This cannot even compare to how gruesome the actual crucifixion was. Read this and begin to understand how desperately and radically God loves you. After the trial, Jesus was stripped of His clothing beaten with a flagrum, a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with dozens of pieces of broken glass, metal, and bone attached to the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force 39 times across Jesus’ shoulders, back and legs. As the blows continue, they cut deeper into subcutaneous tissues and produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. Wet with His own blood, they throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a sceptre. A small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns is pressed into His scalp. The soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp.  When they tire of their sadistic game, the heavy beam of the cross is then tied across His shoulders, but the weight, together with the shock produced by copious blood loss, is too much. He falls and the rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance. Finally, the legionnaire drives a  large iron nail through the wrist and pulling his arms an extra 6 inches, in order to dislocate them, nails the other wrist to the beam. The cross is then lifted in place at the top of the posts and the titulus reading “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” is nailed in place. With both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each. As he pushes Himself upward to avoid the stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail through His feet. As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. The compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues and the markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps, “I thirst.” While it is often depicted that Jesus was brought a sponge of water to drink, it is more than likely that they provided him with a soiled sponge, used to wipe Roman excrement at the local bath house. As he passed away, he cursed no one, he loved fully, and he stayed committed to this wretched, yet necessary blood shed, so that our undeserving souls could meet Him in eternity. This is how much our God loves us.

This cannot even compare to how gruesome the actual crucifixion was. Read this and begin to understand how desperately and radically God loves you.

After the trial, Jesus was stripped of His clothing beaten with a flagrum, a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with dozens of pieces of broken glass, metal, and bone attached to the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force 39 times across Jesus’ shoulders, back and legs.

As the blows continue, they cut deeper into subcutaneous tissues and produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue.

Wet with His own blood, they throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a sceptre. A small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns is pressed into His scalp. The soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. 

When they tire of their sadistic game, the heavy beam of the cross is then tied across His shoulders, but the weight, together with the shock produced by copious blood loss, is too much. He falls and the rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance.

Finally, the legionnaire drives a  large iron nail through the wrist and pulling his arms an extra 6 inches, in order to dislocate them, nails the other wrist to the beam. The cross is then lifted in place at the top of the posts and the titulus reading “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” is nailed in place. With both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each. As he pushes Himself upward to avoid the stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail through His feet.

As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber.

The compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues and the markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps, “I thirst.” While it is often depicted that Jesus was brought a sponge of water to drink, it is more than likely that they provided him with a soiled sponge, used to wipe Roman excrement at the local bath house.

As he passed away, he cursed no one, he loved fully, and he stayed committed to this wretched, yet necessary blood shed, so that our undeserving souls could meet Him in eternity. This is how much our God loves us.

(via wavesofmercy)