Crucifixion: An Excruciating form of Execution
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 capital punishment, which caused maximum pain and suffering over a significant period of time. In fact, the word "excruciate" (meaning, “to cause great agony, torment”) comes from the Latin for "from, or out of, the cross.”

Crucifixion: Jesus Faced a Horrible Death
Crucifixion typically began with a scourging or flogging of the victim’s back. 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 the back, exposing a bloody mass of tissue and bone. Extreme blood loss occurred, often causing death, or at least unconsciousness. In addition to the flogging, Jesus faced severe beating and torment by the Roman soldiers, including the plucking of His beard and the piercing of His scalp with a crown of thorns.

After the flogging, the victim was often 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 needed a great deal of assistance. Once the victim arrived at the execution site, the patibulum was put on the ground and the victim was forced to lie upon it. Spikes about 7 inches long and 3/8 of an inch in diameter were driven into the wrists. The spikes would hit the area of the median nerve, causing shocks of pain up the 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 to “support” for the victim. 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 the shoulder and elbow joints. The position of the nailed body held the victim’s 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 severe cramps, spasmodic contractions and probably unconsciousness.

Ultimately, the mechanism of death in crucifixion was suffocation. To breathe, the victim was forced to push up on his feet to allow for inflation of the lungs. As the body weakened and pain in the feet and legs became unbearable, the victim was forced to trade breathing for pain and exhaustion. Eventually, the victim would succumb in this way, becoming utterly exhausted or lapsing into unconsciousness so that he could no longer lift his body off the stipes and inflate his lungs. Due to the shallow breathing, the victim’s lungs would begin to collapse in areas, probably causing hypoxia. Due to the loss of blood from the scourging, the victim probably formed a respiratory acidosis, resulting in an increased strain on the heart, which beats faster to compensate. Fluid would also build up in the lungs. Under the stress of hypoxia and acidosis, the heart would eventually fail. There are several different theories on the actual cause of death for Jesus. One theory is that there was a filling of the 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 final death, the historical record is very clear -- Jesus suffered numerous hours of horrible and sustained torture on the cross of Calvary.

Crucifixion: Jesus Suffered for You and Me
The crucifixion accounts of Jesus Christ are in entire agreement with the customs and practices of the Romans in that period. 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” 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, and then examine your heart. Jesus gave Himself willingly for you and me. Jesus 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 world's sin because of His love. The only way to complete His story of love is to love Him in return.

Great thread Chad ! How easy it is for us to forget how easy our live's are because of Jesus sacrifice on the cross ! We all hear about it , but threads like that make us realize it ! Praise our Mighty Champion ... Jesus Christ !!!

I am so glad you posted this. And it should be REQUIRED READING. 99.9% of Christians don't know the facts about Jesus's death in detail. It certainly makes one realize the real ones to suffer should have been us; He was the innocent Lamb who died for all our sins. The ultimate act of love.

Thank you, Chad.

In Christ, CaliFlower

If I recall, Christ also cried, "I thurst" and "Eli Eli lama sabathany". Aurthur Pink and Spurgeon too, in their books on the 7 sayings on the cross, put great weight in their meanings as they related to Christ bearing, not the excruciating aspects only of the cross you mention, but much more: the eternal allmighty wrath of God decreed against our sins. "I thurst" is traced through the biblical record to suport the notion that it is a cry of man under the heat of divine wrath and judgment. Of course "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me" comes dirrectly to the point: the efficatious aspects of Our Lords death on the cross, the sheading of his blood for the remision of sins, so far exceeds the physical sufferings, as our just sentence unto the eternal fires of a hell that would never have been extinguished would also exceed the physical aspects of any death we might endure. Christ actualy bearing my sins, which demanded much more than just the physical aspects of the cross, bore an eternity of devine wrath in a moment of time and cried tatellisti: it is finished, proclaiming the equitable remition of sins. Oh, so great salvation!
...DGB

How great full to know that someone who loves you dearly died for your sins and made a place for you in Heaven Oh I love Jesus and I promised myself I’ll teach my grand children to love him as well as he is the only one who brings Eternal life, I’m happy I saw and accepted Jesus at the rite time

Amen :) I remember crying (silently, but with all my heart) the day I accepted Christ. It was on a Sunday early morning after finishing work Saturday night, past midnight. I read a small handout a brother in Christ handed to me at my work place and accepted Christ. It was the GREATEST thing that I have ever done and the greatest experience ever that I will ever face in my flesh on earth!

Thank you JESUS!

Tears overflow as i write this. It's always been my heart's desire to know Jesus in His suffering and resurrection. Jesus was most handsome to me on the cross than anywhere else nor than at any time because it was there that He displayed his awesome unconditional love for me. The details of His horrible and gruesome death which paid the price for all my wickedness makes me love Him more than ever before. Remove the skin of the most good looking man and, like a dressed chicken, it will only reveal the ugly parts it's hiding.

Not so with Jesus. Yes, He was marred beyond recognition and suffered most unbearably. But i guess for those who love Him like we do, the horrors have turned to romance and the sorrows to unspeakable joy. We see Jesus in the beauty of love and holiness on the death of the cross. Chad, thank you for all the wonderful details of Jesus' crucifixion.

From the heart of His bride,
andrea

AMEN!

dearest bro chad:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life", and out of the billion souls He chose for me to know Him in a very personal way and called me to be a part of His kingdom. My joy was overwhelming & indescribable when i finally realized how He suffred & died for me..

when He cried "I thirst" i understood that it wasn't just a thirst for physical but for spiritual that He thirst for His Father's presence, all His Son's life never was he seperated from His Father's presence but because of His love for us He chose to be seperated, at that very moment in the Father's eyes He was no longer the Son whom He loved but "Sin" in human form and the Father couln't stand it anymore and so the Father left Him together with the Holy Spirit and so He cried, " I thirst" just for us to be saved & received eternal life.. Thank God i found this web.. you are blessd & anointed...

hannah07

hey chad , thank you so much for this post , reading this has help me, thanks again