When my wife and I first got married, we made several moves from one rent house to another. In one of these moves, we were unloading boxes of old books and I ran across a book which had belonged to my wife before we were married. The name of the book was "The Day Christ Died" by Jim Bishop and had a copywriter date of 1957. After looking through the book, I decided to put it aside to read later. Later, turned out to be several years later in October of 1986 and again in September of 1995.
Jim Bishop dedicated this book to his mother for teaching him to love God. Jim is a Historian and the book was written like a History of the "Life of Jesus." Most of it was things that I had heard since childhood. Most everyone who has ever gone to church has heard the story of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his Resurrection but this was the first time I really ever Heard it. This Story was written in great detail concerning the method of crucifixion by the Romans and the terrible cruelty they inflicted on Jesus.
I am not sure the average person has heard the gruesome facts of his crucifixion. The reason for this article is to tell the facts that led me to realize that Jesus Christ died for My Sins and to tell the story of his last days on earth and their effect on my new life.
April 7, A.D. 30
It was around Midnight and Jesus was walking and talking with his apostles. "Do not let your heart be troubled," he said at one pause in the journey. "I am going home and I am coming back to you. I have told you this now , before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may revive your faith." Jesus was telling his disciples of his death and resurrection to come.
Jesus and the Eleven continued on their journey until they reached some stone caves where they stopped to rest. Jesus took Peter, James and John across the road from the caves into the Garden to talk. Here they saw Jesus as they had never seen him before. His face was consumed with fear and agony as he became as a mortal man about to face death. Jesus told the three to stay here and stay awake as he turned away from them in sorrow. He began to pray to his father and began to Sweat Blood (a term we have all heard.)
(Luke 22:44 KEV) And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
The drops of Blood began dripping on the rock he was resting on and onto his beard. Medically speaking, this is called hematidrosis which is caused by fear and suffering and sometimes can cause a person to lose consciousness but if they do not, the capillaries burst and come in contact with the sweat glands and the blood is expelled with the sweat.
It was around 3 A.M. in the morning when a large crowd of Roman Soldiers and Pharisees led by Judas found Jesus in the garden with Peter, James and John by his side.
Jesus was taken into custody for blasphemy and taken to the home of the High Priest, Caiphas. Caiphas and his followers decided that he should be put to death. The Priests ordered him taken into the courtyard and there he would be guarded until dawn, at which time he would be taken to Pontius Pilate to be sentenced. While in the courtyard, the guards put a large container of hot coals near him while they interrogated him and slapped and punched him until he was unable to stand.
(Luke 22:64 KJV) And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
They put a blindfold on him and began calling him obscene names, punching and hitting him in the stomach. This was done repeatedly until they had to stop because they did not want him to be seen in a bad condition when he was taken through the streets to see Pilate. He was already having trouble standing on his own and was walking around in a bent-over position from the punches to the stomach.
After Dawn he was taken to see Pilate and then to Herod and then back to Pilate. Neither man wanted the responsibility of his execution but it was finally given to Pilate. Pilate decided that he would use his Passover Pardon to get out of this predicament. He asked the people to chose either Jesus or Barabbas, the murderer, to be pardoned and since the people did not know what crime Jesus had actually committed, they chose Barabbas to be released. Pilate thought they would choose Jesus and so his plan backfired on him.
(Mat 27:26 KJV) Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
First Pilate ordered that Jesus be scourged as was a Roman method of severe punishment in hopes it would appease the crowd. Jesus was pulled against a stone column and his hands tied on the other side. The flagellation was done with a whip made with leather strips with pieces of bone and chain attached at the ends. The soldier who performed the flagellation stood behind Jesus and brought the whip hard against his back as the bits of bone and chain left whelps that filled with blood. Jesus almost fainted at the first blow. He began talking to his father and asking for the strength to bare the pain. This continued for a few minutes until the Centurion ordered it stopped. Jesus was untied and he slumped to the floor.
He was allowed to rest on a large stone and while he sat there, he began to shake so hard, his teeth chattered. Jesus was almost in Shock at this time. One soldier made a crown of thorns and placed it on his head and then placed a reed septor in his hand and then bowed to him as he would a king as everyone laughed.
The crowd still called for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate could not believe his ears and finally gave up and ordered that the Priests take over and ordered the Centurion, Abenadar, to prepare for the crucifixion and called for a bowl of water to wash his hands. This symbolized his washing his hands of the whole affair and he then left the room.
The Centurion sent for two thieves who were to be executed with Jesus and sent for three trees so that they could be carried by the condemned men on their trip to Calvary. They carried only the crosspiece as the upright part of the cross stayed in place at the execution sight. A sign had been made to place above the cross which told of each man's crime. The sign that was made for Jesus was inscribed "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Since Jesus had been beaten and had not had any food or drink, he was unable to carry the cross but about half way. The Centurion picked a man called Simon from the crowd of onlookers and ordered him to carry the cross for Jesus.
The Time is now about 12 Noon
(Mark 15:25 KJV) And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
(Mark 15:26 KJV) And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
(Mark 15:27 KJV) And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
After arriving on Golgotha Hill, the soldiers began the crucifixion with Jesus First. He was laid down on the crosspiece and the executioner held two five-inch nails in his teeth and placed one nail in a soft part of the wrist and hammered it in place and then jumped across to the other side and did the same. The executioner then stood up and raised his arms to a point above his head which was a signal for him to be raised in place at the top of the upright. Two soldiers were on each side to raise him. This caused the arms of Jesus to be pulled downward in a "V" shape in excruciating pain. After the crosspiece was placed in the notch on the upright, the executioner took a nail and placed the right foot over the left and pushed the legs upward in a buckled position and hammered the nail in place. The Romans had learned from experience that this let the condemned man push downward on the nails in his feet and stretch himself upward. This made Death come more slowly.
As long as Jesus was stretched downward, the pain in his wrists was so intense he would raise himself upward to relieve the pain and this also made it easier to breathe. As long as he was stretched downward, it was almost impossible to take in air to the lungs. Jesus repeated this up and down motion with pain and agony. In crucifixion, death usually came from asphyxiation and not loss of blood although he had lost quite a lot from the thorns in his head and the beatings before.
The soldiers beneath the cross were playing knucklebones and gambling to see who would get the clothing of Jesus and were making fun and yelling cruelties at Jesus. Jesus looked down at them and said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." This startled the soldiers and they stopped and were silent for a moment.
The Thieves on the cross on each side of Jesus had been talking to him. One had been making fun of him and the other, after asking Jesus to remember him when he returned in his Glory, was told that he would be with Jesus in Paradise.
BY 2 P.M. in the afternoon, Jesus was near death but resisted as he felt he had not suffered to the extreme. He noticed his Mother Mary and his disciple nearby and spoke to them and told the disciple to take care of his mother. Jesus now felt the nearness of death and drew himself up for another breath of air and cried out "Eli, Eli, Lema sabachthami ." He looked around and saw the anguish of his friends and said "I thirst."
(John 19:29 KJV) Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
(John 19:30 KJV) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
At about 3 P.M. he pulled himself to the top of the cross one last time and cried "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." As the day was coming to an end, a soldier examined the three men on the crosses to make sure they were dead, and he took a spear and threw it into the side of Jesus to be sure he was dead.
In reading the words of Jesus as he hung on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." I felt he was speaking to me personally. This, plus the reading about his terrible suffering, brought me to believe he died for me. I have probably heard about his death on the cross hundreds of times but never before did it seem so vivid to me.
I can't imagine how anyone could read these gruesome details and not be sick at heart for his suffering. I sometimes feel I wasted so many years of my life but can only try to think of ways to make up for them.
My Baptism in Christ was on September 18, 1995. Thanks to God!
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