Sermon Tone Analysis

Christ’s Death

We have all heard about the death of Christ!

We have all heard that He given up His life on the cross for us!

But not all of us understand just how He chose his death.

Now for any man crucifixion would have been the last choice and their list of ways they would rather be executed.

According to Jesus’ words to Pilot and His diety nature He chose to die this way!

But why on earth would any man much less God choose to die such a brutal death???

It was love!

Sin Offering

To understand Christ’s sacrifice more we have to understand what the Old Testament Levitical Law called for a animal such as a mail goat for a kings/princes, a bull for levitical priests, and doves for the poor.

When the sin offering was to be sacrificed the recipient that had sinned was to place his hands on the offering head and then the priest would slit its throat sprinkle to the blood and on the horn of the alter, etc then the sacrifice was done!

However this offering only atoned for unintentional sin.

But real the death and pain of the animal that was subjected to be the sacrifice was fairly short!

Slit its throat and its done!

The Sin Offering of Christ

Now compared to the sin offering of Christ there is a stark difference.

The animal probably at many times was unwilling to give up its life but according to Christ in

17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.

This charge I have received from my Father.”

Now the thing that amazes me is the way that Jesus chose to lay down His life!

His death wasn’t like the animals that were sacrificed according to levitical law.

His throat wasn’t slit and it was over!

No Christ chose a much more painful death and that was crucifixion!

So to get a better picture I have found an article that explains the crucifixion of Jesus Christ!

To be warned this is graphic in nature but to better understand the depth and kind of love He poured out for us, we must look at some of the horrific detail of Roman Crucifixion!

It is the most painful death ever invented by man and is where we get our term "excruciating."

It was reserved primarily for the most vicious of male criminals.

Jesus was stripped naked and His clothing divided by the Roman guards.

This was in fulfillment of , "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."

The Crucifixion of Jesus guaranteed a horrific, slow, painful death.

Jesus' knees were flexed at about 45 degrees, and He was forced to bear His weight with the muscles of His thigh, which is not an anatomical position which is possible to maintain for more than a few minutes without severe cramp in the muscles of the thigh and calf.

Jesus' weight was borne on His feet, with nails driven through them.

As the strength of the muscles of Jesus' lower limbs tired, the weight of His body had to be transferred to His wrists, His arms, and His shoulders.

Within a few minutes of being placed on the Cross, Jesus' shoulders were dislocated.

Minutes later Jesus' elbows and wrists became dislocated.

6. Jesus' weight was borne on His feet, with nails driven through them.

As the strength of the muscles of Jesus' lower limbs tired, the weight of His body had to be transferred to His wrists, His arms, and His shoulders.

The result of these upper limb dislocations is that His arms were 9 inches longer than normal, as clearly shown on the Shroud.

7. Within a few minutes of being placed on the Cross, Jesus' shoulders were dislocated.

Minutes later Jesus' elbows and wrists became dislocated.

8.

The result of these upper limb dislocations is that His arms were 9 inches longer than normal, as clearly shown on the Shroud.

In addition prophecy was fulfilled in , "I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint."

9.

In addition prophecy was fulfilled in , "I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint."

After Jesus' wrists, elbows, and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of His body on his upper limbs caused traction forces on the Pectoralis Major muscles of His chest wall.

These traction forces caused His rib cage to be pulled upwards and outwards, in a most unnatural state.

His chest wall was permanently in a position of maximal respiratory inspiration.

In order to exhale, Jesus was physiologically required to force His body.

10.

After Jesus' wrists, elbows, and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of His body on his upper limbs caused traction forces on the Pectoralis Major muscles of His chest wall.

In order to breathe out, Jesus had to push down on the nails in His feet to raise His body, and allow His rib cage to move downwards and inwards to expire air from His lungs.

12.

In order to breathe out, Jesus had to push down on the nails in His feet to raise His body, and allow His rib cage to move downwards and inwards to expire air from His lungs.

His lungs were in a resting position of constant maximum inspiration.

Crucifixion is a medical catastrophe.

13.

His lungs were in a resting position of constant maximum inspiration.

Crucifixion is a medical catastrophe.

The problem was that Jesus could not easily push down on the nails in His feet because the muscles of His legs, bent at 45 degrees, were extremely fatigued, in severe cramp, and in an anatomically compromised position.

14.

The problem was that Jesus could not easily push down on the nails in His feet because the muscles of His legs, bent at 45 degrees, were extremely fatigued, in severe cramp, and in an anatomically compromised position.

Unlike all Hollywood movies about the Crucifixion, the victim was extremely active.

The crucified victim was physiologically forced to move up and down the cross, a distance of about 12 inches, in order to breathe.

15.

Unlike all Hollywood movies about the Crucifixion, the victim was extremely active.

The crucified victim was physiologically forced to move up and down the cross, a distance of about 12 inches, in order to breathe.

The process of respiration caused excruciating pain, mixed with the absolute terror of asphyxiation.

As the six hours of the Crucifixion wore on, Jesus was less and less able to bear His weight on His legs, as His thigh and calf muscles became increasingly exhausted.

There was increasing dislocation of His wrists, elbows and shoulders, and further elevation of His chest wall, making His breathing more and more difficult.

Within minutes of crucifixion Jesus became severely dyspnoeic (short of breath).

His movements up and down the Cross to breathe caused excruciating pain in His wrist, His feet, and His dislocated elbows and shoulders.

The movements became less frequent as Jesus became increasingly exhausted, but the terror of imminent death by asphyxiation forced Him to continue in His efforts to breathe.

Jesus' lower limb muscles developed excruciating cramp from the effort of pushing down on His legs, to raise His body, so that He could breathe out, in their anatomically compromised position.

The pain from His two shattered median nerves in His wrists exploded with every movement.

Jesus was covered in blood and sweat.

The blood was a result of the Scourging that nearly killed Him, and the sweat as a result of His violent involuntary attempts to effort to expire air from His lungs.

Throughout all this He was completely naked, and the leaders of the Jews, the crowds, and the thieves on both sides of Him were jeering, swearing and laughing at Him.

In addition, Jesus' own mother was watching.

Physiologically, Jesus' body was undergoing a series of catastrophic and terminal events.

Because Jesus could not maintain adequate ventilation of His lungs, He was now in a state of hypo-ventilation (inadequate ventilation).

His blood oxygen level began to fall, and He developed Hypoxia (low blood oxygen).

In addition, because of His restricted respiratory movements, His blood carbon dioxide (CO2) level began to rise, a condition known as Hypercritical.

This rising CO2 level stimulated His heart to beat faster in order to increase the delivery of oxygen, and the removal of CO2.

The Respiratory Center in Jesus' brain sent urgent messages to his lungs to breathe faster, and Jesus began to pant.

Jesus' physiological reflexes demanded that He took deeper breaths, and He involuntarily moved up and down the Cross much faster, despite the excruciating pain.

The agonizing movements spontaneously started several times a minute, to the delight of the crowd who jeered Him, the Roman soldiers, and the Sanhedrin.

However, due to the nailing of Jesus to the Cross and His increasing exhaustion, He was unable to provide more oxygen to His oxygen starved body.

The twin forces of Hypoxia (too little oxygen) and Hypercapnia (too much CO2) caused His heart to beat faster and faster, and Jesus developed Tachycardia.

Jesus' heart beat faster and faster, and His pulse rate was probably about 220 beats/minute, the maximum normally sustainable.

Jesus had drunk nothing for 15 hours, since 6 pm the previous evening.

Jesus had endured a scourging which nearly killed Him.

He was bleeding from all over His body following the Scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails in His wrists and feet, and the lacerations following His beatings and falls.

Jesus was already very dehydrated, and His blood pressure fell alarmingly.

His blood pressure was probably about 80/50.

He was in First Degree Shock, with Hypovolaemia (low blood volume), Tachycardia (excessively fast Heart Rate), Tachypnoea (excessively fast Respiratory Rate), and Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).

By about noon Jesus' heart probably began to fail.

Jesus' lungs probably began to fill up with Pulmonary Oedema.

This only served to exacerbate His breathing, which was already severely compromised.

Jesus was in Heart Failure and Respiratory Failure.

Jesus said, "I thirst" because His body was crying out for fluids.

Jesus was in desperate need of an intravenous infusion of blood and plasma to save His life

Jesus could not breathe properly and was slowly suffocating to death.

At this stage Jesus probably developed a Haemopericardium.

Plasma and blood gathered in the space around His heart, called the Pericardium.