Christ Crucified Stuart L. Brogden, April 2001 – updated April 2004
It’s Saturday – the day after the crucifixion, the day before Easter. The disciples were scattered, hiding, afraid, discouraged, and disillusioned. Matthew, Mark, & John record Christ’s prophecy of this very circumstance, “And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” (Mark 14:27) But what caused these men, some of whom (our man Pete) had declared, “death before dishonor!” (Mark 14:29)
Isaiah 52:13-15a “See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Just as there were many who were astonished at him --so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals--so he shall startle many nations.” How seldom, I think, today’s Christians ponder the sufferings of our Lord. Mel Gibson’s movie shattered the sterile image too many of us have carried about this Truth of scripture. He was brutalized, savagely beaten – to fulfill the Father’s prophecy and pay for our sins.
Christ had reminded His disciples that, “And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.” (Matthew 20:17-19) They had walked with Christ for more than three years and still didn’t get it. He wasn’t exactly what they had expected.
Crucifixion was a routine method of killing enemies of Rome. This method is considered by many researchers to be the most difficult, painful death - death by suffocation, blood loss, and thirst. It was not unusual for a man to hang on a cross for up to three days to die – depending on how severely he had been beaten. Since crucifixion and scourging were so common during their lifetimes, the gospel writers undoubtedly considered a detailed description superfluous. For that reason we have only the concise words of the evangelists: "Pilate, having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to them to be crucified ... and they crucified Him." (Matthew 27:26)
Christ was nailed on the cross on Passover at approximately 9AM, (Mark 15:25) the time of day the sacrificial lamb is slain under the Mosaic Law. He died approximately 3PM (Mark 15:34). This crucifixion was not your ordinary execution – this was the Lamb of God who suffered for your sins and mine (John 1:29).
But the crucifixion was the culmination of the suffering of Christ. Let’s back up to the beginning of the final day.
In the garden (Mark 14:32-34), we find the only recorded occurrence of the Lord asking for help, as He told Peter, James and John “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” How often we say we are bored to death or some such silly thing. Christ was grieved to this depth. His sweat-drops of blood (Luke 22:44) attest to His trauma. Just as you and I blush under certain types of stress, under extreme stress these same capillaries can burst. The blood seeps out through sweat glands. Although rare, it has been documented by medical doctors and has a multi-syllable Latin name: hematidrosis. When this condition occurs, the skin becomes very fragile and tender, producing weakness and possible shock.
Thus the stage is set.
The Jewish leaders rushed to convict Christ, because the Sabbath that would herald the weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread was fast approaching. Under Jewish law, no legal action could take place until the following week. Jesus was first taken to a political boss, Annas. When Christ answered one of his questions, He was struck in the face (Luke 22:63-64) – compounding the injury and pain caused by the hematidrosis.
Jesus was then taken to the high priest Caiaphas, Annas’ son-in-law, to be confronted by a committee of the Sanhedrin. By this time it was very late in the night, past midnight. The Sanhedrin’s case, such as it was, came unraveled quickly as Judas had disappeared and another witness misquoted Christ (Mark 14:55-59). Determined to protect their dominion, this court violated its own laws (no man could be forced to testify against himself) and pushed Christ to answer the question: “are You the Christ, the Son of God?” When Jesus responded, “I am. You have said it yourself.” Caiaphas declared Christ guilty of blasphemy and so the court had the Son of God blindfolded, mocked, spat-on, and beaten (Mark 14:63-65).
Early in the morning, Good Friday, Christ was lead to another, larger gathering of the Sanhedrin (Luke 22:66) – to validate the judgment of Caiaphas and seal the fate of this troublemaker. No witnesses, just the question: “are you the Christ?” Driven more by their fear of this prophet and their own egos, this court violated many procedures (for example – law required a one day cooling off period after a trail before capital punishment could be pronounced) and passed judgment (Luke 22:71).
The Roman government did not permit the occupied Jewish nation to administer capital punishment, so the verdict of Caiaphas had to be endorsed by Roman officials. Bound and beaten, Christ was lead to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate (Luke23:1-2). In an attempt to cooperate with the Jewish leaders and complete the proceedings before the Sabbath, Pilate interrogated Jesus. But he could “find no guilt in Him” (Luke 23:4). Not to be denied “justice”, the Jews painted Christ as an insurrectionist – a charge that would stick in Roman court. Pilate was not man enough to rule and sent the mob to his political adversary, Herod – the man who beheaded John the Baptist. To this man’s questions, Jesus said nothing (Luke 23:6-9). The only recorded instance of His meeting someone and saying nothing. Still stinging from the outcry over killing John the Baptist, Herod was not willing to execute another Christian – so back to Pilate went the Lord (Luke 23:11-12).
Not willing to defy the angry mob’s demand for Christ’s blood, Pilate had Jesus scourged (Luke 23:15-16). So many died from this punishment that it was called the “half death.” Up to six professionally trained soldiers alternated positions during the flogging. Tied to a stake, His hands high over head, Christ suffered 39 stripes with a whip of leather with knots holding bits of bone or balls of lead. Romans had scourging down to science, bringing the victim as close to death as possible. The balls bruised, the leather thongs cut open the bruises. Continued beating tore into muscles, tearing them such that bleeding flesh hung in quivering ribbons. Arteries, veins and muscles were torn open, at times even entrails were laid bare. Normally, a victim would faint after two and half minutes.
After this beating, the Creator was draped in a castoff purple robe (Matthew 27:28), which quickly stuck to clotting blood on His back. A crude crown of thorns was thrust on His bruised, bleeding head (Matthew 27:29). The soldiers repeatedly struck Him in the face and on the head with a wooden staff and they spat on His face as they mocked Him (Matthew 27:29-31).
It was this pitiable specimen Pilate offered to the mob, thinking they would be pacified. “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no guilt in Him. Behold the Man!” Priests and peasants shouted “Crucify Him!” (John 19:4-6) And finally, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God. (John 19:7) … If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar: every one who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” (John 19:12) Politically weak and fearful of losing his position (his political sponsor, Caesar’s number 2 man, Sejanus had been murdered), Pilate ordered the soldiers to “Put the cross on the slave.” The robe was then stripped from His back, pulling blood caked skin with it and His arms were stretched out and tied to the crossbar, which weighed between 75 and 125 pounds.
After an all night ordeal of being beaten, dragged all over town, and beaten half to death the Lamb of God began His last walk, down the twisted, narrow streets of Jerusalem, yanked and dragged by a rope around His waist toward Calvary. Along the way He was jerked and fell, landing hard as He was unable to put His hands out to brace Himself; Simon of Cyrene was conscripted to carry the crossbar the rest of the way (Mark 15:21).
The three who were to be hung on crosses were offered a mild analgesic to deaden the pain; Christ did not partake (Mark 15:23). He was flung on His back onto the dirt, pebbles and grime of the hillside and had His arms stretched out wide onto the crossbar. The spikes were driven through the wrists, causing the fingers to curl inward and intense pain to shoot up and down the median nerve. The spikes were square, about 5.5 inches long and a third of an inch across at the top.
Several upright poles were maintained on Calvary. The victim, nailed to the crossbar, was hauled up the pole by ropes. The crossbar was notched so as to fit onto the top of the pole. The jolt of being dropped onto the tip of the pole usually severed the median nerve, causing excruciating pain. The weight of the victim’s body caused the arms to be pulled down at a sharp angle. This puts intense pressure on the diaphragm, making exhaling nearly impossible.
In order to lengthen the time it took for a victim to die, the Romans nailed His feet to the pole. They bent His knees 25 degrees, slammed one foot flat against the pole and placed the other foot on top of the first then drove a spike through the arches of the feet. This spike damaged the numerous major nerves and blood vessels.
As the victim hung on the cross, unable to breathe, “tetany”, a condition marked by cramps and contractions of the muscles, would set in - caused by a profound lack of oxygen and the build up of carbon dioxide. The victim could use the nail in His feet as a cruel step to force His body upward so the pressure on His chest was relieved and He could breathe. Each time Christ spoke, He had to do this. Alternating between hanging from His wrists and standing on His pierced feet aggravated the injuries and increased blood loss. Sliding up and down the rough-hewn pole gouged the raw mass that was His back.
It was the third hour – 9AM – when He was crucified. He was mocked while on the cross (Luke 23:35-36); He was cursed by a thief on the next cross (Luke 23:39). Angels were held back by the Father. His life ebbed. Yet it wasn’t the acts of men that put Christ on the tree. “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:17-18) Nails didn’t hold Christ to the cross, love did.
As He hung on the cross, His muscles stood out in rigid, involuntary cramps. The difficulty of the blood flow through His tortured body caused headache and convulsions. His body was soaked with perspiration. Dehydration and thirst were intense. Victims on the cross also suffered from insects drawn to the blood and smells. Christ endured hours of twisting, joint-rending cramps, partial intermittent asphyxiation, and fiery sting in His back. Shock was extreme.
Around the sixth hour – noon – the moment for which He came to Earth. God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf.” (1 Corinthians 5:21) The ugliness of His physical deformation was surpassed only by the repulsiveness of our sin being laid upon His shoulders. This spiritual ugliness is the terror of being separated from God the Father – He is holy and cannot look upon sin. The guilt of all mankind was laid upon His shoulders. How hideous for the spotless Lamb to bear the guilt and sin of all who are called by His name. Alone. No Christian has ever been alone, for He is ever with each of us. Even Pagans are not alone and will one day realize it. Christ was isolated, alone, hung by the curse that you and I deserve.
Trauma this severe normally causes a black out. If the brain refuses to faint, the stomach pours out gastric juices and blood into the abdominal cavity, causing a bloating that extends from the neck to the hips. The body of the sinless Man was now beaten, bloodied, and bloated - marred more than any man. With utmost effort the Spotless Lamb raised Himself up and cried out “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34)
By this time, Jesus’ heart was struggling to pump what little blood He had remaining through His bloated, cramped body. In this final stage, medical authorities tell us blood serum fills the membrane surrounding the heart, bringing the deep, crushing pain like a major heart attack.
It was now around 3PM. He moistened His mouth with the vinegar offered Him and declared in a clear voice “It is finished!” (John 19:28-30) The debt has been paid – once and for all times. No leper was half-healed, no blind person given glasses, no sinner partially forgiven. The work of salvation was complete. In control of His humanness, deliberately set to die on the cross, having satisfied the Father’s wrath, the Son prayed “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.” (Luke 23:46) He then bowed His head in submission to the Father and breathed His last. The Lamb was slain, the price paid. Salvation bought at a dear price for a wretch such as me.
Philippians 2:6-8 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
The disciples were scattered, hiding, afraid, discouraged, and disillusioned because they had forgotten what He said. They couldn’t believe the battered, deformed, hideously beaten with a hole pierced in His side could live. They had forgotten Lazurus, four days in the tomb, stinking, called out by Christ’s call unto life. They had forgotten He told them the Son of Man would be crucified and raised up on the third day. Their world had been destroyed – they had given up their careers to follow Him! And they couldn’t remember what He had told them.
Luke 24: 1-8 “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they (the two Marys) came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words,”
The world was changed by what happened next. Men who had hidden as cowards now boldly proclaimed the power of the resurrected Christ. Acts 8:1-4, “And Saul was consenting unto his (Steven’s) death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” In the face of intense persecution, the Gospel of Jesus is preached and lives are changes, souls are saved – worlds are changed – forever!
Is
your life marked by spiritual cowardice?
Do you cringe when someone asks about your religious views? When you are frightened, feeling alone,
dejected, inadequate, rejected – remember His words! His words give hope, His words give
strength, His words give LIFE. His
words can change your world.
Based, in part, on “The Mind of Christ” by T.W. Hunt
Read the book. You will not be the same.