Crucified - Part 1

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:18-19).

After Jesus was mocked and scourged in the Praetorium (the headquarters of the Roman guards in Jerusalem), He was taken to Golgotha and crucified. Crucifixion was a form of torture and capital punishment designed to produce a slow death. It was one of the most humiliating and painful methods of execution and usually was reserved for slaves, foreigners, revolutionaries, and the worst criminals. Crucifixion originated with the Persians hundreds of years before Christ and became a common form of execution under the Assyrians, Scythians, Carthaginians, Germans, Celts, and Britons. The Romans perfected the practice, maximizing the pain and suffering of the victim that could last for days at a time. Roman law usually protected Roman citizens from crucifixion, except in the case of desertion by soldiers. 

The cross was typically an upright wooden post and horizontal crossbar, thought there were several variations. The condemned man carried his own cross from the scourging post to the site of crucifixion outside the city walls. He was naked, unless prohibited by local customs. Since the weight of the entire cross was probably well over 300 lb., and since wood was relatively scarce, only the crossbar (patibulum) was carried. The vertical part of the cross (stipes) was usually a permanently fixed timber at the crucifixion site. 

The crossbar weighed 75-125 lb., was placed across the victim’s neck, and balanced along both shoulders. The outstretched arms were tied to the crossbar. The processional to the site of crucifixion was led by a Roman military guard and a centurion. A soldier carried a sign on which the condemned man’s name and crime were displayed. Later, the sign would be attached to the top of the cross. Roman guards would stay with the victim until death was confirmed.

At the site of execution, by law, the victim was given a bitter drink of wine mixed with myrrh (gall) as a mild pain reliever. The victim was thrown to the ground on his back, with his arms outstretched along the patibulum, and his hands nailed or tied to it. The Romans preferred nailing. The nails were tapered iron spikes 5-7 in. long with a square shaft 3/8 in. across at the top. The nails were driven through the wrists rather than the palms.

After both arms were fixed to the patibulum, the victim was lifted onto the stipes and secured. The feet were nailed or tied to the cross. The Romans preferred nails. Although the feet could be fixed to the sides of the post or to a wooden footrest, they usually were nailed through the ankles directly to the front of the post. The legs were flexed at the knees to facilitate breathing.

“Lord Jesus, the pain and suffering You endured on the cross is unimaginable. The physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual horror of Your dying, which came as the result of my sin, is beyond comprehension. Thank You for such love that took You to the cross so that I might escape the judgment of God’s wrath for my sin. Amen.” 

Pastor