Easter

Years ago, when I was in college and a baby Christian, I read an article about the physiology of the crucifixion. The article was written by a physician, so it gave a pretty good description of what happened to Jesus' body during the last 24-36 hours of his life. It made a huge impact on me: how could anyone go through so much for someone like me? Would I be willing to do it for anyone?
Most everyone knows that the Last Supper was composed of bread and wine. Basically, that's a carb fest! Lots of quick energy, but nothing that will support the body for very long. After this meal, Jesus went to the garden to pray. He left his trusted disciples to pray alone. He knew what the next 24 hours would bring. I honestly think he was afraid. He prayed for God to "let this cup pass from me", but submitted Himself to God's will(Matt. 26:39). Scripture says that, as he prayed, his sweat was "as drops of blood"(Luke 22:44). People have questioned whether this is possible. It is. The scalp, including the forehead, is very vascular. In times of severe stress, the capillaries, located just beneath the skin, can break. The blood from the capillaries can seep to the skin surface and mix with sweat. Thus, it is possible to "sweat blood".
The chief priests and elders of the temple arrested Jesus. After he was interrogated by the priests and scribes, he was mocked and beaten with peoples' fists. Scriptures report that, after Jesus was taken to Pilate, he was scourged. Scourging was done with a whip or cat o'nine tails. Several straps of leather were bound onto a short stick that acted as a handle. Each of these straps had small iron balls or sheep bones attached to them. As the prisoner was beaten, the balls would bruise the skin and the bones would bite into the skin ripping away the flesh. Jesus was then taken to Herod. Herod and his soldiers "treated Him with contempt and mocked Him", then returned Him to Pilate where He was condemned to death. The soldiers made a crown out of thorny plants and shoved it on His head. The thorns sunk into His skin and tore it as they were pressed down on His head.
By this time, the carb fest meal had left Jesus' system. He had lost blood due to the beatings. He had walked to the temple, to see Pilate, to Herod, and back to Pilate again. He had not slept in over 24 hours. He was exhausted and dehydrated. Simon of Cyrene carried His cross because Jesus was too weak to carry it himself.
To die by crucifixion is a cruel punishment. Historians believe that the wrists, not the hands are nailed to the cross. The bones and muscles of the hand are not strong enough to support the body. Imagine a railroad spike being hammered through your wrist. With each blow of the hammer, searing pain shoots through your arms. The feet are nailed onto a small platform. As the condemned is hanging on the cross, it becomes more difficult to take a deep breath. In order to take a deep breath, Jesus had to push up with His feet. The wood of the cross was not smoothly finished. Pain shot through His feet and up His legs, His raw back scraped against the rough wood, His arms rotated, pressing His wrists against the spikes. Agony. Death is usually due to suffocation. The body becomes weak and is unable to push up for another breath. Fluid builds up in the lungs because the heart is unable to pump blood through the body causing heart failure. The condemned can hang on a cross for days before death occurs. To hasten death, guards would use a club to break the legs of the condemned. The resulting shock can cause almost immediate death. Jesus died after 3 hours. God is merciful. What about the blood and water that poured from His side(John 19:34)? Think about the cause of death and the fluid that builds up in the lungs. When the sword was inserted into His side, that fluid and blood were given an escape route.
That's the short version of the physiology of the crucifixion. Would I do this for anyone. Honestly, I don't think so. The thought of suffering for hour after hour while a crowd laughs and spits at you would be unbearable. Why did Jesus go through this for me? It's easy to say that it was part of God's plan. When I think about the extent of the suffering that Jesus went through for me, I want to work even harder to obey God and serve Him.