As the world is gearing up to celebrate the birth of JESUS, the
person who came into this world with a purpose, who offered HIMSELF freely, I
would like to present the sufferings that JESUS went through, with medical
explanation.
The purpose of posting
this is not to make one sad or make one lament over this horrific suffering, but
to realize the fruit that we all are enjoying because of this man, so that we
can celebrate Christmas with gratitude and real joy, and also share the good
news with as many as possible.
The man in whom no
guilt was found, who healed all the people HE came across, taught many great
things, rid people of demonic possessions, in whom even the Roman Governor
could not find any fault and tried his best to release him under trial, this
man who is born supernaturally in the womb of a virgin, this is JESUS meaning
salvation, this is CHRIST meaning savior.
Taken from Tony Cooke Ministries,
gotquestions.org and compellingtruth.org
Thanks to them for providing
information so clearly.
http://www.tonycooke.org/free_resources/holiday_resources/medical_description.html
Medical Description of the Flogging
and Crucifixion of Jesus
The
following is excerpted from The Expositors Bible Commentary (Volume 8, pages
775-780, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984.)
(Commenting on Mark 15:15) The Romans first stripped the victim and tied his hands to a post above his head. The whip (flagellum) was made of several pieces of leather with pieces of bone and lead embedded near the ends. Two men, one on each side of the victim, usually did the flogging. The Jews mercifully limited flogging to a maximum of forty stripes; the Romans had no such limitation. The following is a medical doctor’s description of the physical effects of flogging.
The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus’ shoulders, back, and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they cut deeper in the subcutaneous tissues, producing first and oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles… Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. (C. Truman Davis, "The Crucifixion of Jesus. The Passion of Christ from a Medical Point of View," Arizona Medicine 22, no. 3 [March 1965]: 185)
It is not surprising that victims of
Roman floggings seldom (rarely) survived.
(Commenting
on Mark 15:17-18) The crown was made of some kind of prickly plant such as
abounds in Palestine. This they pressed into his scalp. Again there must have
been copious bleeding because the scalp is one of the most vascular areas of
the body.
(Commenting on Mark 15:19) The mocking was followed by further physical violence. The blows hitting his head from the staff drove the thorns more deeply into Jesus’ scalp and caused even more profuse bleeding. They also kept spitting on him…
(Commenting on Mark 15:20) At last tiring of their sadism, the soldiers tore the robe from Jesus’ back. The fabric had probably stuck to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds. Thus when it was callously ripped off him, it caused excruciating pain, just as when a bandage is carelessly removed. Jesus’ own clothes were now put back on him.
(Commenting on Mark 15:21) Men condemned to die by crucifixion were customarily required to carry the heavy wooden crosspiece (patibulum) on which they were to be nailed, to the place of execution. Jesus started out carrying his cross (John 19:17), but it proved to be too much for him. The patibulum usually weighed thirty or forty pounds and was usually strapped across the shoulders. One can hardly imagine the pain caused by the rough heavy beam pressing into the lacerated skin and muscles of Jesus’ shoulders. The scourging of blood so weakened him that he could not go on carrying the heavy crossbeam.
(Commenting on Mark 15:24) Mark simply says, "And they crucified him." What incredible restraint! Especially when one considers that crucifixion was, as Cicero said, "the cruelest and most hideous punishment possible" (In Verrem 5.54.165). What took place physically is described by Davis ("Crucifixion of Jesus," pp. 186-187).
Simon is ordered to place the patibulum on the ground and Jesus is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The cross is then lifted into place.
The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The victim is now crucified. As he 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 brain—the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet.
At this point, another phenomenon occurs. As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. . . . Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. Jesus fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.
Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.
It is now almost over—the loss of tissue fluids reached a critical level—the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues—the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. . . . The body of Jesus is now in extremis, and He can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues . . . . His mission of atonement has been completed. Finally he can allow His body to die.
All this, the Bible records with the simple words, "And they crucified him" (Mark 15:24).
Those who were flogged would often
go into hypovolemic shock, a term that
refers to low blood volume. In other words, the person would have lost so much blood he would go into shock.
The results of this would be
1) The heart would race to pump blood that was not there.
2) The victim would collapse or faint due to low blood pressure.
3) The kidneys would shut down to preserve body fluids.
4) The person would experience extreme thirst as the body desired to replenish lost fluids.
1) The heart would race to pump blood that was not there.
2) The victim would collapse or faint due to low blood pressure.
3) The kidneys would shut down to preserve body fluids.
4) The person would experience extreme thirst as the body desired to replenish lost fluids.
There is evidence from Scripture
that Jesus experienced hypovolemic shock as a result of being flogged. As Jesus
carried His own cross to Golgotha (John 19:17),
He collapsed, and a man named Simon was forced to either carry the cross or
help Jesus carry the cross the rest of way to the hill (Matthew
27:32–33; Mark 15:21–22; Luke 23:26).
This collapse indicates Jesus had low blood pressure. Another indicator that
Jesus suffered from hypovolemic shock was that He declared He was thirsty as He hung on the cross (John 19:28),
indicating His body’s desire to
replenish fluids.
Prior to death, the sustained rapid heartbeat caused by hypovolemic shock also causes fluid to gather in the sack around the heart and around the lungs. This gathering of fluid in the membrane around the heart is called pericardial effusion, and the fluid gathering around the lungs is called pleural effusion. This explains why, after Jesus died and a Roman soldier thrust a spear through Jesus’ side (probably His right side, piercing both the lungs and the heart), blood and water came from His side just as John recorded in his Gospel (John 19:34).
Prior to death, the sustained rapid heartbeat caused by hypovolemic shock also causes fluid to gather in the sack around the heart and around the lungs. This gathering of fluid in the membrane around the heart is called pericardial effusion, and the fluid gathering around the lungs is called pleural effusion. This explains why, after Jesus died and a Roman soldier thrust a spear through Jesus’ side (probably His right side, piercing both the lungs and the heart), blood and water came from His side just as John recorded in his Gospel (John 19:34).
Crucifixion typically resulted in
death through one of two ways. The first way was hypovolemic shock. The
prolonged rapid heartbeat resulting from hypovolemic shock can cause fluid to
gather in the area around the heart. This is called pericardial effusion.
The second way death often occurred during crucifixion was due to asphyxiation. This simply means the person is unable to breathe in enough oxygen to survive. Crucifixion victims typically had to pull their weight up with their hands or wrists that were nailed to the crossbeam along with pushing up with the feet or ankles that had another nail through them. Over time, the ability to push up to breathe would end and oxygen flow would be restricted. This asphyxiation can also result in the buildup of fluid around the heart.
In either case, the account of John is quite accurate. The Roman executioners saw that the other two crucifixion victims were still alive and broke their legs so they would no longer be able to push themselves up to breathe, resulting in death within minutes. In the case of Jesus, they saw He had become unconscious and likely was already dead. To confirm, a spear was shoved into His side, likely under His ribs that ruptured the pericardial sack, resulting in a flow of both blood and water.
While this manner of death was a brutal end for Jesus, there was also prophetic significance to this event. John states in John 19:36-37, "For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken.' And again another Scripture says, 'They will look on him whom they have pierced.'" The first reference is likely to Exodus 12:46. The second reference is from Zechariah 12:10. Both were written hundreds of years before this event.
In summary, there were both practical and prophetic reasons for the blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus at His crucifixion. The pierced side confirmed His human death while also fulfilling the messianic prophecies mentioned by John.
The second way death often occurred during crucifixion was due to asphyxiation. This simply means the person is unable to breathe in enough oxygen to survive. Crucifixion victims typically had to pull their weight up with their hands or wrists that were nailed to the crossbeam along with pushing up with the feet or ankles that had another nail through them. Over time, the ability to push up to breathe would end and oxygen flow would be restricted. This asphyxiation can also result in the buildup of fluid around the heart.
In either case, the account of John is quite accurate. The Roman executioners saw that the other two crucifixion victims were still alive and broke their legs so they would no longer be able to push themselves up to breathe, resulting in death within minutes. In the case of Jesus, they saw He had become unconscious and likely was already dead. To confirm, a spear was shoved into His side, likely under His ribs that ruptured the pericardial sack, resulting in a flow of both blood and water.
While this manner of death was a brutal end for Jesus, there was also prophetic significance to this event. John states in John 19:36-37, "For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken.' And again another Scripture says, 'They will look on him whom they have pierced.'" The first reference is likely to Exodus 12:46. The second reference is from Zechariah 12:10. Both were written hundreds of years before this event.
In summary, there were both practical and prophetic reasons for the blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus at His crucifixion. The pierced side confirmed His human death while also fulfilling the messianic prophecies mentioned by John.
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