Medical aspects of the Crucifixion of

Jesus
By Irene McGough

(As a trained nurse by profession I thought this would be an

interesting study, but it also gave me a much deeper understanding
of just what my Lord and Saviour endured for one such as me.)
THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS- WHAT DID OUR LORD
ENDURE?

IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSENAME

Firstly let’s look at Gethsename. There is a rare condition known as

hematidrosis, or bloody sweat.

Luk 22:44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his
sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Under severe emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can
break mixing blood with sweat. This on it’s own could have produced
marked weakness and possible shock. Jesus sweat drops of blood for
us.

THE SCOURGING.

During a scourging the prisoner was stripped of His clothing and His
hands tied to a post above His head. The Roman legionnaire stepped
forward with the whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs
with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. This
heavy whip would be brought down with full force again and again
across Jesus' shoulders, back, and legs. At first the weighted thongs
cut through the skin only, tearing the skin apart. Then, as the blows
continued, they would cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues,
firstly producing an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of
the skin and finally then arterial bleeding from vessels in the
underlying muscles. When the skin of the back was hanging in long
ribbons, and the entire area was an unrecognizable mass of torn,
bleeding tissue he scourging was finally stopped.

EXCRUCIATE: to cause great agony, torment

Latin : ex : out of, from cruciate : cross

The English word excrutiate is derived "from the cross"

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed.

He was scourged for our healing.

NAIL PIERCED HANDS AND FEET

As Jesus slowly sagged down with more weight on the nails in the
wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shot along the fingers and up the arms
to explode in the brain.

Joh 20:25 The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the
Lord. But he said to them, Unless I shall see the print of the nails in
His hands, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust
my hand into His side, I will not believe.

It was common for the wrists to be pierced, the word hand as we see
above included the wrist. Have you ever thought of the nerve damage
which would occur here?

Quote:

Quote:
In the New Testament the word is helos, used of the nails in Christ's
hands Joh_20:25, and “to nail” in Col_2:14 (“nailing it to the cross”)
is προσηλοω, prosēlóō.
Hand
(‫יד‬, yādh, “hand”; ‫כף‬, kaph, “the hollow hand,” “palm”; ‫ימין‬, yāmīn,
“the right hand”; ‫שמאל‬, semō'l, “the left hand”; χειρ, cheír, “hand”;
δεξιά, dexiá, “the right hand”; ἀριστερά, aristerá, “the left hand”
(only Luk_23:33; 2Co_6:7), or euphemistically (for evil omens come
from the left hand; compare Latin sinister, German linkisch, etc.);
εὐωνυμος, euō̇numos, literally, “having a good name”): The Hebrew
words are used in a large variety of idiomatic expressions, part of
which have passed into the Greek (through the Sepuagint) and into
modern European languages (through the translations of the Bible;
see Oxford Hebrew Lexicon, under the word “yādh”). We group what
has to be said about the word under the following heads:
1. The Human Hand: Various Uses
The human hand (considered physically) and, anthropopathically, the
hand of God (Gen_3:22; Psa_145:16): The hand included the wrist, as
will be seen from all passages in which bracelets are mentioned as
ornaments of the hand, e.g. Gen_24:22, Gen_24:30, Gen_24:47;
Eze_16:11; Eze_23:42, or where the Bible speaks of fetters on the
hands (Jdg_15:14, etc
.(International Standard Bible Encyclopedia )
The nails in His wrists would put pressure on the median nerve, large
nerve trunks which traverse the mid-wrist and hand. As Jesus
pushed himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He would
place His full weight on the nail through His feet. This would cause
searing agony as the nail tore through the nerves between the
metatarsal bones of His feet. Then waves of cramps would sweep over
His muscles, knotting them in deep relentless, throbbing pain. With
these cramps would come the inability to push Himself upward.
Hanging by the arm, the pectoral muscles, the large muscles of the
chest, were paralyzed and the intercostal muscles, the small muscles
between the ribs, would be unable to act. Air would be drawn into
His lungs, but could not be exhaled. Jesus would struggle to raise
Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, the carbon
dioxide level increased in His lungs and in the blood stream, and the
cramps partially subsided.

THE LAST WORDS

Jesus would physically and emotionally struggle to say these last
words.

Luk 23:34 Jesus said, “ Father forgive them, for they do not know
what they are doing."

Luk 23:43 Jesus answered him"I tell you the truth, today you will be
with me in paradise."

John 19: 26 -27. Then looking down at Mary His mother, He said:
"Woman, behold your son." Then turning to the terrified, grief-
stricken adolescent John , the beloved apostle, He said: "Behold your
mother”

Mat 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi,
Eloi,lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?"

HEART AND LUNGS

As the end was rapidly approaching.the loss of tissue fluids would

have reached a critical level; the compressed heart would be
struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood to the tissues, and
Jesus’s tortured lungs would be making a frantic effort to inhale
small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues sent their flood
of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasped His fifth cry: "I thirst." Again
we read in the prophetic psalm: "My strength is dried up like a
potsherd; my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me
into the dust of death" (Psalm 22:15 KJV).
A sponge soaked in posca, the cheap, sour wine that was the staple
drink of the Roman legionnaires, was lifted to Jesus' lips. His body
would now be in extremis, and He would feel the chill of death
creeping through His tissues. This realization brought forth His sixth
word, possibly little more than a tortured whisper: "It is finished."
His mission of atonement had been completed. Finally, His seventh
and last cry: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit."

Jesus would have had a large amount of blood loss after this flogging.
He would become hypovolaemic.

Background: Hypovolemic shock refers to a medical or surgical

condition in which rapid fluid loss results in multiple organ failure
due to inadequate perfusion. Most often, hypovolemic shock is
secondary to rapid blood loss (hemorrhagic shock).

BLOOD AND WATER

Psa 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are spread
apart; My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels.

Joh 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a lance, and
instantly there came out blood and water.

MEDICAL DEFINITION OF PLEURAL EFFUSION:-

QUOTE
Definition
A pleural effusion is an accumulation of fluid between the layers of
the membrane that lines the lungs and chest cavity.

Alternative names
Fluid in the chest; Pleural Fluid

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Pleural fluid is normally formed in small amounts to lubricate the
surfaces of the "pleura," which is the thin membrane that lines the
chest cavity and surrounds the lungs. A "pleural effusion" is an
abnormal collection of this fluid.
Jesus suffered from this as he was dying on the cross.

He would have problems exhaling because in the position in which

Jesus was crucified in prevented normal movement of his diaghram
because of the distribution of his bodily weight he would be
suffocating to death

Joh 19:37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him
whom they pierced.

THE CROWN OF THORNS

The Saviour's “crown of thorns” (Mat_27:29) was according to

Palestinian tradition constructed from the twisted branches of a
species of Rhamnaceae either the Zizyphus lotus or the Z. spina. The
thorns would cause severe bleeding, the thorns could also cause nerve
damage.

Mat 27:29 And they platted a crown of thorns and put it upon his
head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before
him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

I cannot help but stand in amazement at what the Lord has done for
me. The pain he suffered and for me the guilty one. Can you wonder
why it is I love Him so? Jesus bore all this for you and me.
What love, what amazing love? What grace, grace beyond all
measure.

Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:
by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many;
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he
shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul
unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bare
the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The sinless spotless Son Of God has borne our iniquities on his body
on the cross. Praise be to God ,through the death of Jesus we have
redemption, if we have given our hearts to Jesus.

1Co 1:18 For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us who are saved it is the power of God.
Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This same Jesus who has been crucified for us is now at the Father’s
right hand on high. What does the cross work of Christ mean to us?
It is the power of God unto salvation. Hallelujah!

Bibliography: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.

Emedicine Speciality

http://www apu edu/infocus/2002/2003/crucifixion/

http://www.glorifythelord.com/crucifixion.html /

http://the-crucifixion.org/jesus/physician.html