Mankind has distorted the message of God. Whether willingly or unwillingly man has misrepresented God's message to other men! This can be seen in the crucifixion account. Artists are to blame for their presentation of the crucifixion. Too often they portray Christ hanging there, slightly, with sorrow expressed on his face when He should have been shown in the reality of the horrid event with the anguish of horrible pain on His face and a slumped, sagging, distorted body. See the following typical piece of art.....
Have I made my point? See the piece below for the reality of Christ crucified!
A physician's look at the crucifixion
Mark Eastman, MD
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. 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). And Psalm
34:20, "He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken."
The positioning of the feet is probably the most critical part of the mechanics of crucifixion. First the knees were flexed about 90
degrees and the feet were flexed (bent downward) an additional 90 degrees until they were parallel the vertical pole. An iron
spike 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 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 90 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 90 degrees for 5 minutes. As the strength of the legs give 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 and the chest wall to be lowered. 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 9 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!
Courtesy of Doctor Mark Eastman
Must I say more?
Even we Christians who believe in celebrating the Lord's Supper each and every Lord's day are sometimes remiss in the way we partake of this solemn memorial. Not as an assembly, but as individuals we may partake of the bread and the fruit of the vine in a manner too perfunctory. We need to hear the prayer given and think deeply about what Jesus did for us on the cruel cross! You know, God had a way out for His Son. There were 10,000 angels standing around
the cross ready to rescue Him, if he should call. But He did not! He saved us all that day by His willingness to suffer, as a man...being separated from His Father, His God...until He returned from death...triumphant! Praise be to GOD!
And now prayer: "Our loving Father in Heaven we thank you for Jesus! For His willingness to suffer for our sins! Let us always see the real cross, not the silver and gold trinkets, but the agonizing, horrible death that should have been our fate, yet through Christ Jesus we are sparred! We give praises to His name! In the name of Jesus, Amen!"