Why Is Easter Important? | Jesus Died For Me | John 19

About 50 years ago, a physician named Dr. C. Truman Davis wrote an article entitled, "A Physician Analyzes the Crucifixion," This article was originally published in Arizona Medicine in 1965. Dr. Davis explained some of the medical points of interest about the crucifixion. You can read all his 50+ points he made in a companion article on the website here — The Anatomical And Physiological Details Of Death By Crucifixion. So in the devotional today, I will reference some of his medical analysis and combine it with a few texts taken from the Gospel of John 19, so you can see both together. Before his crucifixion, Jesus was scourged. A person was stripped naked, tied to a post, and then beaten across the back, buttocks, and legs during scourging. They were struck with a long whip. The whip had several cords that extended from it, in which were placed pieces of sharp bone and glass. The whip would wrap around a victim's bare body, tearing open skin and muscle around the chest and back. Scouring, in many cases, kills victims. The max number of blows allowed by religious law was 39 because the 40th blow was known to be fatal. John 19:1 reads, "Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him."  Crucifixion was and still is the most painful death ever invented by man. In fact, it is where we derive the term "excruciating." It was created by the Persians in 300 BC and perfected by the Romans just 100 years before Jesus. The excruciating part of crucifixion was it guaranteed a horrific, slow, painful death. After being nailed to a cross, Jesus's knees were flexed at about 45 degrees, placing most of his body weight on his thighs, which is a position impossible to maintain for more than a few minutes without severe cramping. His entire body weight would be forced onto the nail driven through his feet. Within minutes, his shoulders would have dislocated. Minutes after that, his elbows and wrists would be dislocated. This would have elongated his arms by about 9 inches, which is clearly shown on the Shroud of Turin (Jesus's burial cloth, which we still have). To slow the process of crucifixion, soldiers would put a small wooden seat on the cross, which would allow a victim the privilege of sitting. This was known to prolong death for up to nine days. To speed up crucifixion, all a soldier would have to do is break the legs of the victim. This was not the case with Jesus. John 19:36 reads, "For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken.'” After his wrists, elbows, and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of his body on his upper limbs would have torn his chest muscles, expanding his rib cage into an unnatural state. His chest wall would have been fixed into a position of max inhalation. Fixed here, exhaling would have been the issue. To exhale, he would have to push with his legs on the nail in his feet to lift himself about 12" to exhale. This means crucifixion was not a fixed position of hanging. It was active. He was constantly trying to move up and then falling, an activity forced by a need for air. As a result, eventually, he would have begun to hypoventilate. With now low blood-oxygen levels, the carbon dioxide in his system would have risen, stimulating his heart to beat faster. This meant his brain was now telling his lungs they needed more oxygen, which would have meant the speed of lifting would have to increase. Crucifixion was really death by asphyxiation. John 19:30 reads, "[Jesus] said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." Because his heart is working so hard to pump to expel carbon dioxide and increase oxygen, his heart began to fail. Plasma and blood gathered in the space around his heart, preventing his heart from beating properly. Because of the demands on his heart, he eventually sustained a cardiac rupture. The explosion of his heart. This was most likely the cause of Jesus's death and the only reason for blood and water to spill from his body when the soldier pierced his side. John 19:34 states, "But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water." Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/ Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at: https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Vince socially: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller