In Lee Strobel’s book The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel interviews Dr. Alexander Metherell, a former research scientist and consultant of the National Institute of Health. Metherell offers readers graphic details behind the medical evidence of Jesus’s crucifixion on the cross.
As someone who has read the story of the crucifixion countless times, the interview between Lee and Metherell gave me a different perspective on the pain Jesus endured during his final hours.
I have to warn you, reader discretion is advised.
As Lee Strobel shifts his chair squarely to face Dr. Metherell, he asks Metherell, “could you paint a picture of what happened to Jesus?” And there Metherell began to vividly explain the flogging of Jesus:
“Roman floggings were known to be terribly brutal. They usually consisted of 39 lashes but frequently were a lot more than that. The soldier would use a whip of braided leather thongs with metal balls woven into them. When the whip would strike the flesh, these balls would cause deep bruises or contusions, which would break open with further blows. And the whip had pieces of sharp bone as well which would cut the flesh severely. The back would be so shredded that part of the spine was sometimes exposed by the deep, deep cuts. The whipping would have gone all the way from the shoulders down to the back, the buttocks, and the back of the legs.”
Many people would have died from that sort of beating or at the least they would have died from “hypovolemic shock” which means the loss of large amounts of blood. But Jesus survived, only to face more agonizing pain as he arrived at the site of the crucifixion.
Dr. Metherell continues:
“The Romans used spikes that were five to seven inches long and tapered to a sharp point. They were driven through the wrist. This was a solid position that would lock the hand; if the nails had been driven through the palms, his weight would have caused the skin to tear and he would've fallen off the cross. So the nails went through the wrists.”
During this time, there were no words in the English language to describe the physical pain Jesus was enduring. Scholars had to invent a new word: excruciating which means “out of the cross.” Excruciating was the only word that could closely describe the anguish caused by the crucifixion.
Metherell concludes the interview with the cause of Jesus’s death:
“Crucifixion is essentially an agonizing slow death by asphyxiation (being deprived of oxygen). The reason is that the stresses on the muscles and the diaphragm put the chest into the inhaled position; basically, in order to exhale, the individual must push up on their feet so the tension on the muscle would be eased for a moment. In doing so, the nail would tear through the foot, eventually locking up against the tarsal bones.”
Imagine this, the only way to possibly breathe is to push up on the nail that is nailed to your feet.
Excruciating.
At last the pain would finally come to an end when Metherell gives us further medical analysis on the cause of death:
“After managing to exhale, the person would then be able to relax down and take another breath in. This would go on and on until complete exhaustion would take over, and the person wouldn’t be able to push up and breathe anymore. As the person slows down his breathing, he goes into what is called respiratory acidosis — the carbon dioxide in the blood is dissolved as carbonic acid, causing the acidity of the blood to increase. This eventually leads to an irregular heart beat, with his heart beating erratically, he died of cardiac arrest."
Upon my reflection of the interview, I asked myself why did Jesus die? Why did he choose to go through this? There are several times in the gospels where I thought he had the opportunity to plead his innocence but instead he chose not to, why?
I recently found my answer from the unknown author of Hebrews 12:2, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross.” There was a joy that Jesus saw that made the cross worth it for you and me. The joy of seeing sinners redeemed, the joy of seeing every tongue confessing his name, and the joy of eternity for all of God's children. The pain was temporary but the joy would be everlasting.
I think some women who have given birth may be able to relate to Jesus’s temporary pain and everlasting joy. My wife Kim labored for 38 hours before our son Josiah was born. Birthing our son was a very traumatic experience for Kim. So much so, that she vowed to never give birth again. Three years later she changed her mind and our daughter Joy was born. I don't know why Kim changed her mind, but my guess would be that the joy of bringing new life outweighed the pains of labor.
Some scientists have tried to back this logic by claiming that women forget the pains of labor because the “happiness and reward” of a new baby fog the memory of the preceding pain. Therefore, the joy of giving new life makes women do it over and over again.
I doubt that Jesus could ever forget the 6 inch nails on his wrist and feet or the crown of thorn on his head. But I would be willing to bet you he would line up to do it all over again if it meant giving us new life. It's in fact the very reason why he came, ‘I have come so that they may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
There is only one way to make it through the pain of the cross and that is if you know how the story ends. Jesus knew the end of the story. In the words of Mark Batterson, “remember the future! We remember the future by looking at the back of the book.” When we know how the story ends, we have the faith to live through anything the world has to throw at us. We can all agree that life is not a fairytale story, there are real struggles and circumstances we face. But if we have faith in how the story ends we can be confident in a “happily forever after!”
At the end of this story there is no pain or sorrow, just everlasting joy and peace, and the cost was the crucifixion. According to God’s Kingdom math, 3 nails + 1 cross = forgiven. We “mean the cross to Christ.” Jesus died to give us new life, and not just new life on earth with a fresh start but everlasting life in heaven.
Lee, Strobel. The Case for Christ.
Batterson, Mark. Do it for a Day.
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