An Agony Of Love
The Medical Aspects Of The Crucifixion
By Dr. Mark Eastman
On the evening before His crucifixion Jesus
was gathered with His disciples in the upper room, sharing
with them some of the most intimate truths of His entire ministry.
As He discussed the love of the Father and His love for His
disciples he declared:
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man
lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13
Though they did not realize it at the time, the disciples were
only hours from the practical realization of this truth.
One of the subtle evidences of the supernatural origin of the
Biblical text is that astonishing events are often described in
extremely brief narratives. This is perhaps best illustrated in the
matter-of-fact way in which the crucifixion of Jesus Christ-the
most pivotal event in the history of the universe-is described in
the Gospel accounts. After Jesus was examined and declared
to be without fault by the Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate, he
delivered Him to be judged by the assembled crowd. When the
opportunity arose to decide the destiny of Jesus, the crowd and
the Jewish leadership cried out saying,
"Crucify Him, crucify Him."
The horrifying events of the next six hours were
preceded by the simple words:
Then delivered he Him therefore unto them to be crucified.
And they took Jesus, and led him away.
John 19:16
"Great Drops of Blood"
The physical suffering of Jesus began in the Garden of Gethsemane
on the evening before His crucifixion. While the disciples slept, the
Gospel of Luke records that the LORD "being in an agony he
prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were
great drops of blood falling down to the ground."
The notion that someone could actually sweat blood seems
contrived. However, there is a rare but recognized condition
called hematohydrosis, in which capillary blood vessels that
feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to express blood.
This usually occurs under conditions of extreme physical or
emotional stress. Jesus wasn't sweating blood because he
was afraid of the physical pain of the cross.Indeed, the book
of Hebrews tells us that Jesus looked forward to the cross:
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
The Trials
After Jesus' arrest they led Him away to the High Priest
Caiaphas, where the Scribes and elders were assembled.
During this inquisition we are told that "some began to spit
on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to
Him, 'Prophesy!' And the officers struck Him with the
palms of their hands."
Beatings about the face received by a blindfolded individual
cause even worse trauma because the victim cannot "roll
with the punches." In the hours that followed Jesus received
two additional beatings at the hands of Roman soldiers.Severe
disfigurement of the face would certainly have resulted from the
brutal treatment. It is likely that the eyelids were swollen shut
as a result of such beatings.
This was done in fulfillment of Isaiah 52:13-14:
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be
exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were
astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more
than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.
The Scourging
After His trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus was scourged
(flogged) by the Roman guards. This process typically involved
a whip with numerous leather thongs, 18-24 inches long, with
bits of metal, bone or glass embedded in the leather. At times
they would use an iron rod to beat the prisoner.
According to Jewish custom, a prisoner was usually flogged
39 times (Forty minus one was a sign of Jewish mercy!)
Scourging was an extreme form of punishment. The skin on the
victim's back was usually shredded, thus exposing the underlying
muscle and skeletal structures. Severe blood loss and dehydration
were the rule. Many victims died from such scourging. After the
scourging of Jesus, the Roman soldiers beat Him a second
time with their hands and with a reed. Then they put on him a
"crown of thorns". Jesus had not drunk since the night before,
so the combination of the beatings, the crown of thorns, and the
scourging would have set into motion an irreversible process of
severe dehydration and cardiorespiratory failure. All of this was
done so that the prophecy of Isaiah would be fulfilled:
I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that
plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
Isaiah 50:6
And: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was
upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5
Crucifixion
Crucifixion was invented by the Persians between
300-400 b.c.It was "perfected" by the Romans in the first
century b.c. It is arguably the most painful death ever invented
by man and is where we get our term "excruciating." It was
reserved primarily for the most vicious of criminals. The most
common device used for crucifixion was a wooden cross, which
consisted of an upright pole permanently fixed in the ground with
a removable crossbar, usually weighing between 75-100 lbs. Victims
of crucifixion were typically stripped naked and their clothing divided by
the Roman guards.
In Jesus' case this was done in fulfillment of Psalm 22:18,
"They divide My garments among them, and
for My clothing they cast lots."
As a gesture of "Roman kindness" the prisoner was
offered a mixture of vinegar (gall) and wine as a mild anesthetic.
This anesthetic was refused by Jesus. Consequently, He bore it all!
The Apostle Peter stated of Jesus:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by
whose stripes ye were healed.
1 Peter 2:24
The victim was then placed on his back, arms stretched out and
nailed to the cross bar. The nails, which were generally about 7-9
inches long, were placed between the bones of the forearm (the radius
and ulna) and the small bones of the hands (the carpal bones). The
placement of the nail at this point had several effects. First it ensured
that the victim would indeed hang there until dead. Secondly, a nail placed
at this point would sever the largest nerve in the hand called the median nerve.
The severing of this nerve is a medical catastrophe. In addition to severe
burning pain the destruction of this nerve causes permanent paralysis of the
hand. Furthermore, by nailing the victim at this point in the wrist, there
would be minimal bleeding and there would be no bones broken!
Thus scriptures were fulfilled:
I can count all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
Psalm 22:17
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
Psalm 34:20
The positioning of the feet is probably the most critical
part of the mechanics of crucifixion. First the knees were
flexed about 45 degrees and the feet were flexed (bent downward)
an additional 45 degrees until they were parallel the vertical pole.
An iron nail about 7-9 inches long was driven through the feet
between the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal bones. In this position the nail
would sever the dorsal pedal artery of the foot, but the resultant
bleeding would be insufficient to cause death.
The Catastrophic Result
The resulting position on the cross sets up a horrific sequence
of events which results in a slow, painful death. Having been pinned
to the cross, the victim now has an impossible position to maintain.
With the knees flexed at about 45 degrees, the victim must bear his
weight with the muscles of the thigh. However, this is an almost impossible
task-try to stand with your knees flexed at 45 degrees for 5 minutes. As the
strength of the legs gives out, the weight of the body must now be borne by
the arms and shoulders. The result is that within a few minutes of being
placed on the cross, the shoulders will become dislocated. Minutes later
the elbows and wrists become dislocated. The result of these dislocations
is that the arms are as much as 6-9 inches longer than normal. With the arms
dislocated, considerable body weight is transferred to the chest, causing the
rib cage to be elevated in a state of perpetual inhalation. Consequently, in order
to exhale the victim must push down on his feet to allow the rib muscles to relax.
The problem is that the victim cannot push very long because the legs are extremely
fatigued. As time goes on, the victim is less and less able to bear weight on the
legs, causing further dislocation of the arms and further raising of the chest wall,
making breathing more and more difficult. The result of this process is a series
of catastrophic physiological effects. Because the victim cannot maintain adequate
ventilation of the lungs, the blood oxygen level begins to diminish and the blood
carbon dioxide (CO2) level begins to rise. This rising CO2 level stimulates the
heart to beat faster in order to increase the delivery of oxygen and the removal of
CO2. However, due to the pinning of the victim and the limitations of oxygen delivery,
the victim cannot deliver more oxygen and the rising heart rate only increases
oxygen demand. So this process sets up a vicious cycle of increasing oxygen
demand-which cannot be met-followed by an ever increasing heart rate. After
several hours the heart begins to fail, the lungs collapse and fill up with fluid, which
further decreases oxygen delivery to the tissues. The blood loss and hyperventilation
combines to cause severe dehydration. That's why Jesus said, "I thirst."
Over a period of several hours the combination of collapsing lungs,
a failing heart, dehydration, and the inability to get adequate oxygen supplies
to the tissues cause the eventual death of the victim. The victim, in effect,
cannot breath properly and slowly suffocates to death. In cases of severe cardiac
stress, such as crucifixion, a victim's heart can even burst. This process is called
"Cardiac Rupture." Therefore it could be said that Jesus died of a "broken heart!"
To slow the process of death the executioners put a small wooden seat on the cross,
which would allow the victim the privilege of bearing his weight on his buttocks.
The effect of this was that it could take up to nine days to die on a cross. When the
Romans wanted to expedite death they would simply break the legs of the victim, causing
him to suffocate in a matter of minutes. At three o'clock in the afternoon Jesus said,
"Tetelastai," meaning "it is finished." Then He gave up the ghost. When the soldiers
came to Jesus to break His legs, He was already dead.
Not a bone of Him was broken!
How Should We Then Live?
I realize that it is difficult to read of the details of Jesus'
physical sufferings. And yet, when we realize that He looked forward,
on our behalf, to the cross, we are overwhelmed with His practical
demonstration of love and, hopefully, a personal realization of our unworthiness.
How should we then live?
I believe that the Apostle Paul said it best:
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal
with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a
bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found
in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient
to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also
has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in
heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
