Jesus’ Death

No one has ever been so loved so hated so revered as Jesus. He lived, He loved, He

sacrificed and He died an ignominious and painful death at the hands of evil men. How did

Jesus die? Why did He have to die? What does His death means? What has been accomplished

through His death?

Severe stress, even before the abuse began

According to The Christians Answers Network, Jesus had the weight of the world on his

shoulders. Even before the crucifixion began, he clearly had physical symptoms associated with

severe stress. The night before the execution, his disciples reported seeing Jesus in “agony” on

the Mount of Olives. Not only did he not sleep all night, but he seems to have been sweating

profusely. So great was the stress that tiny blood vessels were rupturing in his sweat glands and

emitting as great red drops that fell to the ground (see Luke 22:44). This symptom of severe

stress is called hematohidrosis.

Jesus was physically exhausted and in danger of going into shock unless he received

fluids (which he apparently did not). This is the man that the Roman soldiers tortured.

Torture by beating with Roman scourges

Having previously been beaten by the Jews, it was now the Romans' turn. The beatings

administered by Roman soldiers are well known to be very bloody, leaving lacerations all over

the body. Romans designed their whips to cut the flesh from their victim's bodies. These

beatings were designed to be painful to the extreme. It would also cause a fluid build up around
His lungs. In addition, a crown of thorns was forced into his scalp which was capable of severely

irritating major nerves in his head, causing increasing and excruciating pain, as the hours wore

on.

In Christ's severely stressed condition, these beatings were easily enough to kill him. His

body was horribly bruised, cut and bleeding. Having had no nourishment for many hours, and

having lost fluids through profuse sweating and much bleeding, Jesus would have been severely

dehydrated. This brutal torture would certainly be sending him into what doctors call “shock,”

and shock kills.

In addition, Jesus was forced to carry the wooden beam on which he would die. Imagine

the effect of carrying a heavy weight if one was in that condition.

Crucifixion

Hung completely naked before the crowd, the pain and damage caused by crucifixion

were designed to be so devilishly intense that one would continually long for death, but could

linger for days with no relief.

According to Dr. Frederick Zugibe, piercing of the median nerve of the hands with a nail

can cause pain so incredible that even morphine won't help, “severe, excruciating, burning

pain, like lightning bolts traversing the arm into the spinal cord.” Rupturing the foot's plantar

nerve with a nail would have a similarly horrible effect.

Furthermore, the position of the body on a cross is designed to make it extremely

difficult to breathe.
 Frederick Farrar described the intended, torturous effect: “For indeed a death by

crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of horrible and ghastly—dizziness,

cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, tetanus, shame, publicity of shame,

long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds—all

intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured at all, but all stopping just short of

the point which would give to the sufferer the relief of unconsciousness.”

One doctor has called it “a symphony of pain” produced by every movement, with every

breath; even a slight breeze on his skin could bring screaming pain at this point.

Medical examiner, Dr. Frederick Zugibe, believes Christ died from shock due to loss of

blood and fluid, plus traumatic shock from his injuries, plus cardiogenic shock causing Christ's

heart to fail.

At the ninth hour (the time at which a sacrificial lamb was killed everyday in the Jewish

temple), Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is

translated,“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” and soon died, after saying “It

is finished.” At about this moment is probably the time when the temple's priestly ram's

horn would have been blown that day, announcing that the priests had completed the

sacrifice of the lamb for the sins of Israel. Also at that moment, the great, thick curtain that

closed the Holy of Holies room from view, ripped open from top to bottom.

-Mark 15:34 and Matthew 27:46

Why did Jesus have to die?

Near the end of His life, a criminal beside him mocked, “If you are the Christ, save

yourself and us.” Little did this sinner know that the man He was speaking to hung there

voluntarily. He was speaking to the Creator, the one who was capable of releasing all the power

in the universe and could save Himself. Jesus remained in this agony and shame, not because

he was powerless, but because of his incredible love for humanity. He suffered to provide the

needed way of salvation for one and all.

According to 1 Corinthians 15:3, “... Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures”.

It was for the sins of humanity that Christ had to die. He took the punishment for human

sinfulness. He paid the ransom for the human race. The Epistle to the Hebrews speaks of Jesus

as “crowned with glory and honour, that by the grace of God might taste death for everyone”

(Hebrews 2:9). Christ endured the cross despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus was a

sacrifice, he gave himself to propitiate for sins.

What does His death means?

His death signifies that humanity has been redeemed. When Christ died upon the cross

of Calvary, the new and living way was thrown open to Jew and Gentile alike. Satan was

defeated, and he knew that his kingdom was lost.

What has been accomplished through His death?

References:

www.ChristianAnswers.Net

Christian Answers Network

PO Box 200

Gilbert AZ 85299  

Images of Jesus, Vassel G. Kerr. Northern Caribbean University Press, Mandeville, Jamaica 2009