Crucifixion of Jesus Shows Evidence of Love to Sinners
A Crucifixion Nail: Photography By Lonnie Paulson lonniepaulsonphoto.com
Why Was Jesus Crucified?
Why was Jesus crucified? Ever since the first sin of Adam and Eve the plan was to save sinners from the wrath of God. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15 ESV). Christ will bruise the head of Satan. Satan can only bruise the heel of Christ. To explain this further let’s look at the gospel of John. “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 12:31 ESV). “Although the cross might have appeared to signal Satan’s victory over God, in reality it marked Satan’s defeat” — John MacArthur.1 The final defeat of Satan will be at the end of time where the Apostle John explains how Satan will be thrown into a lake of fire with burning sulfur. Read this in Revelation 20:7–10.
Since Jesus was without sin, He is the only One who could pay the penalty for our sin and appease the wrath of God. Before Christ Jewish followers of God had to sacrifice the blood of animals to atone for their sins, but this was only temporary. These sacrifices had to be done multiple times and yet it was just a shadow of the atoning grace of Christ. These Jews looked to the promise of the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) who was promised long ago by the prophets. Keeping the law and animal sacrifices did not save the Jewish people, but their hope in the future Messiah would save these Jewish saints. When these Jewish saints continually repented of their sins to God and followed Him through prayer, obedience and listening to the Hebrew scriptures and the prophets God was well pleased. For these Jewish saints’ salvation came through repentance, obedience and the belief and hope of a future Messiah which would be Jesus the Christ.
The Old Testament, which is the Hebrew scriptures, give a clear indication of how Jesus suffered on the cross. This was Bible prophecy several hundreds of years before Christ. Read Psalm 22. Here is a small excerpt. “For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots” (Psalm 22:16–18 NKJV). I also encourage you to read Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 prophesied about the crucifixion of Jesus. If we read through the gospels, we see how Jesus was crucified. Matthew 26:47 starts with the arrest of Jesus. In Chapter 27:11 the governor Pontius Pilate asked Jesus if he was king of the Jews. Matthew 27:35 Matthew notes Jesus was crucified. Mark 15 starts with Jesus facing Pilate. Mark notes that Jesus was on the cross for six hours. Mark 15:37 “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last.” In Luke 23 Jesus is handed over to Pontius Pilate. Luke 23:33 mentions they came to a place called Calvary is where Jesus was crucified. In the gospel of John, the arrest happens in chapter 18. Chapter 19:17 Jesus went to a place called in Hebrew Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. In verse 30 we read that Jesus’ work was done. He said it is finished.
History of Crucifixion
The Romans were not the first to use crucifixion. Civilizations such as the Sythians, Persians, Phoenicians, and the Carthaginians all used crucifixion.2 It was the Persians who invented this horrible torturous punishment from 400 to 300 B.C.3 It has been said that this is the worst punishment known to be inflicted on anyone. It was reserved for the worst criminals, and it was eventually used on Christians. Roman citizens were not crucified, for capital punishment they were beheaded.4 The most common form of the crucifixion cross was the Latin cross which the Persians used. This was the form of the cross that was used on the crucifixion of Jesus. Today many people including non-Christians wear this shape of a cross in jewelry. Some may even treat this piece of jewelry as an idol. In many movies portraying Jesus being crucified you see Jesus carrying His entire cross. This was not the case. The criminal carried the crossbeam that fitted into an upright vertical beam that was planted into the ground. The crossbeam or patibulum weighed as much as 100 pounds. The upright vertical beam called the stipes was already planted in the ground when the criminal arrived at the place of crucifixion.
The Romans refined crucifixion. They experimented with various techniques. Ropes were tied connecting the ankles of the criminal to the patibulum so the criminal could not escape while walking to the place of crucifixion. This was most affective when there was a group of men to be crucified.5 The Romans improvised different shapes to the cross. They tried Y-shaped and X-shaped crosses.6 The criminals were nailed to the patibulum but sometimes tied to it. Here is evidence from a Jewish historian by the name of Flavius Josephus who lived in the first century. Josephus claims in one of his writings on the “War of the Jews” that Rome crucified up to 500 men a day during the Jewish revolt of A.D. 66–70.7 Some theologians question the fact that Jesus was nailed to the cross. These theologians should be ignored, because they ignore what The Bible teaches. Stay away from false teachers. Read Psalm 22:16 noted above. Look at the response from Jesus’ disciple, Thomas. The other disciples had seen Jesus’ feet and hands, but Thomas was not there at that time. When the other disciples contacted Thomas about the resurrection of Jesus Thomas said that he would have to see for himself the nail prints on his hands and the pierced side. You can read about this entire event from John 20:19–29.
During crucifixion the nails went through the wrist. In many ancient Christian paintings, the artist shows the nails through the palms of the hand. When the gospels were written they were written in Greek. In the Greek language there was only one word used for both the hand and the wrist. If the nail was put in the palm of the hand, the body would tear away from the cross. Dr. Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon explains this further in the book, The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin by John C. Iannone. He says the nails were driven through the Space of Destot. It is a point in the wrist where eight bones meet. The doctor further states that this nail would damage the median nerve of the hand which forces the thumbs to go into the palms of the hand.8 The Jewish Mishnah mentions that nails were used for crucifixion well after the Jewish revolt which ended around A.D. 73.9 We have evidence from archaeology supporting first century crucifixion. In 1968 archaeologists discovered at an ancient Jewish cemetery in northern Jerusalem at the Giv’at ha-Mivtar where an ossuary was dug up that contained the calcified heel bone of a crucified man which had a five-inch nail driven through the foot. The remains were dated A.D. 66–74 at the time of the first Jewish revolt.10 Crucifixion was eventually banned by the Emperor Constantine I in A. D. 313.11
What Does Crucifixion do to the Human Body?
Dr. Pierre Barbet, whom I referred to in this article, would test the effect of crucifixion on the human body by using cadavers. He proved that if the nails were driven into the palms, it would cause the hands to tear away from the cross. Nails through the palms could not support the weight of the body. He concluded as I said above the nails were driven through the wrists.
Before crucifixion there was a torturous whipping. Roman soldiers used a scourge for capital punishment. For serious crimes a Roman soldier was tied to a post in front of all his fellow soldiers and was whipped with the scourge until dead. This whip for scourging was called a flagrum. The flagrum had a short handle with three or more leather thongs. At the end of the thongs were small lead balls. The balls were for the purpose of increasing the torture. The skin would be cut into with the scourging. The lead balls would produce bruises which would be broken by the continued whipping. The skin on his back would hang like ribbons. The pain was excruciating. The victim would lose a great deal of blood and would be in shock.
The crown of thorns was a stunt that the Roman soldiers came up with to mock Jesus. These soldiers thought it a joke for Jesus to claim He was King of the Jews. The soldiers found a thorn bush and formed the thorn branches into a crown then they pressed the thorns into the top of His head. This was very painful and caused a lot of bleeding. They also wrapped him in a purple robe. This was all to mock Him.
The nail that was driven through the feet was used by the victim to push himself upward so he could breathe. Hanging from the cross caused his chest muscles to become paralyzed. He could not exhale or inhale when breathing. To breathe he had to push against the nail in his foot to elevate his body which was very painful for his feet, but at least he could breathe. The continual hanging from the cross produced increased pressure on his wrists causing excruciating pain. When the victim was too tired and sore that he could not raise himself up to breathe, he would suffocate. Death by crucifixion was asphyxiation.12
My Words
As a tradition every year on Good Friday I read about the crucifixion of Jesus the Christ. I start with the prophetic words taken from the Hebrew scripture. I start reading Psalm 22, next I turn to Isaiah 53. I then turn to the four gospels and start reading about the time of the arrest of Jesus to the end of the crucifixion. On Resurrection Sunday or what some call Easter I read about the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. I do not have any family to celebrate with on the Easter holiday season, so it is just my church and me and the Lord Jesus. It is my way of communication with Christ. I look forward to it. I do not want to forget what Jesus did for me. I encourage you to have such a tradition. Just you and Christ.
Jesus voluntarily died for my sins. His blood was to pay for my sins and rescue me from the wrath of God. As Leviticus 17:11 notes the “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” A life of an animal had to die to cover or atone for the sins of the Hebrews, but that atonement was just a shadow of what was to come. Only Jesus could permanently atone for our sins both Jew and Gentile. There is nothing I can do to help pay for my sins. No church attendance, good works like feeding the poor, reading my Bible, prayer, or writing for this blog. The prophet Isaiah said, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6 NIV). Jesus has already paid for my sins and to try and add any works of righteousness to what Jesus did for me would be like telling Jesus He did not do enough. Jesus did it all. All to Him I owe. My salvation is through Jesus Christ alone and has nothing to do with anything I can offer Him. If I believe that my salvation is based on Jesus’ grace plus my cooperation with righteous deeds I am forever lost and bound for the eternal Lake of Fire as illustrated in Revelation 21:8 as my future.
As the Apostle Paul told the Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV). If I could boast a little bit of what good works I could do for the Lord Jesus, then Jesus takes an inferior position. Once again, any good works I do is not for my salvation it is for the love of Christ. A true Biblical Christian does good works out of his or her love for Christ and not to gain anything. If you are a born-again Christian, you have gained everything as God’s elect saint. You have eternal life. You as a born-again Christian have the promises the Apostle Paul writes about in Romans 8. Romans 8 is only for true born-again Christian saints. I advise you to read this promise in Romans 8 regularly. Some Christians have even memorized this entire chapter.
Written by Lonnie Paulson
Photography By Lonnie Paulson
Crucifixion of Jesus Shows Evidence of Love to Sinners: End Notes
1) John MacArthur. The John MacArthur Study Bible ESV; Crossway; Wheaton, IL 60187 (2010) p 1568.
2) John C. Iannone, The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin; Alba House; Staten Island, NY 10314 (1998) p 49.
4) Dr. D. James Kennedy. The Resurrection; radio transcript; “Truths That Transform,” [Dr. D. James Kennedy interviews Dr. C. Truman Davis on the medical aspects of crucifixion]; Coral Ridge Ministries; (1987) Fort Lauderdale, FL 33302 p 16.
5) Ibid. The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin; p 55.
6) Ibid. p 49.
7) Ian Wilson. The Blood and the Shroud; Touchtone: Simon & Shuster; New York, NY 10020 (1998) p 43.
8) Ibid. The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin; p 58.
9) Jeffrey P. Arroyo García. “Nails or Knots,” Biblical Archaeology Review Vol. 51 No. 1 Spring 2025; p 57.
10) Ibid. p55–56.
11) Ibid. The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin; p 49.
12) Ibid. “Truths That Transform,” p 15–21.