Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

The word “passion” when used with reference to the “passion of Christ” means “the agony and sufferings of Jesus during the Crucifixion.” This issue of Truth Magazine is a study of the passion of Jesus Christ.

The passion narrative for this issue begins with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Following the generally accepted chronology, this must have occurred late Thursday night (10 p.m. or after). There Jesus agonized in his spirit as he submitted his will to the will of the Father. The intensity of his agony is manifest from his strong crying and tears (Heb. 5:7) and the sweat dropping like blood (Luke 22:44). Having finished his prayers, Jesus returned to the waiting disciples where he was arrested (probably near midnight).

Crossing the Kidron Valley, the mob led Jesus to the house of Annas and then Caiaphas where Jesus was tried before the Jewish     authorities. The Sanhedrin assembled late that Thursday night to try Jesus, concluding that he was guilty of blasphemy and should be executed. The verdict probably was reaching the verdict about 3 a.m. Shortly afterward, Peter denied the Lord and the cock crowed (which gives some indication of the time).

Early in the morning at daybreak (Luke 22:66; John 18:28), the Jewish authorities led Jesus to Pilate for trial. In the hours that intervened, Jesus was tried by Pilate, Herod Antipas, and a second time by Pilate. He was on the cross by the “third hour of the day” (Mark 15:25) on that Friday morning. Jesus’ trials in each incidence must have been short and the action moved quickly. His scourging, which in itself nearly killed a person, left him so weak that he stumbled beneath the weight of the cross.

The ritual of crucifixion, so familiar to first century men, to us is a strange manner of administering the death penalty. We have taken the time to relate what usually happened in crucifixion in its gory details so that one can appreciate the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins.

After Jesus died at 3 p.m., he was buried in Joseph’s tomb. There he lay through the Sabbath rest until he was raised on Sunday morning.

These hours in Jesus’ life are so significant a portion of the gospel narrative that all of the evangelists give considerable emphasis to them (Matthew gives chapters 26-28; Mark gives chapters 14-16; Luke gives chapters 22-24; John gives chapters 18-20). The fact that they give such a large percentage of their narrative to his crucifixion gives us some idea of how much we should emphasize it. Such a study will certainly point us to the conclusion that we are saved by grace! Paul said, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8). Jesus suffered death, even the death of crucifixion, to make atonement for our sins.

Let us join that majestic chorus who sing, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12). May this special issue evoke such praise of our Savior in each of us.

By Mike Willis

Capital punishment is still practiced in America and that in compliance with the revealed will of God. The Lord revealed, “Whosoever sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man” (Gen. 9:6). Executing murderers in American society is done in as painless a manner as men can devise, and that without regard to how much suffering the criminal caused his victim. We use lethal injection, the electric chair, hanging, and the firing squad. All of these methods of executing a criminal result in virtually instant death and relatively little pain to the one put to death.

When the first century Romans executed a man, they wanted the victim to suffer and they wanted his death to be a public spectacle to the community to prevent others from committing the same crime. One manner of executing criminals used by the Romans was crucifixion, which they borrowed from the Phoenicians.

Jesus’ Death by Crucifixion Was the Fulfillment of Divine Prophecy

Crucifixion was not used by Jews in putting a person to death. Among the methods for execution employed by the Jews were stoning, burning, beheading, and strangling (Mishnah, “Sanhedrin,” 7:1). When Jesus prophesied the manner of his death, he foretold to his disciples that the Jewish leaders would deliver him to the Gentiles (Mark 8:33). Matthew records Jesus’ prophecy of his death when he said, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again” (20:18-19). John records Jesus’ foretelling his crucifixion saying, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (12:32). “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” (3:14).

In addition to Jesus’ words prophesying specifically of his crucifixion, there are several Old Testament allusions to it (Zech. 9:9; Ps. 22; Isa. 53).

The Suffering of Crucifixion

We are impressed by the brevity of the New Testament accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus. Matthew simply says, “and they crucified him” (27:35); Mark says, “and when they had crucified him” (15:24); Luke says, “there thy crucified him” (23:33); and John, “. . . where they crucified him” (19:18). Those who lived in the first century were fully aware of what these words meant, of the suffering that accompanied such a death — even as we understand death by the electric chair — which might not be understood by someone in another culture and time.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1939 edition) describes death by crucifixion for us:

The suffering of death by crucifixion was intense, esp. in hot climates. Severe local inflammation, coupled with an insignificant bleeding of the jagged wounds, produced traumatic fever, which was aggravated by the exposure to the heat of the sun, the strained position of the body and insufferable thirst. The wounds swelled about the rough nails and torn and lacerated tendons and nerves caused excruciating agony. The arteries of the head and stomach were surcharged with blood and a terrific throbbing headache ensued. The mind was confused and filled with anxiety and dread foreboding. The victim of crucifixion literally died a thousand deaths. Tetanus not rarely supervened and the rigors of the attending convulsions would tear at the wounds and add to the burden of pain, till at last the bodily forces were exhausted and the victim sank to unconsciousness and death (II:761).

The length of the agony of crucifixion “was wholly determined by the constitution of the victim, but death rarely ensued before thirty-six hours had elapsed. . . . Death was sometimes hastened by breaking the legs of the victims and by a hard blow delivered under the armpit before crucifixion” (ISBE II:762).

The Skeletal Remains of a Victim of Crucifixion

Our understanding of how crucifixion was administered has also been enhanced by archaeology. In 1968, fifteen limestone ossuaries were found in three burial caves at Giv‘at ha-Mivtar, Jerusalem. Among the 35 skeletal remains that were found was that of a victim of crucifixion (tomb I, ossuary 4). From a study of these skeletal remains one can confirm several biblical references to crucifixion and learn how crucifixion was practiced in the first century. The crucified body is that of a male, 24-28 years old. The skeletal remains include the heel bones that were “found transfixed by a large iron nail. The shins were found intentionally broken” (N. Haas, “Skeletal Remains at Giv‘at ha-Mivtar,” Discoveries and Studies in Jerusalem 1970, 42). These remains are presently in the custody of the Israel Museum and are the only extant remains from antiquity known to be evidence of crucifixion.

In the remains at Giv‘at ha-Mivtar, the crucifixion victim’s heels show that they had been nailed to a cross. A wooden plaque, in a well preserved state, was situated below the head of the nail, between it and the bones. A single nail pierced the wood, through the right heel, through the left heel and into the cross, where it apparently struck a knot in the wood and bent. The board was used to prevent one’s freeing his legs (intentionally or unintentionally) by pulling the nail through his bones.

    The victim apparently suffered the breaking of the leg bones mentioned in John 19:31 and experienced by the two thieves crucified with Jesus. The right tibia and the left calf bones (tibia and fibula) were broken in their last third. Haas wrote, “The fracture of the right tibial bone (the fibula being unavailable for study) was produced by a single, strong blow. . . . This same blow had had indirect repercussions on the left angle bones. The percussion, passing the already crushed calf bones, was a harsh and severing blow for the left ones, attached as they were to the sharp-edged wooden cross” (57). Judging by the position of the break, scholars concluded that the knees were semi-flexed. The position of the body on the cross is described as follows: “the feet were joined almost parallel, both transfixed by a single nail at the heels, with the legs adjacent; the knees were doubled, right one overlapping the left; the trunk was contorted; the upper limbs were stretched out, each stabbed by a nail in the forearm” (58).

The weight of the body on the cross was supported by a sedecula, a piece of wood attached to the upright beam on the cross, which in the body at Giv‘at ha-Mivtar supported the right buttock. 

In the body from Giv‘at ha-Mivtar, a post mortem amputation of the feet occurred, which scholars believe occurred only after several abortive attempts had been made to extract the nail. The curved shape of the nail suggests that the nail struck a knot in the wood of the cross and bent. When those trying to remove the body from the cross could not remove the nail, they cut off the feet and then removed the nail, plaque of wood and feet from the cross for burial.

Jesus and Crucifixion

From this knowledge of crucifixion, we have a rather clear understanding of what Jesus endured at Calvary. After being scourged by Pilate’s soldiers (see article on scourging in this issue), Jesus was led away to be crucified. His scourging was so intense that he was unable to bear his cross the full distance to Golgotha and stumbled underneath its weight. Simon of Cyrene was compelled into service by the Roman government to bear Jesus’ cross (Matt. 27:32). Jesus was taken to Golgotha (Mark 15:22), also known as Calvary (Luke 23:33).

When the party arrived at Golgotha, the ritual of crucifixion began. The soldiers offered Jesus a narcotic to deaden the pain, which he refused (Matt. 27:34). The vertical post of the cross was placed in the ground. To it was attached a board, a sedecula, to support the weight of the body. The process of crucifixon usually began by nailing the victim’s arms to the cross. Sometimes the nail was placed in the forearm, although Scripture seems to indicate that the nails penetrated Jesus’ hands (John 20:27). Sometimes ropes were used to secure the body to the cross, to prevent one from ripping his hands free from the nails. Then the body attached to the cross beam was raised and attached to the vertical post. At this point, the feet were nailed. A large metal nail, that had already been driven through a board, was nailed through one’s ankles. The wounds of crucifixion were not mortal, although they were painful. Jesus’ rather quick death, after only six hours, points to the severity of his scourging as hastening his death (Matt. 27:45-50). 
One may distance himself from the full impact of these descriptions of death by crucifixion. They are the cold words of mere type on a page. I must relate this to myself in some manner. On two occasions, I have fainted when I was given a shot, a mere needle inserted just below the surface of the skin and then quickly withdrawn. If my flesh flinches and cringes from such minor pain, how could I endure having a nail intentionally driven through my hands and feet? And, given the power to prevent it, as Jesus the omnipotent God possessed and had at his disposal (Matt. 26:53; cf. John 10:18), would I willfully choose to endure it for someone — yea, anyone — else? Imagine the first stroke of the hammer against the nail being driven into one’s hand! One would blurt out an involuntary scream of pain. One would wince and grimace. And, then imagine the next hand being penetrated in the same manner. Oh, the sensations as the rawed nerves rubbed against the rough nail as they raised his body and attached the cross beam to the vertical post. The pain of the nails through the hands was probably less than that of the nail driven through the ankle bones. Trying to support one’s body on the cross without aggravating the pain around the nail holes would be impossible. Locked in one position, unable to move, no doubt produced cramps in various parts of the body. Slowly the life oozes out, until in welcome relief the spirit departs the flesh. Such was the death experienced by our blessed Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate God.

1. Jesus knew what was involved in crucifixion. Since crucifixion was commonly used as a form of capital punishment, Jesus was familiar with the humiliation and suffering that attended to that. Nevertheless, he voluntarily chose death on the cross that we might be saved from sin.
2. Jesus rejected the narcotic drink. Matthew relates, “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink” (27:34). The drink was designed to dull one’s senses so that he would not be so sensitive to the pain he endured. Jesus refused the drink, choosing to suffer all of the agony of crucifixion with clear senses.
3. Jesus suffered the humiliation of the cross. The cross was not an emblem of honor to be worn about the neck, as is the case with modern crucifixes. Rather, the cross had the same connotation in the first century as hanging and the electric chair have in this period. Furthermore, the Old Testament said, “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance” (Deut. 21:22-23).
4. Jesus endured mockery as he hung on the tree. Matthew records, 

And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God (Matt. 27:39-43).

 The humiliation Jesus experienced at the hands of sinful men caused Peter to exclaim, “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Pet. 2:23). Even before crucifixion, Jesus was treated derisively, being spit upon, slapped, and buffeted (Matt. 26:67). This abuse makes his statement of intercession, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” even more remarkable.

Conclusion

Jesus endured all of the pain and agony of the crucifixion. He suffered this even though he was not guilty of any sin. He suffered in our place. His death was an atonement for sin, not the worthy punishment administered by the state to criminals guilty of capital offenses. As we read of the suffering Jesus experienced on the cross, we are moved with compassion, sympathy, and empathy even as we are when we read of anyone’s suffering such pains, deserved or undeserved. When we realized he suffered without sin for a crime he did not commit, we are indignant at the injustice of his death. When we think that it was an atonement of sin, the blood of God the Son being shed as the atonement for the sins of the world, we are drawn to him by love — to think that he would endure such agony for me, a sinner. John said, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12).

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By David McClister

Crucifixion was an agonizing, torturous death, but Jesus endured a torture that was nearly as, or perhaps equally, excruciating before he ever got to the cross. This was the pain he suffered when he was scourged.

Scourging, called verberatio by the Romans, was possibly the worst kind of flogging administered by ancient courts. While the Jews administered whippings in the synagogues for certain offenses, these were mild in comparison to scourging. Scourging was not normally a form of execution, but it certainly was brutal enough to be fatal in many cases. A person certainly could be beaten to death by the scourge if that was desired. Its purpose was not only to cause great pain, but to humiliate as well. To scourge a man was to beat him worse than one would beat a stupid animal. It was belittling, debasing, and demeaning. It was considered such a degrading form of punishment that, according to the Porcian (248 B.C.) and Sempronian (123 B.C.) laws, Roman citizens were exempt from it. It was, therefore, the punishment appropriate only for slaves and non-Romans, those who were viewed as the lesser elements in Roman society. To make it as humiliating as possible, scourging was carried out in public.

The instrument used to deliver this form of punishment was called in Latin a flagellum or a flagrum. This was much different from the bull whip that is more common in our culture. It was instead more like the old British cat o’ nine tails, except that the flagellum was not designed merely to bruise or leave welts on the victim. The flagellum was a whip with several (at least three) thongs or strands, each perhaps as much as three feet long, and the strands were weighted with lead balls or pieces of bone. This instrument was designed to lacerate. The weighed thongs struck the skin so violently that it broke open. The church historian Eusebius of Caesarea recounts with vivid, horrible detail a scene of scourging. He says, “For they say that the bystanders were struck with amazement when they saw them lacerated with scourges even to the innermost veins and arteries, so that the hidden inward parts of the body, both their bowels and their members, were exposed to view” (Ecclesiastical History, Book 4, chap. 15).

The victim of a scourging was bound to a post or frame, stripped of his clothing, and beaten with the flagellum from the shoulders to the loins. The beating left the victim bloody and weak, in unimaginable pain, and near the point of death. It is no doubt that weakness from his scourging was largely the reason Jesus was unable to carry his cross all the way to Golgotha (Matt. 27:32 and parallels).

As noted above, the beating administered by synagogues was not nearly as drastic as a Roman scourging. First, the instrument used in the synagogues was a lighter whip and was not weighted with metal or bone. Second, according to the tradition recorded in the Mishnah (tractate Makkot), the judges would determine if the victim could survive the full measure of the beating required by the law (forty lashes). If he could not, the number of lashes was reduced. Third, the Law of Moses limited whippings to forty lashes (Deut. 25:3), which was a provision to prevent excessive humiliation. The Jews usually stopped at thirty-nine (lest they counted wrong and violated the law by giving more than forty; cf. Paul’s reference to “thirty-nine stripes” in 2 Cor. 11:24). Scourging, however, was much more traumatic, even to the point of being fatal. The flagellum was a much more torturous instrument, the lashes were delivered without any compassion or consideration for the victim’s health, and Roman law imposed no limit to the number of lashes inflicted at scourging. Roman law mandated scourging as part of capital sentences, but this probably had the effect of shortening the victim’s agony once on the cross. The victim would have been so weak from blood loss and pain that he would die more quickly than if he had not been scourged. This seems to have been the case with Jesus (although the scourging was probably not the only thing that caused him to die relatively quickly).

Why did Pilate have Jesus scourged? While Roman law required capital sentences to be accompanied by scourging, the decision to scourge Jesus was made before it was determined that he would be crucified. After Jesus was scourged, Pilate attempted to release him (John 19:1ff). Only when the crowd threatened riot at this suggestion did Pilate allow Jesus to be crucified, and then still reluctantly. It seems that Pilate had two things in mind. First, it may be that Pilate, while he was unable to find out exactly what Jesus had done to cause the Jews to be so angry with him, suspected that Jesus was at least a troublemaker and had probably done something to deserve a flogging. It was Pilate’s job to keep and enforce peace in his region of the empire, so he probably felt no guilt at having Jesus scourged for having caused such an uproar. Second, Pilate hoped that if he humiliated Jesus enough the mob would be satisfied and he would not have to execute a man he believed to be innocent (cf. Luke 23:16). He stood the scourged Jesus before them wearing a crown of thorns and a mock robe. Pilate told them, “Behold, the man!” (John 19:5). By this he meant, “Look at him now. He will not go around calling himself a king any more, and he will not cause you any more trouble.” However, the mob was not satisfied with only a humiliated Jesus. They demanded his death.

Like everything else about his death, Jesus knew that he would be scourged. He mentioned it when He predicted his sufferings for the third time (Matt. 20:19 and parallels). He knew that before he died of the torture of the cross he would have to endure a savage, brutal beating at the hands of the Romans who were more than ready to vent their hatred against Jews. He accepted those blows, and his body was ripped open at the post, for us. He was taking the punishment of the sins of the world so that we might not have to suffer the consequences of our transgressions. By his stripes we are healed.

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By Ray Madrigal

The gospels of Matthew (26:47-56), Mark (14:43-52), Luke (22:47-53), and John (18:2-12) all narrate the awesome and awful account of Jesus’ arrest. The scene seems ominous from the very start. Jesus has already informed his closest companions that one of them would betray him into the hands of sinful men, and yet another would deny any association with him whatsoever. Although the disciples considered it quite difficult to believe that such treason and sedition could be found among them, in fact they all would eventually forsake him that very night.  As Jesus contemplated the horrible events that were about to take place, Peter, James, and John were unable to stay awake for even one hour and pray with him during that momentous night. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was quite weak indeed.

The synoptic gospels unanimously describe Judas as “one of the twelve.” Why this detail? Could it be that this is a timeless message for all disciples everywhere? If one of the closest companions of our Lord could commit such betrayal, it is certainly possible for me, for you, for any twentieth-century (or third millennium) disciple to commit similar acts of spiritual treason and perfidy. In truth, it is possible for modern disciples to treat Jesus with great contempt and dishonor whenever they commit apostasy and fall away (Heb. 6:6). Ignorance, neglect, indifference, apathy, hypocrisy all have a spiritual dimension that translates into religious rebellion. There is certainly more than one way to betray the Son of man with a kiss. Of course, Jesus knew in advance what Judas would do, and even predicted the course of events that would later transpire that very night. The one who “ate of my bread, has lifted his heal against me” (Ps. 41:9; Mark 14:18; John 13:18, 26). Although Judas would later have a change of heart, the damage was done, and could not be reversed. 

The gospel of John informs us that a coalition of (Roman) soldiers and (Jewish) officials from the chief priests and Pharisees was formed to arrest Jesus of Nazareth. Although this motley crew was equipped with “lanterns and torches and weapons,” they all “drew back and fell to the ground” when Jesus identified himself to them: “I am he” (18:3, 6). It is amazing that the combined strength of Jerusalem and Rome could only subdue Jesus on his terms. Even during this dark night of despair, Jesus was in complete control of the situation. The Son of God voluntarily submitted to the will of the Father, and thus was arrested at the hands of sinful men. Though Jesus could have marshaled the forces of twelve legions of angels (Matt. 26:53) to rescue him at this perilous moment, instead, he willingly drank the cup which had been prepared by the Father.

When Jesus’ companions finally realized what was happening, “one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear” (Mark 14:47). Although all four canonical gospels depict this remarkable event, only John mentions names. The brave and defiant disciple was, of all people, Simon Peter, who would later deny that he even knew Jesus. The slave’s name was Malchus (18:10). Only Luke tells us that Jesus immediately “touched his ear and healed him” (22:51). The combined details of the gospels tell us in no uncertain terms that this was no time for fighting (although see Luke 22:35-38). As Jesus would later tell Pilate, and as Jesus’ followers would later learn, “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36). The miraculous healing of Malchus’ ear was yet another obvious reminder of Jesus’ authority and power even at this hour of crisis. “When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53).

In describing the cowardly behavior of the disciples, both Mark and Matthew make note of the direct fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures.  “All forsook him and fled” (Mark 14:50-52, cf. 14:27). Those who had followed Jesus for so long, at this moment of truth, simply ran away. Perhaps confused and disoriented, one young man left his linen cloth behind and “ran away naked.” Misunderstanding the nature of the situation, and seeing their leader bound and (seemingly) powerless, the disciples ran away, looking for some place to hide. Since their shepherd seemed defeated and stricken, the bewildered sheep quickly scattered (Zech. 13:7).

The record of Jesus’ arrest in the garden of Gethsemane portrays a resolute Savior determined to submit to the divine will and endure great suffering in order to secure salvation for all who profess Christ. That he had the power to summon the angelic host to rescue him from this imminent danger only underscores his great love for mankind. Jesus knew in advance what was about to take place. He accepted the worship of those who arrested him, and witnessed the rapid dispersion of his closest friends. Jesus experienced emotional as well as physical pain but was determined to give up everything, including his own life, to make atonement for sins possible. Although the awful and terrible events surrounding Jesus’ arrest in the garden would immediately lead to his death by crucifixion, his bodily resurrection would soon demonstrate the impotence of death itself, and usher in the blessed hope of eternal life. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57).

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