The Crucifixion of Christ: The
Horrors of the Cross
The Horrors of the Cross
The 2nd of 5
Sermons in the Psalm 22 Series
Introduction
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the most cruel and degrading
form of execution the world has ever known. Invented by the
Persians, refined by the Carthaginians, and perfected by the Romans,
it was designed to maximize shame, pain, and public humiliation.
Roman historian Cicero called it “the most cruel and disgusting
penalty.” The Jewish historian Josephus described it as “the most
pitiable of deaths.” Jesus endured it willingly, fulfilling prophecy
and bearing our sins. Psalm 22 gives us the prophetic record of His
suffering, but history, medicine, and eyewitness accounts allow us
to understand how horrible it truly was. The purpose of this lesson
is to look squarely at what crucifixion involved so we can grasp the
depth of our Savior’s love.
The
Scourging Before the Cross
Before crucifixion, Roman custom required scourging. The condemned
was tied to a post with hands bound, then beaten by soldiers using a
whip called the flagrum. This instrument was made of leather thongs
weighted with bits of bone, metal, or lead. It was designed not only
to lacerate but to tear flesh, expose muscle, and sometimes even
organs. Historical records tell us that the scourging alone was so
brutal that many victims never survived to reach the cross.
The effects on
the body were catastrophic. Skin was shredded, blood poured out, and
the victim was left trembling in shock. Severe blood loss often
induced hypovolemic shock, leading to weakness, dizziness, and
extreme thirst. Jesus endured this scourging at Pilate’s order (John
19:1). Isaiah had prophesied it centuries earlier: “I gave my back
to the smiters” (Isaiah 50:6), and again, “with his stripes we are
healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Every lash was part of God’s plan, for by His
wounds we are made whole.
The Journey
to Golgotha
After scourging, the condemned was forced to carry the patibulum,
the crossbeam of the cross. This heavy beam often weighed between 75
and 125 pounds. The condemned had to drag it through the streets
while being jeered at by crowds, serving as a public warning of
Rome’s power. Already weakened from blood loss, most victims
stumbled under its weight. Jesus did too. Luke records that Simon of
Cyrene was compelled to carry the cross for Him when He could go no
farther (Luke 23:26).
The journey
itself was prophetic. Just as Isaac carried the wood for his own
sacrifice up Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:6), Jesus bore the wood of the
cross up the hill of Golgotha. Both stories point to the willing
sacrifice of the Son. Jesus’ steps toward Calvary revealed His
willingness to bear the full weight of our sin.
The Nailing
of Hands and Feet
Once at the place of execution, the victim was stripped naked and
thrown onto the ground. Soldiers stretched out his arms along the
crossbeam and drove heavy iron nails, five to seven inches long,
through the wrists or lower palms. The Greek word for “hand”
included the wrist, and nailing there ensured the body could be
suspended without tearing free. Nails crushed major nerves, sending
searing pain up the arms with every movement.
After the arms
were nailed, the crossbeam was hoisted onto the upright post. The
feet were then nailed either side-by-side or one on top of the
other, pinning the victim to the wood. Each step of this procedure
was carried out with cold efficiency by soldiers who had done it
countless times. Yet this was not just another crucifixion. This was
the fulfillment of prophecy: “They pierced my hands and my feet”
(Psalm 22:16). Zechariah 12:10 foretold it as well: “They shall look
upon me whom they have pierced.”
For Jesus, every
nerve screamed in pain, every breath was a struggle, and every
heartbeat drained His life away. The nails fixed Him to the cross,
but love for us kept Him there.
The Agonies
of the Cross
Once suspended on the cross, the true torture began. Crucifixion was
not designed for a quick death; it was intended for maximum
suffering stretched over hours, sometimes days. The victim’s arms,
nailed outstretched, bore the weight of the body, pulling joints out
of place. Shoulders and elbows were often dislocated. Each breath
required the victim to push against the nails in his feet and pull
against the nails in his wrists just to raise his chest enough to
inhale. With every movement, raw nerves were rubbed by iron,
producing burning waves of pain.
Medical studies
of crucifixion describe this constant struggle for breath. As the
body sagged, the chest cavity collapsed, making exhaling nearly
impossible. The victim had to push up painfully to breathe out and
then slump down again. The cycle repeated until exhaustion robbed
him of the strength to continue. Death usually came through a
combination of suffocation, shock, and heart failure. John records
that when the soldier pierced Jesus’ side, blood and water flowed
out (John 19:34), consistent with fluid buildup around the heart and
lungs in crucifixion victims.
The sense of
thirst was unbearable. Already weakened from scourging, Jesus’ body
was drained of blood and fluids. Hypovolemic shock produces an
intense craving for water, a symptom He voiced when He cried, “I
thirst” (John 19:28). Psalm 22:15 had foretold this agony: “My
tongue cleaveth to my jaws.” Even in His thirst, Jesus fulfilled
prophecy, for Psalm 69:21 also predicted, “in my thirst they gave me
vinegar to drink.” The soldiers offered Him sour wine, a bitter
mockery of His suffering.
The shame of
crucifixion was as cruel as the pain. The condemned was stripped
naked, exposed to the eyes of mocking crowds. In the Jewish mind,
nakedness was linked with humiliation and curse. Galatians 3:13
says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made
a curse for us.” Hanging between heaven and earth, rejected by man,
forsaken by God, Jesus bore the curse we deserved.
The mockery did
not stop. Passersby wagged their heads, soldiers sneered, rulers
taunted, and even the thieves crucified beside Him reviled Him
(Matthew 27:39–44). To suffer unspeakable pain while hearing insults
hurled into your dying ears compounded the cruelty. Psalm 22:7–8 had
seen it in advance: “All they that see me laugh me to scorn… he
trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him.”
Every moment on
the cross was torment. Every nerve was aflame. Every breath was
labored. Every word cost Him agony. Each detail fulfilled Scripture
and displayed the depth of His obedience to the Father’s will.
The Moment of
Death
After hours of agony, the time of death approached. Jesus had hung
on the cross for six hours, from the third hour to the ninth (Mark
15:25, 33). By this point His body was wracked with pain, His
strength nearly gone, and His breath labored. Yet even in death, He
remained in control. John records His final words: “It is finished”
(John 19:30). The Greek phrase
tetelestai means “paid in full” or “completed.” This was not a
cry of defeat but a declaration of victory. The mission given to Him
by the Father was accomplished. The debt of sin had been fully paid.
Immediately
after, Luke tells us Jesus said, “Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit” (Luke 23:46). He did not die from the loss of strength
alone but willingly gave up His spirit at the appointed moment.
Matthew confirms that He “yielded up the ghost” (Matthew 27:50). No
man took His life from Him; He laid it down of His own accord (John
10:18).
The earth itself
bore witness to the magnitude of this moment. Darkness covered the
land from the sixth to the ninth hour (Matthew 27:45). At His death,
the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, opening
the way into God’s presence (Matthew 27:51). The earth quaked, rocks
split, graves were opened, and even hardened soldiers confessed,
“Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54).
Psalm 22 closes
with the same triumph. The last verse says, “They shall come, and
shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born,
that he hath done this” (Psalm 22:31). The Hebrew carries the sense
of a completed act, an accomplished work. When Jesus said, “It is
finished,” He was declaring the very fulfillment of David’s
prophecy. The suffering Servant had borne the wrath, endured the
shame, paid the price, and secured salvation for all nations and
generations.
The cross was
the most horrible death ever devised by men, yet in it God brought
the greatest victory. Through His agony, Jesus purchased redemption.
Through His shame, He clothed us in righteousness. Through His
death, He brought life eternal.
The Crucifixion
of Christ: The Horrors of the Cross
A Supplemental
Sermon to Psalm 22
Introduction
-
Crucifixion
was the most cruel and degrading execution known to man.
-
Invented by
the Persians, refined by the Carthaginians, perfected by the
Romans.
-
Cicero: “The
most cruel and disgusting penalty.”
-
Josephus: “The
most pitiable of deaths.”
-
Jesus endured
it to fulfill prophecy and bear our sins (Isaiah 53).
-
Psalm 22 gives
the prophetic record; history and medicine reveal the depth of
the suffering.
-
Purpose: To
understand how horrible crucifixion was so we may grasp the
depth of Jesus’ love.
I. The
Scourging Before the Cross
-
Roman
procedure
-
Condemned
bound to a post, hands tied.
-
Beaten
with the flagrum: leather thongs weighted with bone, metal,
or lead.
-
Strikes
tore flesh, exposed muscles, even organs.
-
Victims
often died before crucifixion began.
-
Physical
effects
-
Severe
blood loss, hypovolemic shock.
-
Extreme
weakness, dizziness, and thirst.
-
Skin
shredded, body trembling.
-
Prophetic
fulfillment
-
Isaiah
50:6, “I gave my back to the smiters.”
-
Isaiah
53:5, “With his stripes we are healed.”
-
John
19:1, Jesus scourged by Pilate’s command.
-
Application
II. The
Journey to Golgotha
-
Burden of
the crossbeam
-
Victim
carried the patibulum, 75–125 pounds.
-
Dragged
through streets, mocked and jeered.
-
Public
spectacle served as Rome’s warning.
-
Jesus’
experience
-
Prophetic
echoes
-
Application
III. The
Nailing of Hands and Feet
-
Roman method
-
Victim
laid down, arms stretched on crossbeam.
-
Nails
5–7 inches driven through wrists/lower palms.
-
Crossbeam lifted onto upright post.
-
Feet
nailed, side-by-side or crossed.
-
Physical
trauma
-
Nails
crushed median nerves, sending searing pain.
-
Every
breath meant scraping wounds against nails.
-
Dislocated shoulders common as body sagged.
-
Prophetic
fulfillment
-
Psalm
22:16, “They pierced my hands and my feet.”
-
Zechariah 12:10, “They shall look upon me whom they have
pierced.”
-
John
20:25, Thomas sees the nail prints.
-
Application
IV. The
Agonies of the Cross
-
Suffocation
and exhaustion
-
Hanging
caused chest to collapse, making breathing difficult.
-
Victim
had to push up against nails to breathe.
-
Cycle of
lifting and slumping repeated until strength gave out.
-
Death
came through suffocation, shock, or heart failure.
-
Medical
evidence
-
The thirst
of crucifixion
-
Hypovolemic shock produced unbearable thirst.
-
Jesus
cried, “I thirst” (John 19:28).
-
Psalm
22:15, “My tongue cleaveth to my jaws.”
-
Psalm
69:21, vinegar given for His thirst.
-
Shame and
humiliation
-
Victim
crucified naked before crowds.
-
Galatians 3:13, Christ became a curse for us.
-
He
endured shame for our salvation (Hebrews 12:2).
-
Mockery and
ridicule
-
Passersby wagged heads, soldiers mocked, rulers sneered
(Matthew 27:39–44).
-
Psalm
22:7–8 foretold the very words of scorn.
-
Application
V. The
Moment of Death
-
The final
hours
-
Jesus
hung six hours, from the third to the ninth (Mark 15:25,
33).
-
Body
exhausted, strength drained, breath labored.
-
His final
words
-
John
19:30, “It is finished” —
tetelestai, “paid
in full.”
-
Luke
23:46, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
-
Matthew
27:50, He yielded up the ghost.
-
He chose
the moment of His death (John 10:18).
-
Signs at His
death
-
Darkness
covered the land (Matthew 27:45).
-
Temple
veil torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51).
-
Earthquake, graves opened, centurion’s confession (Matthew
27:54).
-
Prophetic
fulfillment
-
Application
Call to
Action
The crucifixion was a death of unimaginable pain and humiliation.
Yet Jesus endured it for you and for me. Every lash, every nail,
every mocking insult was borne in love. The cross shows both the
severity of sin and the greatness of God’s mercy. Look to the cross
and see what it cost for your salvation. Place your trust in the One
who suffered willingly and finished the work of redemption.
Key
Takeaways
-
Roman
scourging tore the body, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy of stripes
(Isaiah 53:5).
-
Carrying the
cross revealed His willingness to bear sin (Genesis 22:6; Luke
23:26).
-
The piercing
of hands and feet fulfilled Psalm 22:16 and Zechariah 12:10.
-
Suffocation,
thirst, and shame revealed the horror of crucifixion.
-
Jesus’ final
words, “It is finished,” declared the completion of God’s plan.
Scripture
Reference List
Psalm 22 – The Messianic psalm of the cross
Isaiah 50:6; 53:5 – Prophecies of scourging and stripes
John 19:1, 23–30, 34 – Scourging, casting lots, “I thirst,” piercing
of side
Matthew 27:26–54 – Crucifixion events and signs at His death
Luke 23:26, 46 – Simon of Cyrene, final words of Jesus
John 20:25 – Nail prints seen by Thomas
Zechariah 12:10 – Piercing foretold
Galatians 3:13 – Christ became a curse for us
Hebrews 12:2 – He endured the cross, despising the shame
Prepared by
David Hersey of the church of Christ at Granby, MO
|
The
church of Christ
