JUST FOR US...THINK ABOUT IT!

With Easter just past hearing the story of Jesus suffering told by my bishop, I got to thinking about the sacrifice our Lord and Savior made for us so I did some more reading and researching, check this out. The Scourging…Jesus endured a torture that beyond excruciating before He ever got to the cross. Scourging was not normally used as execution, but it was brutal enough to be fatal. Its purpose was not only to cause great pain, but to humiliate as well. To scourge a man was to beat him worse than one would beat a stupid animal. The Stripes...The instrument used to deliver this form of punishment was called the flagrum or cat o’ nine tails. This was a whip with several thongs or strands, each as much as three feet long, and the strands were weighted with lead balls or pieces of bone. This instrument was designed to lacerate. The weighed thongs struck the skin so violently that it broke open. Before a scourging the victim is stripped naked of any clothing. The maximum amount of stripes one could receive was…you guessed it, 39. The Crown…As Jesus was bent over with a lacerated bleeding body they hailed him “King of the Jews,” and the soldiers put together a garland of bushes filled with long sharp thorns, and they created a crown of thorns and placed it upon His already bruised head. (Note: they probably didn’t take the time to measure His head for size) The Journey…There have been several theories over the years as to how far Jesus walked with the cross. The main consensus is that He walked an estimated half of a mile with the cross. (NOTE: From the scourging to the journey to Golgotha, was at least two full hours of suffering. Mark 15:25 says, “Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.”) The Cross... There are no exact figures on the weight of the cross that Jesus carried. It is estimated to be over 300 pounds. It was made of solid wood. Imagine how heavy the wood had to be, in order to be able to support the weight of a full grown man. The Nails…Jesus' nails would have been made of heavy, probably square, iron material, 7-9 inches long. The Crucifixion…This was among the most painful and excruciating form of punishment leading to death ever contrived by man. Imagine hanging naked, bleeding and aching before a crowd, nailed by your hands and feet trying to support your weight on a cross. The Humiliation…Soldiers took His garments and divided into four pieces then drew lots to see who would be the new owner of His tunic. The Wine…While on the cross in the blistering sun Jesus thirsted and the soldiers mocked him offering him only sour wine to drink. After tasting the sour wine, knowing everything prophesied had been fulfilled Jesus uttered three words, “It is finished,” and He bowed His head and died. The Piercing… As if everything done weren’t enough instead of breaking his legs as was tradition one of the soldiers took a spear and pierced Jesus in the side releasing water and his last few drops of blood. (Note: From the nails to the wine, it was at least a full six more hours of agonizing pain. Mark 15:33 says, “at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice…”) Isaiah 53:4-6 Read it and think about it!