Clete DeWispelare

Understand this: The movies and shows about the crucifixion have been tame when compared to what He actually went through. Even The Passion Of The Christ was forced to hold back a little in order to avoid an X rating. Crucifixion was, and still is, arguably the most excruciating death someone can experience. The night before in Gethsemane, He was sweating blood. This is known as hematidrosis. This would have caused His skin to become extremely sensitive, thus making the beatings to come even worse. The fear He felt was the beginning of His feeling the weight of our iniquities being laid on Him. Yet - in this moment, He didn’t demand that the Father take it from Him. He only asked for the cup to pass Him over if it was within the Father’s will. Up next came the Cat of Nine Tails, or a Roman Flagrum. This was a weapon with long leather “tails”, each embedded with sharp bones and metal. He was flogged 39 times as Jewish law mandated “40 minus one”, because 40 was said to kill a man. This flogging wasn’t like being punished by your father’s leather belt. Every strike tore flesh, every strike exposed muscle. Every strike exposed nerve endings. Every strike tore flesh to the bone. This would be like getting struck with razor blades over and over again, leading to hypovolemic shock from blood loss. Oh, and the crown of thorns? These weren’t rose thorns. These were thorns which were 2-3 inches long. Beaten into his skull. These thorns would have pierced his skull, tripping the trigeminal nerve, thus causing unimaginable pain and even more blood loss from the dozens of head wounds. At this point, extreme nausea and dizziness would begin to set in. What came next? Carrying the cross. Which weighed around 300lbs. This would be like carrying two full kegs on your back. Splinters and wood grating against the open flesh on His back. And He had to carry it 650 yards, or close to a half mile. Imagine carrying a log on your back after being skinned alive. Up next? He was nailed to the cross with spikes 5-7in in length. Piercing His wrists - this no doubt pierced the median nerve, causing extreme burning sensations up and down His arms. A spike was driven through his ankles - severing nerves and tendons. This would have felt like standing on broken glass every time He pushed Himself up in order to breathe. He suffered for 6 hours. His chest muscles collapsing, making every single breath a fight for life. His shoulders were dislocated, His arms stretching unnaturally long. His heart was struggling to pump blood. He was extremely dehydrated, His lips cracking. His heart more than likely literally ruptured from the stress. And on top of all of that, He had to feel a separation with the Father for a period of time in order to REALLY bear the weight of our sin. He took up this burden for ALL sin before Him, and ALL sin which came after Him. HE DID IT ALL FOR US. To free us. To defeat sin. To give us a pathway to the Kingdom. Every sin we commit is exactly why He had to do it. And the real kicker? He knew what was coming when He rode into Jerusalem … and He didn’t turn around. He kept going. For us.