The Submission Mission

An Exposition of John 19:17-42

Want to know what the crucifixion of Jesus was like?

Listen to an eye-witness: John.

He wrote about a lacerated, bruised, bleeding and, for a while, dead Jesus so that you may believe. He saw that Jesus was definitely dead and believed. That’s the mission of this gospel: that you too would look on a crucified, pierced Man and believe.

Listen:

Cicero (106-43 BC) wrote, “Crucifixion was the cruelest and foulest of punishments.”

Journal of the American Medical Association (1986):

“Adequate exhalation required lifting the body by pushing up on the feet and by flexing the elbows. . . . However, this maneuver would place the entire weight of the body on the tarsals and would produce searing pain. Furthermore, flexion of the elbows would cause rotation of the wrists about the iron nails and cause fiery pain along the damaged median nerves. . . . Muscle cramps . . . of the outstretched and uplifted arms would add to the discomfort. As a result, each respiratory effort would become agonizing and tiring and lead eventually to asphyxia [deprived of oxygen]. . . . The major . . . effect of crucifixion was an interference with normal respirations. Accordingly death resulted primarily from hypovolemic shock [blood loss] and exhaustion asphyxia.”

For the rest of the story, join us at Covenant Reformed Baptist Church this Sunday (11 AM.)

Covenant is Caswell County’s and Danville’s Reformed Church