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There they Crucified Him...

4/3/2012

 
Luke 23:33 
    And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left
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In this verse we discover the description of Luke concerning the crucifixion of Jesus. There is little detail revealed in this verse. Luke reveals the place where He was crucified: Calvary. He reveals that when they came to that place, they crucified Him, but we find no real details of what actually took place; it simply says they crucified Him. 

We are looking toward Easter Sunday, Resurrection Morning, and I certainly rejoice for the empty tomb. Had Christ not risen, His death would have been in vain. Had He not risen, He would have been like every other man who had lived and died. Had He not risen, we would have no hope. Thank God for the resurrection! 

I am interested though in the crucifixion of our Lord. I am aware that many are shying away from a "bloody" gospel. Many today no longer want to consider the Price that was paid upon the cross. They no longer want to mention the death that He died. Had Christ not been willing to die upon the cross, there would be no reconciliation for sin. It was there that He bore the sins of the world in His body and faced the righteous judgment of God in our place. 

But this was much more than just being placed upon the cross. Our feeble minds cannot begin to grasp the suffering our Lord endured during the crucifixion process. Prior to being placed upon the cross, He was scourged of the Roman soldiers. This was a particularly brutal punishment in itself. History teaches that He was whipped with a "cat of nine tails." That was an instrument devised to inflict intense pain upon the condemned. It was a whip that consisted of nine leather straps attached to a handle. At the end of each of those straps would have been secured a bone fragment or a piece of lead. As the soldier would strike the barren back of the accused, the bone fragment would lodge into the flesh. As he drew the whip back to administer another lash, the bone fragment would literally rip the flesh from the back of the one being whipped. Can you imagine being struck just one time, on a bare back, and having the flesh ripped out in nine different places? This was not done just one time, but repeatedly unto our Savior. He was literally beaten beyond recognition. 

After such a brutal beating, He was forced to bear the cross, carrying it up the hill to where He would be crucified. Along the way, He was mocked and spat upon. The blood was running down His brow from the crown of thorns that was forcefully placed upon His head. The blood would have been running down His back and sides from the beating He had just endured. 

He was then forced to the ground and nailed to the cross, with iron spikes driven through His hands and feet. Once Jesus was secured to the cross, He was lifted up and the cross was "dropped" into the hole in the ground prepared to hold it. Imagine the intense pain as the cross struck the bottom of the hole and the weight of His body pulled against the spikes. 

Take just a moment to consider the thoughts of Dr. Alan Carr, www.sermonnotebook.org, regarding the crucifixion.  We can't even begin to comprehend the pain that Jesus endured on the cross that day to atone for the sins on man. In fact, crucifixion is widely regarded as the most horrible form of execution ever devised by man. When a person was nailed to the cross, the nails would come into contact with the median nerve that runs though the forearms and into the hands. This would irritate this nerve and cause the body to undergo violent spasms, which would result in the body being slammed into the upright wood of the cross. Also, the body would sag due to fatigue and weakness in the limbs. This collapsing of the body would result in the chest muscles preventing the lungs from expanding. The only way the condemned man could breath would be for him to push against the nails in his feet as he pulled against the nails in his hands. This action would raise him up and allow him to fill his lungs. This would have to be repeated each time a breath was needed. Eventually the body would be so weak from the combined influence of gangrene, blood loss, dehydration and exhaustion, that the victim would be unable to lift his body and would suffocate. 

Luke reveals that they crucified Him. May we take a moment to reflect upon all that Jesus endured during the crucifixion. He endured all of that for you and me. He loved us enough to die that horrible death so that we wouldn't have to! Jesus died so that we might live!

Preacher Chris

Bill Wall link
4/16/2012 02:37:24 am

continue to enjoy your writings May God Bless


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    I am Chris Benfield, pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church in Boonville, NC. Here you will find some of my thoughts, particularly relating to the church and serving our Lord.                                                   

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