Sunday, April 7, 2013

+ JESUS' DEATH +

At the age of 33,  
Jesus was condemned to the death penalty.
 

  ~  

At the time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more 
dreadful for Jesus, for unlike other criminals condemned to 
death by crucifixion, Jesus was nailed to the cross by his 
hands and feet, rather than tied...  
Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.  

 
 

The nails were driven into his wrist. Not into his palms as is commonly portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that 
 extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that 
when the nails were being hammered into the wrist, 
that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use his 
back muscles to support himself, so that He could breathe.  

  ~  

Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus He was forced 
to support Himself on the single nail that impaled his feet 
to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with his legs 
for long because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate 
between arching his back and using his legs just to continue 
to breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, 
the courage.  

 
  

Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. 
Yes, over 3 hours! 
Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before  
he died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water 
from his wounds.  

  ~  

From common images we see wounds to his hands and feet 
and even the spear wound to his side... But do we remember 
the many wounds made to his body. A hammer driving large 
nails through the wrists, the feet overlapped and a nail 
hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard 
piercing his side with a spear. And... before the nails and 
the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping 
was so severe that it tore the flesh from his body. 
The beating so horrific that his face was torn and his 
beard ripped from his face. The crown of thorns (two 
to three inch thorns) cut deeply into his scalp. 
Most men would not have survived this torture.  
  ~  
He had no more blood to bleed out, 
only water poured from his wounds.    
The Human adult body contains about 
3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood.  
 
   

Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of his blood;  
He had three nails hammered into his members; 
a crown of thorns on his head and, beyond that, 
a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into his chest.  
 
  ~  

All these without mentioning the humiliation he passed 
after carrying his own cross for almost 2 kilometers, 
while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones 
(the cross beam was almost 30 kg of weight, 
to which His hands were nailed).  

  ~   

Jesus had to endure this experience,  
So that you may have free access to God.  

  

So that your sins can be "washed" away.  
All of them, with no exception!  
Don't ignore this.  

JESUS CHRIST DIED...FOR YOU!  

   ~   

For you, who have now read this blog
Do not believe that He only died for others  
(those who go to church or for pastors, bishops, etc). 

   ~  

He died for you!
  ~