I.
Gethsemane - Luke's version - the physician, of course.
a. Hematidrosis.
b. Marked weakness and possible shock.
H.
Before the Sanhedrin-Caiphas
a.
Soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by
Caiphas.
b. Palace guards then blind folded Him, mockingly taunted Him to identify them
as they passed by, spat on Him and struck Him in the face.
111.
Before Pilate
a. Scourged.
(1) 39 lashes.
(2) Flagrum (or flagellum) used. (a)
Short whip with several heavy leather thongs. (b) Two small balls of lead
attached near end of each.
b. Jesus stripped of His clothing and
His hands tied to post above His head.
c. Lashed on shoulders, back and legs
(1) 1st cuts skin only.
(2) Then deeper into subcutaneous
tissue.
(a) 1st gets blood
oozing from capillaries and veins of skin.
(b) Next spurting
arterial bleeding from vessels in muscles.
(c) Small balls lst
produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows.
(d) Finally, skin of
back is hanging in long ribbons and entire area is an unrecognizable mass of
torn, bleeding tissue.
(e) Beating can be
stopped when Centurion in charge feels death is near.
d. Roman soldiers joke of King of Jews
(1) Throw robe
across shoulders.
(2) Stick in His
hand as a scepter.
(3) Crown made of
flexible branches with long thorns.
(a) copious bleeding
from vascular scalp area.
(4) Mock Him,
striking Him in face again and then scalp driving thorns in deeper.
(5) Tear robe from
back.
(a) rips out clots and serum; bleeding
again.
(b) painful like carelessly removing a
bandage.
IV.
On to Calvary
a.
Heavy patibulum of cross tied across His shoulders (approximately
110 lbs.).
(1) Weight of beam and shock from blood
loss = stumbling, gouging rough wood of beam into lacerated shoulders.
(2) Jesus, bleeding and sweating the
cold, clammy sweat of shock, completes 650 yard journey from fortress Antonia
to Golgotha.
(3) Again stripped except for loin cloth.
b. Depression at the front of wrist palpated and a heavy, square
wrought-iron nail is driven through both wrists to wood.
(1) Arms not pulled
too tight to allow some flexion.
(2) Patibulum then
lifted and placed on top of the stipes.
(3) Titulus
"Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" is placed.
c. Left foot pressed backward against right foot and with both
feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving
the knees moderately flexed.
d. As Victim slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the
wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to
explode in the brain (median nerve).
e. As He pushes up to avoid His stretching torment, He puts full weight on the
nail through his feet ... searing agony of nail tearing through nerves between
metatarsals.
f. As the arms fatigue, waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting
them in deep, relentless throbbing pain.
(1) Ability to push
Himself upward wanes.
(2) Pectoral muscles
are paralyzed.
(3) Intercoastals
are unable to act.
(4) Air can be drawn
into the lungs, but not exhaled.
(5) Carbon Dioxide
builds up in lungs and bloodstream and cramps partially subside which makes Him
able to push upward for Oxygen.
g. Hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rendering
cramps, intermittent partial
asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He
moves up and down against rough timber.
h. Deep, crushing pain in chest begins as pericardium slowly fills with serum
and begins to compress the heart (Psalms 22:14).
i.
The end nears.
(1) Loss of fluids at critical level.
(2) Compressed heart struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood.
(3) Tortured lungs making frantic effort to
gasp small gulps of air.
j. Crurifracture (breaking legs to prevent upward movement releasing tension on
chest muscles) which brought about rapid suffocation not necessary.
k. Legionnaire drove lance through 5th interspace between ribs upward through
the pericardium and into the heart.
(1) John 19:34
"And immediately there came out blood and water."
(2) Escape of watery
fluid from the sac surrounding the heart and blood from the interior of the
heart.
(3) Most probable
cause of death then: heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart
by fluid in the pericardium. - not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation.
1. A prayer of great joy is now in order
because Jesus saw enough worth in us to
undergo this horror for us. Thanks be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Amen!