only in the regular meeting places of
the Sanhedrin (not in the palace of the High Priest) Trials
could not occur on the eve of the Sabbath or Feast Days or at
night A sentence of 'guilty' might only be pronounced on the day
following the trial
THE ISSUE OF WITNESSES
Deut 19:15: "One witness is not enough to convict a man
accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter
must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses."
Deut 17:6: "On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man
shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the
testimony of only one witness."
Mark 14:56: "Many testified falsely against him, but their
statements did not agree."
While in the court of the High Priest, He was questioned by
Annas (John 18:13) and struck by a soldier (John 18: 22). He was
then brought to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. who sought to put
Jesus to death by the false testimony of many witnesses. The
witnesses brought against Him did not agree. By the law, no one
could be put to death without the agreement of two or three
witnesses. Although the witnesses did not agree, He was found
guilty of blasphemy when He told them of His identity as the Son
of God. He was sentenced to death. Jesus suffered ridicule from
the palace guards, who spat on Him, beat Him and slapped Him on
the face. (Mark 14:65.) During the trial, Peter denies Him three
times. The proceedings of Jesus' trial violated many of the laws
of His society. Among some of the other broken laws were:
(Bucklin)
Any arrest could not be made at night.
The time and date of the trial were illegal because it took
place at night and on the eve of the Sabbath. This time
precluded any chance for the required adjournment to the next
day in the event of a conviction. The Sanhedrin was without
authority to instigate charges. It was only supposed to
investigate charges brought before it. In Jesus' trial, the
court itself formulated the charges.
The charges against Jesus were changed during the trial.
He was initially charged with blasphemy based upon His
statement that He would be able to destroy and rebuild the
Temple of God within three days, as well as His claim to be the
Son of God. When He was brought before Pilate, the charge was
that Jesus was a King and did not advocate paying taxes to the
Romans. As stated above, the requirement of two witnesses in
agreement to merit the death penalty was not met.
The court did not meet in the regular meeting place of the
Sanhedrin, as required by Jewish law.
Christ was not permitted a defense.
Under Jewish law, an exhaustive search into the facts
presented by the witnesses should have occurred.
The Sanhedrin pronounced the death sentence.
Under law, the Sanhedrin were not allowed to convict and put
the death sentence into effect. (John 18:31)
Today, one can visit the palace of the High Priest. where one
can stand in the midst of the ruins of the courtyard. A model of
the structure in Jesus' time is available for viewing.
PILATE'S VERDICT
Mark 15:15 - "Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released
Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to
be crucified."
The Sanhedrin met early the next morning and sentenced Him to
death. (Matthew 27:1) Because the Jews were not, and the Romans
were, able to carry out an execution, Jesus was brought before
Pilate. The charge was now changed to an allegation that Jesus
claimed to be King and forbade the nation to pay taxes to
Caesar. (Luke 23:5) In spite of all the charges, Pilate finds
nothing wrong. He sends Jesus to Herod. Jesus is speechless
before Herod, except to affirm that He is King of the Jews.
Herod sends Him back to Pilate. Pilate is unable to convince the
crowds of Jesus' innocence and orders Jesus to be put to death.
Some sources state that it was Roman law that a criminal that
was to be crucified had to be flogged first. (McDowell) Others
believe that Jesus was flogged first by Pilate in the hope of
getting Him off with a lighter punishment .(Davis) In spite of h
is efforts, the Jews allow Barabbas to be released and demand
that Jesus be crucified, even crying that ,"His blood be on us
and on our children!" (Matthew 27:25) Pilate hands Jesus over to
be flogged and crucified.
It is at this point that Jesus suffers a severe physical
beating. (Edwards) During a flogging, a victim was tied to a
post, leaving his back entirely exposed. The Romans used a whip,
called a flagrum or flagellum which consisted of small pieces of
bone and metal attached to a number of leather strands. The
number of strikes is not recorded in the gospels. The number of
blows in Jewish law was set in Deuteronomy 25:3 at forty, but
later reduced to 39 to prevent excessive blows by a counting
error. (Holmans). The victim often died from the beating. (39
hits were believed to bring the criminal to "one from death".)
Roman law did not put any limits on the number of blows given.
(McDowell) During the flogging, the skin was stripped from the
back, exposing a bloody mass of muscle and bone ("hamburger " :
Metherall). Extreme blood loss occurred from this beating,
weakening the victim. perhaps to the point of being unconscious.
ROMAN SOLDIERS MOCK AND BEAT JESUS
Matthew 27:28-30 (The soldiers) stripped him and put a
scarlet robe on him and then twisted together a crown of thorns
and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and
knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!"
they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him
on the head again and again. Jesus was then beaten by the Roman
soldiers. In mockery, they dressed Him in what was probably the
cloak of a Roman officer, which was colored dark purple or
scarlet .(Amplified Bible) He also wore the crown of thorns.
Unlike the traditional crown which is depicted by an open ring,
the actual crown of thorns may have covered the entire scalp.
(Lumpkin) The thorns may have been 1 to 2 inches long. The
gospels state that the Roman soldiers continued to beat Jesus on
the head. The blows would drive the thorns into the scalp (one
of the most vascular areas of the body) and forehead, causing
severe bleeding.
THE CROWN OF THORNS AND THE ROBE
Genesis 3:17-18: "Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your
life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will
eat the plants of the field."
Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the
LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white
as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like
wool."
The significance of the scarlet robe and crown of thorns is
to emphasize Jesus' taking the sins of the world upon His body.
The Bible describes sin by the color of scarlet (Is 1:18) and
that thorns first appeared after the fall, as a sign of the
curse. Thus, the articles that He wore are symbols to show that
Jesus took on the sins (and the curse) of the world upon
Himself. It is not clear that He wore the crown of thorns on the
cross. Matthew describes that the Romans removed His clothes
after the beating, and that they put His own clothes back on
Him. (Matt 27:31)
THE SEVERITY OF THE BEATING
Isaiah 50:6: "I offered my back to those who beat me, my
cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting."
Isaiah 52:14: "..... Just as there were many who were
appalled at him -- his appearance was so disfigured beyond that
of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness--"
The severity of the beating is not detailed in the gospels.
However, in the book of Isaiah, it suggests that the Romans
pulled out His beard.(Isaiah 50:8) . It is also mentions that
Jesus was beaten so severely that His form did not look like
that of "a son of a man" i.e. that of a human being. The literal
translation of the verse reads, "So marred from the form of man
was His aspect, that His appearance was not as that of a son of
a man." People were appalled to look at Him (Isaiah 52:13).
His disfigurement may explain why He was not easily
recognized in His post resurrection appearances.(Missler) Today,
one can visit a site known as the Lithostrotos, traditionally
believed to be the floor of the Antonio Fortress.(although
recent excavations may cast doubt on this theory (Gonen)) The
floor is marked for games once played by the Roman soldiers From
the beating, Jesus walked on a path, now known as the Via
Dolorosa or the "way of suffering", to be crucified at Golgotha.
The total distance has been estimated at 650 yards. (Edwards). A
narrow street of stone, it was probably surrounded by markets in
Jesus' time. He was led through the crowded streets carrying the
crossbar of the cross(called a patibulum) across His shoulders.
The crossbar probably weighed between 80 to 110 pounds. He was
surrounded by a guard of Roman soldiers, one of which carried a
titulus, a sign which announced His crime of being "the King of
the Jews" in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. On the way, He was unable
to carry the cross. Some theorize that he may have fallen while
going down the steps of the Antonio Fortress. A fall with the
heavy patibulum on His back may have led to a contusion of the
heart, predisposing His heart to rupture on the cross. (Ball)
Simon of Cyrene (currently North Africa (Tripoli)), who
apparently was affected by these events, was summoned to help.
The present Via Dolorosa was marked in the 16th century as
the route over which Christ was led to His crucifixion.(Magi) As
is the location of Calvary, the true location of the Via
Dolorosa is disputed. Much tradition as to what happened to
Jesus is encountered on the Via Dolorosa today. There are 14
stations of 'events' that occurred and 9 churches on the way
today. The stations of the cross were established in the 1800's.
(Magi) Today, there is one section of the path where one can
walk on the stones which were used during Jesus time.
SUFFERING ON THE CROSS
Psalm 22:16-17: Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men
has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can
count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me."
The crucifixion event is prophesied in several places
throughout the Old Testament. One of the most striking is
recorded in Isaiah 52:13 ,where it says that , "My servant will
act wisely (or prosper) .He will be raised and lifted up and
greatly exalted." In John 3, Jesus talks about His fulfillment
of that prophecy when He says, "Just as Moses lifted up the
snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up that
everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." He refers
to the events recorded in Numbers 21:6-9.
The Lord had sent a plague of fiery serpents on the people of
Israel and they bit the people so that many of the people died.
After the people confessed their sin to Moses, the Lord for gave
them by having a bronze serpent made. Bronze is a symbol for
judgment and the serpent is a symbol of the curse. Whoever was
bitten by a serpent and then looked at the bronze serpent, was
saved from death..
These verses are prophecies that point to the crucifixion, in
the Jesus would be (lifted up ) on the cross for the judgment of
sin, so that whoever believed in Him should not die (an eternal
death), but live an eternal life. II Cor. 5 :21 amplifies this
point, in that "He (the Father) made Him who knew no sin (the
Son) to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him." (Pink) It is interesting that the
sign of Aesculapius which is the symbol of the medical
profession today, had its roots from the making of the bronze
serpent. (Metherall) Indeed, Jesus is the healer of all! Jesus
is led to the place of the skull (Latin Calvary, Aramaic
:Golgotha) to be crucified. The actual location of Calvary is
also in dispute. At the end of the Via Dolorosa, there is a "T
intersection". If one turns left, we go to the Church of the
Holy Sepulcher. If one turns to the right, one goes to Gordon's
Calvary. The Church of the Holy sepulcher has long been believed
to be the traditional site of the crucifixion.
Gordon's Calvary has a possible prophetic reason for being
the actual site of the crucifixion .In Genesis 22, Abraham is
tested by God to sacrifice Isaac on the top of a mountain.
Realizing that he is acting out a prophecy, that "God Himself
will provide a Lamb" , Abraham calls the place of the event
"Jehovah Jireh", meaning "In the mount of the Lord it shall be
seen." If we take this as a prophetic event of Jesus' death,
then Jesus' died on the high ground of Jerusalem. Gordon's
Calvary is the highest point of Jerusalem, 777 meters above sea
level. (Missler: Map from Israel tour book) Today, at Gordon's
Calvary, caves in the rock are situated which give the site the
appearance of a skull.
Jesus was then crucified. Crucifixion was a practice that
originated with the Persians and was later passed on to the
Carthaginians and the Phoenicians. The Romans perfected it as a
method of execution which caused maximal pain and suffering over
a period of time. Those crucified included slaves, provincials
and the lowest types of criminals. Roman citizens, except
perhaps for soldiers who deserted, were not subjected to this
treatment. (McDowell)
The crucifixion site "was purposely chosen to be outside the
city walls because the Law forbade such within the city
walls...for sanitary reasons ... the crucified body was
sometimes left to rot on the cross and serve as a disgrace, a
convincing warning and deterrent to passers by." (Johnson)
Sometimes, the subject was eaten while alive and still on the
cross by wild beasts. (Lipsius)
The procedure of crucifixion may be summarized as follows.
The patibulum was put on the ground and the victim laid upon it.
Nails, about 7 inches long and with a diameter of 1 cm ( roughly
3/8 of an inch) were driven in the wrists . The points would go
into the vicinity of the median nerve, causing shocks of pain to
radiate through the arms. It was possible to place the nails
between the bones so that no fractures (or broken bones)
occurred. Studies have shown that nails were probably driven
through the small bones of the wrist, since nails in the palms
of the hand would not support the weight of a body. In ancient
terminology, the wrist was considered to be part of the hand.
(Davis) Standing at the crucifixion sites would be upright
posts, called stipes, standing about 7 feet high. (Edwards) In
the center of the stipes was a crude seat, called a sedile or
sedulum, which served a support for the victim. The patibulum
was then lifted on to the stipes. The feet were then nailed to
the stipes. To allow for this, the knees had to be bent and
rotated laterally, being left in a very uncomfortable position.
The titulus was hung above the victim's head.
There were several different types of crosses used during
crucifixion. In Jesus' time, it was most likely that the cross
used was a T shaped (or tau cross,), not the popular Latin, or t
shaped cross which is accepted today. (Lumpkin)
PHYSICAL SUFFERING ON THE CROSS
Psalm 22:14-15: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones
are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away
within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my
tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of
death."
Having suffered from the beatings and flogging, Jesus
suffered from severe hypovolemia from the loss of blood. The
verses above describe His dehydrated state and loss of His
strength.
When the cross was erected upright, there was tremendous
strain put on the wrists, arms and shoulders, resulting in a
dislocation of the shoulder and elbow joints. (Metherall) The
arms, being held up and outward, held the rib cage in a fixed
end inspiratory position which made it extremely difficult to
exhale, and impossible to take a full breath. The victim would
only be able to take very shallow breaths. (This may explain why
Jesus made very short statements while on the cross). As time
passed, the muscles, from the loss of blood, last of oxygen and
the fixed position of the body, would undergo severe cramps and
spasmodic contractions
ABANDONED BY GOD -- SPIRITUAL DEATH
Matthew 27:46: "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a
loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' --which means, My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
With the sin of the world upon Him, Jesus suffered spiritual
death (separation from the Father ). Isaiah 59:2 says that sins
cause a separation from God, and that He hides His face from you
so that He does not hear. The Father must turn away from His
Beloved Son on the cross. For the first time, Jesus does not
address God as His Father. (Courson)
DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION : SLOW SUFFOCATION
Shallowness of breathing causes small areas of lung collapse.
Decreased oxygen and increased carbon dioxide causes acidic
conditions in the tissues. Fluid builds up in the lungs. Makes
situation in step 2 worse. Heart is stressed and eventually
fails. The slow process of suffering and resulting death during
a crucifixion may be summarized as follows
"...it appears likely that the mechanism of death in
crucifixion was suffocation. The chain of events which
ultimately led to suffocation are as follows: With the weight of
the body being supported by the sedulum, the arms were pulled
upward. This caused the intercostal and pectoral muscles to be
stretched. Furthermore, movement of these muscles was opposed by
the weight of the body. With the muscles of respiration thus
stretched, the respiratory bellows became relatively fixed. As
dyspnea developed and pain in the wrists and arms increased, the
victim was forced to raise the body off the sedulum, thereby
transferring the weight of the body to the feet. Respirations
became easier, but with the weight of the body being exerted on
the feet, pain in the feet and legs mounted. When the pain
became unbearable, the victim again slumped down on the sedulum
with the weight of the body pulling on the wrists and again
stretching the intercostal muscles. Thus, the victim alternated
between lifting his body off the sedulum in order to breathe and
slumping down on the sedulum to relieve pain in the feet.
Eventually , he became exhausted or lapsed into unconsciousness
so that he could no longer lift his body off the sedulum. In
this position, with the respiratory muscles essentially
paralyzed, the victim suffocated and died. (DePasquale and
Burch)
Due to the shallow breathing, the victim's lungs begin to
collapse in small areas. causing hypoxia and hypercarbia. A
respiratory acidosis, with lack of compensation by the kidneys
due to the loss of blood from the numerous beatings, resulted in
an increased strain on the heart, which beats faster to
compensate. Fluid builds up in the lungs. . Under the stress of
hypoxia and acidosis the heart eventually fails. There are
several different theories on the actual cause of death. One
theory states that there was a filling of the pericardium with
fluid, which put a fatal strain on the ability of the heart to
pump blood (Lumpkin). Another theory states that Jesus died of
cardiac rupture." (Bergsma) The actual cause of Jesus' death,
however, "may have been multifactorial and related primarily to
hypovolemic shock, exhaustion asphyxia and perhaps acute heart
failure." (Edwards) A fatal cardiac arrhythmia may have caused
the final terminal event. (Johnson, Edwards)
A LAST DRINK OF WINE VINEGAR
John 19:29-30 "A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they
soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop
plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips." When he had received the
drink, Jesus said, `It is finished'. "With that, he bowed his
head and gave up his spirit."
Having suffered severe blood losses from His numerous
beatings and thus in a dehydrated state, Jesus, in one of His
final statements, said "I thirst." He was offered 2 drinks on
the cross. The first, which He refused, was a drugged wine
(mixed with myrrh). He chose to face death without a clouded
mind. Edersheim writes
"It was a merciful Jewish practice to give to those led to
execution a draught of strong wine mixed with myrrh so as to
deaden consciousness" (Mass Sem 2.9; Bemid. R. 10). This
charitable office was performed at the cost of, if not by, an
association of women in Jerusalem (Sanh. 43a). The draught was
offered to Jesus when He reached Golgotha. But having tasted
it....He would not drink it. ....He would meet Death, even in
his sternest and fiercest mood, and conquer by submitting to the
full....(p.880).
The second drink, which He accepts moments before His death,
is described as a wine vinegar. Two points are important to
note. The drink was given on the "stalk of a hyssop plant".
Remember that these events occurred at the Feast of the
Passover. During this feast, (Exod 12:22) hyssop was used to
apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the wooden doorposts of
the Jews. It is interesting the end of this hyssop stalk pointed
to the blood of the Perfect Lamb which was applied to the wooden
cross for the salvation of all mankind. (Barclay) In addition,
the wine vinegar is a product of fermentation, which is made
from grape juice and yeast. The word literally means "that which
is soured" and is related to the Hebrew term for "that which is
leavened". (Holmans) Yeast or leaven, is a Biblical symbol of
sin. When Jesus took this drink, (i.e. a drink which was
"leavened") it is thus symbolic of His taking the sins of the
world into His body.
CELEBRATION OF THE OPPOSITION
SPIRITUAL WARFARE
Psalm 22:12-13: "Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of
Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions tearing their prey open their
mouths wide against me."
While He was on the cross, darkness covered the land (noon to
three p.m.). Jesus, in Luke 22:53, associates those who arrested
Him with the power of darkness. Where were the evil forces while
Jesus was on the cross? The verses above from Psalm 22 seem out
of place when first read. There seems to be no mention of
"bulls" and "lions" around the cross. The verses, however, have
a deeper meaning. (Courson) Bashan was an area to the east of
the Jordan River which was famous for its fertility. Cattle were
raised there which grew to enormous sizes. The people there
worshipped demon spirits (associated with Baal) within the
cattle. In 1 Pet 5:8, Satan is described as "a roaring
lion...seeking those who he may devour" These verses are thus
suggestive of the spiritual activity of Satan and his demons,
celebrating as Jesus was suffering on the cross.
JESUS LAID DOWN HIS LIFE
John 10:17-18 "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay
down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me,
but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it
down and authority to take it up again. This command I received
from my Father."
Luke 23:46 "Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into
your hands I commit my spirit'." When he had said this, he
breathed his last.
The average time of suffering before death by crucifixion is
stated to be about 2-4 days (Tenney), although there are
reported cases where the victims lived for 9 days. (Lipsius) The
actual causes of death by crucifixion were multifactorial, one
of the most significant would have been the severity of the
scourging. (Edwards) Jesus died a quick physical death (Pilate
was surprised that He had died so soon. (Mark 15:44)). While
many of the physical signs preceding death were present, one
possibility is that Jesus did not die by physical factors which
ended His ability to live, but that He gave up His life of His
own accord. His last statement, "Into your hands I commit my
Spirit" seems to show that Jesus' death occurred by giving
Himself up. In John 10, He states that only He has the power to
lay down His life. He proved His power over death by His
resurrection. Truly, God is the one who has power over life and
death
DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION HASTENED by the breaking of the legs, so
that the victim could not push up to take a good breath.
John 19:32-33: The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs
of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then
those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that
he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
CONFIRMED by a spear thrust into the right side of the heart.
John 19:34: Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side
with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. Death
in crucifixion was hastened by the breaking of the legs of the
victim. This procedure, called crurifracture, prevented the
ability of the victim to take in a good breath. Death would
quickly occur from suffocation. In Jesus' case, He died quickly
and did not have His legs broken. Jesus fulfills one of the
prophetic requirements of the Passover Lamb, that not a bone
shall be broken. (Exodus 12:46, John 19:36)
To confirm that a victim was dead, the Romans inflicted a
spear wound through the right side of the heart. When pierced, a
sudden flow of blood and water came Jesus' body . The medical
significance of the blood and water has been a matter of debate.
One theory states that Jesus died of a massive myocardial
infarction, in which the heart ruptured (Bergsma) which may have
resulted from His falling while carrying the cross. (Ball)
Another theory states that Jesus' heart was surrounded by fluid
in the pericardium, which constricted the heart and caused
death. (Davis) The physical stresses of crucifixion may have
produced a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. (Johnson)
The stated order of "blood and water" may not necessarily
indicate the order of appearance, but rather the relative
prominence of each fluid. In this case, a spear through the
right side of the heart would allow the pleural fluid (fluid
built up in the lungs) to escape first, followed by a flow of
blood from the wall of the right ventricle. (Edwards) The
important fact is that the medical evidence supports that Jesus
did die a physical death.
The story, of course, does not end here. The greatest event
that separates Jesus from all others is the fact that He rose
again and lives today. He intercedes for those who follow Him at
the right hand of the Father. (Heb 7:25)
APPEARANCE IN HEAVEN
Revelation 5:6: Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been
slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the
four living creatures and the elders.
In eternity, Jesus will bear the marks of His crucifixion.
Rev 5:6 suggests that He appears in heaven with the marks as a
Lamb "looking as if it had been slain". We know that when He
appeared to Thomas that He bore the scars of the nails and the
spear in His side. (John 20:26-28) It is also worth considering
reasons as to why He was not immediately recognized after His
resurrection. In John 21:12, it is stated that the disciples did
"not dare to ask Him His identity, because they knew that it was
the Lord." It is possible that His resurrection body still has
the marks of His beatings. "The body of His glorification will
be the body of His humiliation." (Missler)
Christianity is the story of God sacrificing His Son to
restore a relationship that was broken. As stated in the above
text, Jesus gave up His life to pay for the sins of mankind and
taking the punishment for the sin upon Himself. Because He gave
His life on the cross, any one who believes in Him will have a
restoration of a personal relationship with God. Jesus Himself
claimed to be the only way to God (John 14:6) and only by the
knowledge of God through Jesus Christ can man have a meaningful
and purposeful life. (John 10:10)
