The Crucifixion of Jesus

Jesus suffered through the night. Suffered through trials. Suffered through beatings, through mockery, and through the unspeakable brutality of the scourge. Worn by pain, by blood loss, by grief, He navigated the narrow streets of Jerusalem. Falling beneath the weight of the cross. Unable to bear it alone.

Finally, He arrived at Golgotha. He was stripped naked. His outer garment became the prize of a lucky soldier who won a game of chance (John 19:23–24). Another humiliation. Another insult. Another prophecy fulfilled (Psalm 22:18).

So began the most momentous event in history. And yet, Scripture’s description of the event is surprisingly understated: “And they crucified him” (Mark 15:23).

In an encyclopedic article on crucifixion, Henry Dosker details the physical agonies that accompanied death on a cross—the scourging, the nails, the shredded tendons and nerves, the fever-induced confusion, the inevitable dehydration, and the plodding suffocation. He finally concludes, “The victim of crucifixion literally died a thousand deaths.” (Henry E. Dosker, “Cross,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr [Peabody, MA: Hendriksen Publishers, 1956], 2:761).

Jesus’ hands and feet were affixed to a rugged cross. While the pain was excruciating, no bones were broken. The Roman torturers were experts at their cruel craft. The cross was hoisted into place with thoughtless efficiency. And Jesus’ life began to drip away.

Ken Gire describes what witnesses would have seen outside the walls of Jerusalem that day: Pools of blood beading the dirt beneath the cross. A heavy spike through the feet. Ribs protruding against the skin. Open wounds bothered by flies. Eyes swollen with fever. Hair matted from this morning’s thorns. Hands raised to God on splintered wood. A slumped torso, dangling from impaled wrists like some grotesque pendant.

The physical agonies were nearly infinite. And yet they paled in comparison to the spiritual agonies our Savior endured. It was all terrible. Terrible.

So, what are we to do with this grisly information? How are we to respond in the face of such agony? I suggest two essential responses to the horrors of Calvary.