FOR YOU AND FOR ME

Roman crucifixion(1) was an ancient method of execution in which the victim's hands and feet were tied to, and then nailed to a cross. It was a most painful and disgraceful method of capital punishment. Victims were usually beaten and tortured and then forced to carry their own cross to the crucifixion site.

In the narrative of Christ’s arrest, mock trial, and crucifixion found in Matthew 27, we find this brief reference to the beating that took place – "Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified."(v.26) This “flogging” would have been done with a whip made of strips of leather with pieces of bone and lead attached to the ends. With each blow, the flesh would be torn open. The Jews limited the number of lashes to 39. The Romans had no such limitation, and the victims of Roman floggings often did not survive what had to be a horrifically painful ordeal.
 The Roman cross was formed of wood, typically with a vertical beam and a horizontal cross beam at or near the top. In New Testament Bible times, the Romans used this awful method of execution as a means of exerting authority and control over the population. As a deterrent to crime, crucifixions were carried out in highly public places with the criminal charges posted on the cross above the victim's head.

Before nailing the victim to the cross, a narcotic mixture of wine and gall was typically offered to alleviate some of the victim's suffering. Jesus refused this. (Matt 27:34) Wooden planks were usually fastened to the vertical stake as a footrest or seat, allowing the victim to rest his weight and lift himself for a breath. A person hanging from his hands will soon find it difficult to breathe. The Romans provided the wooden planks not out of compassion, but as a way of prolonging the suffering. and delaying death for up to three days. Unsupported, the victim would hang entirely from nail-pierced wrists, severely restricting breathing and circulation. The victim could push against the wooden plank and the spike passing through his feet, the shredded flesh of his back rubbing against the rough hewn timber, raising his body sufficiently to draw a full breath. This excruciating ordeal would lead to exhaustion, suffocation, brain death and heart failure. At times, mercy was shown by breaking the victim's legs, causing death to come quickly.(2)

Death did come quickly for Jesus, but not because of an act of mercy on the part of the Romans. He was on the cross from the sixth hour to the ninth hour (Matt 27:45) – from noon until 3 PM. A few verses later, we read that Jesus cried out in a loud voice and he gave up his spirit. Christ was in control, and he willingly gave up his spirit – it was not taken from him.

Jesus, being in very nature God (Phil 2:6) could have stopped this entire process at any time. He had the power to do so, yet he did not. He endured betrayal by one of those close to him, an illegal trial conducted in the middle of the night, and humiliation at the hands of the Roman soldiers. He was spit upon and beaten. His beard was plucked out and a crown of thorns was shoved onto his head. He was flogged, laid down on the cross with his arms extended, and large spikes were driven through his wrists and feet. The cross was then lifted and the vertical beam was dropped into a hole. The cross stood upright, and he hung there, naked and in pain. Why did the Son of God endure all of this?

For you and for me.

I have a tendency to “forget” this part of the Easter story. Most of the emphasis is on Christ’s resurrection three days later – as it should be. Without the resurrection, there is no story. This part of the Easter story – his suffering – is worthy of remembrance as well, because it reminds me of how great the Father’s love is for me. Jesus Christ, the son of God, endured all of this because of my sin and the sins of the world.


Now, I don’t know about you, but when I hear the phrase “the sins of the world”, my life, and my sin, seems very small in that grand perspective. Christ’s suffering seems more “generalized”, but in reality it was highly personal. His sacrifice was for me, one whom he knew already, before the foundation of the world. It was for you as well.

In Christian circles we speak of “coming before the cross”. When we do, we gaze upon an empty cross that reminds us of Christ’s victory over sin and death. We would do well to also remember what He endured for us.

May it be so…

In Christ –

John

Soli Deo Gloria


(1)Information regarding crucifixion is from “Brief Overview of the History of Crucifixion” by Mary Fairchild. http://christianity.about.com/od/goodfriday/a/crucifixionhist.htm as well as the NIV Study Bible,1995 Edition, Zondervan Publishing House.


(2)The practice of crucifixion was abolished in 337 A.D. by the first Christian emporor, Constantine the Great.