When I learned the mechanics of crucifixion, I appreciated even more what Christ has done for me. I pray it will do the same for you.
There is no getting around it…crucifixion is gruesome and agonizing. We always tend to say, “Jesus died on the cross,” as if there was only one. The Romans invented crucifixion because, well…I guess because they were brutal and held little value for human life. Many died on crosses.
We’ve all seen the depictions of Jesus on a cross. The wrists are nailed to the beam, ropes sometimes bound the arm to keep flesh from ripping away from those nails, a block of wood was placed so that the knees were bent slightly, and the feet were nailed to that block. Every move must have been excruciating and yet the moving was absolutely necessary to cling to life.
The weight of the body would pull down and down until the lungs could no longer get air. At that point, the victim would have to push up on his nailed feet in order to straighten up and fill the lungs with air. This back and forth usually went on for about three days as the victim slowly asphyxiated and died.
To you and I, that would probably be the worst of it. However, for Jesus, that was only the physical part of it. The agony came when He was separated from His Father. God turned His back on His precious Son and poured out His wrath for all sin – past, present and future.
This is the punishment that Christ took on Himself for your and my sins.
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