What Jesus went through for us
A crown of thorns made from a thornbush was a crown that covered the whole head not just a ring around it.
This was called a Lumpkin. It was not just placed on His head. It was driven deep into His forehead, temples, ears and the back of His neck.
The head is one of the most sensitive areas, full of nerves and blood vessels. A wound like that could cause a tremendous flow of blood.
Crucifixion was a form of execution used by the Romans as a torture designed to produce maximum pain and a slow death. Reserved for the vilest of
criminals and rarely administered to Roman citizens, crucifixion was customarily preceded by flogging the back, buttocks, and legs with a short whip
consisting of leather thongs with small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bone attached which cut into the flesh and ripped tendons and muscles
as it was ripped out by the person holding the whip.
The weakened victim was then made to carry at least a portion of the cross to the site of crucifixion. Romans commonly used large nails to fix the
wrists and palms to the cross bar and the feet to the vertical portion of the cross. The nails inflicted terrible pain but caused no immediate
life-threatening injury. A person could live in agony for hours or even days! The body's position made breathing difficult since hanging by the
arms kept the chest expanded so that exhaling required the active use of the diaphragm. If the sufferer pushed with his feet, he elevated his body,
placing the chest in a more natural position and making it easier to breathe. Soldiers sometimes hastened death by breaking the legs of the victim,
making it almost impossible to push the body high enough to breathe.
I would like to add that they did not break our Lord's legs, as prophesied by Isiah
Jesus was on the cross for about six hours before he laid down his life. This is a
very short time to be on the cross. The two thieves with whom he was crucified were
still alive and the soldiers broke their legs to hasten their death. Please recall
that Jesus said, "It is finished" and then he "gave up the ghost", meaning that he
chose that moment to die. Therefore, when the Roman soldiers came to him "they
marveled that he was dead already" because they knew from experience that it takes a
long time to die by crucifixion, and that was the reason they did not break his legs.
The fact that Jesus was dead already serves as another sign to us of his uniqueness.
That is what He did for us. What are we prepared to do for Him?
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