At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty,
but not just any death penalty. Back in His day, dying on the cross was the
worst death possible. Only the worst criminals could die in the
horrible fashion that Jesus did.
But with Jesus things were worse, if you can imagine that,
because not all the criminals condemned to death would receive nails in
their hands and feet! These were real nails, nails as big as spikes! Each
was 15 x 20 cm long, with a point of 6 cm. The points were very sharp so
that they would penetrate both through Jesus' flesh and into the wood
of the cross.
The nails were hammered into the wrists, and not into the
palms, as we are used to hearing. In the wrist, there's a tendon which
extends to the shoulder, and when the nails were being hammered, that
tendon tore, which caused Jesus to flex all of the muscles of his back, so
that he could breathe as He was losing all the air from his lungs. In
this way, He was forced to support Himself onto the nail that had been
driven through both of his feet. This nail was even larger than the ones used in
his wrists, for both feet were nailed together into the cross.
And, as his feet could not endure for a long time without
tearing further, Jesus was forced to alternate that 'cycle' so that
He could breathe. Jesus endured that reality for over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours!
One minute in this position would seem like a lifetime, for most people but
three hours? An eternity, no less!
A few minutes before He died, Jesus was not bleeding
anymore. He was simply pouring water from his many cuts, serious wounds and punctures.. When we imagine Him injured, we only visualize the end results of the injuries themselves, but it's not enough; His wounds were true holes, made into and through his body. In addition he had been beaten relentlessly with horrible torture devices. He had no more blood to bleed, He only poured out water.
The human body is comprised of nearly 3.5 liters of blood
(for an adult). Jesus poured out all 3.5 liters of his blood; He had three
nails hammered into his members; a crown of thorns driven into his head
and, if that wasn't already enough, a Roman soldier had shoved a spear into his side, creating a horrible gash.
All this without mentioning the complete humiliation He suffered while carrying his own heavy cross for almost 2 km, while the
crowd spat on his face, mocked him, and threw stones at him. Jesus had to pass through this entire experience, so that you
can have free access to God. So that your sins could be
'washed' away. All of them, with no exception!
Don't ignore this situation. HE DIED FOR YOU!. For you, he
experienced this to save you. Now, reflect on this! May God bless your life!
Donna G