All four Gospels record the agony of the crucifixion of Jesus. Yet, even with all the observable anguish they describe, modern medical science can look beyond the outward and see suffering beyond human comprehension. When Jesus had finished eating the Passover supper, He took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus knew what the next day held for Him.
The agony began in the Garden. He understood He would drink a cup with two bitter components: the sins of the world He would take upon His sinless self and the physical torture He must endure. And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44 NIV). A rare phenomenon occurred that happens only during times of the extreme mental distress called hemidrosis. The surface capillaries of Jesus’ body dilated, burst, and mixed with sweat. The blood coagulated and fell to the ground appearing as if Jesus was sweating blood. This mass loss of blood made the skin extremely tender. This heightened the pain of the blows and scourging that Jesus later received.
A mob soon arrived and carried Jesus before Caiaphas the High Priest. He was accused and questioned. After the grilling ended, Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him (Matt. 26:67). When the new day dawned, the soldiers led Him across Jerusalem where he appeared before Pilate. Following an interrogation, Pilate conceded to the wishes of the Jews and delivered him for crucifixion. The Romans scourged those condemned to crucifixion—it intensified the pain. They made the scourge from strips of leather with jagged fragments of lead or sharp pieces of sheep bones woven in near the end. After stripping off His clothes, they bound Jesus’ hands, and tied them above Him. The executioner began his work. With each blow of the whip, the lead-laced strips of leather gouged out deep gashes in the already sensitive skin of Jesus. Blood soon puddled at his feet. This continued until completing the prescribed number of lashings (if anyone was counting). Now a time of “fun” came with the man who claimed He was the King of the Jews. They cut Jesus down and a purple robe normally worn by royalty was draped over His body. The soldiers placed a reed in His hand for a mock scepter. The one object missing for their ridicule was a King’s crown. One of the soldiers ran out to a Euphorbia bush and quickly wove a crown from the branches. This common plant produced razor sharp thorns about two-three inches long. They . . . took the reed, and smote him on the head (Matt. 27:30 NIV). The scalp bleeds easily; so, with each blow, the thorns dug deeper and more blood flowed down His face coating His hair and beard.
When the soldiers tired of the game, they pulled off the robe, which was stuck to the open lacerations, and fully reopened the wounds. Now the .4-mile journey began to Golgotha. They placed the 100 plus pound patibulum (crossbeam) of the cross across His raw shoulders. Jesus started His journey, but by now extremely weak He soon fell under the weight. A soldier grabbed a by-stander, Simeon, and compelled Him to carry Jesus’ cross for the remainder of the journey. Upon reaching Calvary, they stripped off Jesus’ clothes again stuck to His back and threw Him to the ground caking the wounds with dirt. The executioners knew their task with cold precision. One held His arms and another took the nail, a pointed square spike about a third of an inch thick at the head. With a single blow of the hammer, the soldier secured the nail in the wood. Its path through Jesus’ hand severed the median nerve. Doctors now know the most excruciating pain anyone can ever experience occurs when anything damages this particular nerve. Unbearable pain raced through His arm. They repeated the process on the other arm. This time Jesus knew the pain that was coming. The feet probably laid over each other and with a few blows of the hammer, the nail was fixed. Once again, severing the median nerves, pain beyond description rushed up His legs.
Despite the agony He had already suffered, the greater torment was yet to come. The Roman’s designed crucifixion to produce slow excruciating torture and not a quick death. When they lifted up the cross, His body dropped pressing the nails against the raw nerves, intensifying the pain with the slightest movement. Because only the arms supported the body, it sagged and the lungs filled with air resulting in asphyxiation. The single way air could escape came by pushing up on the nail through His feet however resulting in an exponential surge of pain as the nail pushed against the median nerves. This continued for six hours.
With no food or drink since the evening before, He thirsted. Doctors explain another trauma began occurring because of dehydration. The muscles in his arms started contracting, and this increased until every muscle in his body cramped. Now even after all the physical agony, His final suffering awaited. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). The spiritual agony began with the forsaking by His Father (something that had never occurred in all eternity) because He bore the penalty for the sins of the world—yours and mine. With agony in His physical body, the sins of the world on His sinless self, and feeling abandon by His father, He cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit (Mat 27:50).
Sustaining Word for the Week: Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us—he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows . . . smitten of God, and afflicted. 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 . . . the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6 NIV; 1 John 3:1 NKJV).