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, prose loo . Hand yami ,ימין ;”kaph, “the hollow hand,” “palm ,כף ;”yadh, “hand ,יד) n, “the right hand”; שמאל, semo 'l, “the left hand”; χειρ, cheir, “hand”; δεξια, dexia, “the right hand”; αριστερα, aristera, “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.); ευ ωνυμος, euo �numos, 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 “yadh”). 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

 

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