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[ On The Physical Death Of Jesus, No. 2 ] The death of Jesus by crucifixion was one of the cruelest forms of execution ever devised by man. It probably began first among the Persians. Alexander the Great later introduced the practice to Egypt and Carthage, and the Romans appear to have learned of it from the Carthaginians. Although the Romans didn't invent it, they perfected it as a form of torture and capital punishment, designed to produce a slow death with maximum pain and suffering. That is the assessment of Edwards, Gabel and Hosmer who wrote, "On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ" in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Jesus spoke seven times from the cross, and since speech occurs while a person exhales, his short utterances must have been particularly difficult and painful. At about 3 p.m. on that Friday, Jesus cried with a loud voice, bowed His head, and died. Luke says, "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit; and having said thus, he gave up the ghost" (Luke 23:46). The Roman soldiers and onlookers recognized the moment of his death, and a centurion standing by even declared, "Truly, this man was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39). The Jews didn't want the bodies on the crosses after sunset, which was the beginning of the Sabbath, and asked Pilate to hasten the deaths of the men who were crucified. This was done by breaking their legs. Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves who were crucified alongside Jesus, but when they came to Jesus, they discovered that He was already dead, so they did not break His legs. The Scripture says "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water" (John 19:34). The authors of the article on Jesus' physical death say the wound was in the thorax or chest and that "a large flow of blood would be more likely when the thin-walled right atrium or ventricle was perforated." They also note that the water probably represented "serous pleural and pericardial fluid." The death of Jesus after such a short time on the cross amazed Pilate, and the authors say Jesus' death may have been hastened by His state of exhaustion, and the severity of the scourging with it's great loss of blood and pre-shock state. They cite the fact that Jesus was unable to carry the crossbar to support their conclusion. It's also of interest that the conclusions of these medical experts refutes the Moslem claim that Jesus didn't die on the cross. They say the cause of His death may have been due to many factors related to hypovolemic shock, exhaustion, asphyxia, and perhaps acute heart failure. They point out that the important feature may not be how Jesus died, but rather whether He died. Here's what they conclude: "Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear, thrust between His right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death. Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge." While we have discussed the death of Jesus from a medical point of view in the this series of articles, the central point to be made about the death of Jesus is why He died — that He died for the sins of us all. The law of God demanded justice — death for those who sin — and nothing in that law allowed for forgiveness once man had sinned. But God is also a God of mercy and provided for us what we could not provide for ourselves — a perfect sacrifice for sin in the person of His own Son, Jesus Christ. It was in his death that Jesus shed His precious, guiltless blood and it is that blood which cleanses man from his sins (First John 1:7; Ephesians 1:7). But the only way to receive the benefits of Christ's blood is to be in Christ. If you believe Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah, then you need to repent of your sins (Luke 13:3); confess that belief before men (Rom. 10:10) and be baptized into Christ where His blood cleanses of all sin (Acts 2:38). |