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The Crucifixion
The crucifixion is a central teaching within Christian doctrine and the greatest event in human history, without exception. Turning to John 19, the narrative begins with Jesus' scourging at the order of Pontius Pilate. This was done using a Roman flagrum—a brutal instrument with braided leather straps embedded with iron balls or sharp bone pieces, designed to tear flesh from the victim’s body. A study from the Journal of the American Medical Association describes the medical impact of flogging; the level of blood loss could be fatal even before crucifixion. In many cases, victims died from the flogging alone. The Roman soldiers further mocked Jesus by dressing him in a purple robe (a sign of royalty) and pressing a crown of thorns onto his head.
Jesus was humiliated further by the Roman soldiers, who slapped him, spit on him, and beat him with a staff, as described in Matthew 27. They also tore out portions of his beard—an act of deep shame in Jewish culture. Pilate then presented Jesus to the crowd, declaring his innocence. This act served to highlight the injustice of the situation: an innocent man was about to be executed. Pilate may have believed that displaying a brutalized, harmless figure would appease the mob and satisfy the religious leaders.
The Crowd’s Demand and Pilate’s Reluctant Consent
Despite Pilate’s efforts, the religious leaders and temple guards demanded that Jesus be crucified, citing their law which, they claimed, required death because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. This statement visibly unnerved Pilate. There was Roman superstition where Romans believed some individuals could possess divine qualities, including emperors. Pilate’s fear is understandable in that cultural context. Despite repeatedly stating that Jesus was innocent, Pilate eventually gave in to the crowd’s demands. In mocking irony, Pilate presented Jesus as their king, but the leaders responded, “We have no king but Caesar.” Pilate then handed Jesus over for crucifixion. Matthew's account adds that Pilate attempted to distance himself from the responsibility by symbolically washing his hands, declaring himself innocent of Jesus’s blood. But history would not exonerate him so easily. It may have seemed like Jesus was the one on trial, history has judged Pilate. A quote from James Stalker illustrates this inversion of roles: Pilate appeared to be in power, but he has been condemned by history for his role in this injustice.
Crucifixion as Torture and Public Shame
Jesus was then forced to carry his own cross to Golgotha, the “place of the skull,” where he was crucified between two others. These public executions were carried out along major highways to serve as warnings against rebellion against Rome. Cicero, a Roman statesman, described crucifixion as the “most cruel and disgusting penalty,” so obscene that even mentioning it in polite society was unacceptable.
Despite the centrality of crucifixion to the Gospel narrative, the Gospel writers provide minimal detail about the actual mechanics of the execution. This is likely due to the horror of the event, supported by Roman sources like Cicero, who insisted that the very idea of crucifixion should be banished from the thoughts and speech of Roman citizens. The practice itself originated with the Persians and was perfected by the Romans. Contrary to popular imagery, victims were stripped completely naked—not left with a loincloth—to maximize their shame, especially for Jews who highly valued modesty. Additionally, crucifixions were not carried out on towering crosses; instead, they likely stood around six to eight feet tall, putting the victim at eye level with passersby, who could observe their suffering up close.
The Brutality of Crucifixion
Crucifixion involved psychological and physical brutality. Victims did not carry the full cross, as often depicted in films or paintings, but only the horizontal beam (the patibulum), which could weigh up to 125 pounds. After enduring the brutal flogging, they were forced to carry this beam to their place of execution—an act meant to deepen their humiliation and signal their impending death. The crucifixion victims would remain on display for days, left as food for scavengers. Ancient historian Manetho described them as being “evil food for birds of prey and grim pickings for the dogs.” The method was designed not just to kill, but to dehumanize.
Seneca, a Roman philosopher, describes crucifixion as the most dreadful death imaginable. He refers to the cross as the “accursed tree” and expresses disbelief that anyone would choose to endure such a drawn-out and grotesque death. Crucifixion caused death by asphyxiation or heart failure, due to the position of the body. Victims had to alternate between pushing themselves up with their feet or pulling up with their arms just to breathe—each movement sending searing pain through their already shattered nerves. The nails were driven through the wrists (not the palms) to avoid ripping through the flesh and to maximize pain by damaging the median nerve.
Jesus' Psychological and Spiritual Agony
There was a deeper suffering that Jesus endured—not just physically, but psychologically and spiritually. The ultimate burden Jesus bore was the guilt of humanity’s sin. While everyone has experienced the weight of personal guilt, Jesus—who was completely innocent and perfectly righteous—experienced an internal revulsion toward evil. He bore not only individual sins but the collective guilt of the entire human race. This dimension of suffering goes beyond the physical and into the realm of deep emotional and spiritual anguish. For someone whose entire nature was opposed to sin, carrying the weight of the world’s injustice was an indescribable torment.
Jesus’ suffering on the cross was not limited to the physical agony, but also involved bearing the guilt and shame of every human being across all time—past, present, and future. This spiritual and moral burden was so overwhelming that the night before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed in anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking if the “cup” of suffering could be taken from him. Despite his revulsion toward the sin he would have to bear—completely antithetical to his perfect, sinless nature—Jesus ultimately submitted to the Father’s will. His willingness to endure such contradiction to his nature was a profound act of voluntary obedience and love.
Emotional Torment: Watching His Mother Grieve
One of the more intimate and devastating aspects of Jesus’s suffering was watching his own mother, Mary, suffer emotionally as she stood at the foot of the cross. It must have been incredibly painful for Jesus, even in his agony, to see Mary writhing in grief. Any mother would be horrified to see her child dying in such a brutal way, and this emotional connection would have deepened the sorrow of the moment. Adding insult to injury, Jesus was mocked by crowds, Roman soldiers, and religious leaders. They taunted him with his own teachings and claims, daring him to come down from the cross to prove his identity as the Son of God.
Jesus Chose Not to End It
The taunts from the onlookers were tragically ironic. They challenged Jesus to save himself, not knowing he could have done so at any moment. Jesus had earlier told Peter that he could summon more than twelve legions of angels to his defense if he wanted. Despite this immense power, Jesus chose not to save himself in order to save others. This central paradox of the crucifixion—that Jesus had to die so others could live—is emphasized as a core truth of Christian belief. Salvation required the innocent one to remain on the cross and endure the penalty for sin.
Pilate placed a sign on the cross that read “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. This sign, or titulus, was a standard Roman legal document used to declare a person’s crime. It would often be nailed above the criminal’s head, and when a sentence was completed, it was marked “paid in full.” Paul the apostle draws on this image in Colossians 2:13–14, saying that Christ took our “certificate of debt”—our sins—and nailed it to the cross, canceling it out. Every person has a moral debt before God, regardless of how comparatively “good” they may consider themselves. God's justice demands that this debt be dealt with.
The Necessity of Judgment
A common objection to Christianity is: why would a loving God judge people? For God to truly be good, he must respond to evil and injustice. If God merely looked away, he would be complicit. But since God sees all wrongs and knows every evil act, he cannot simply ignore them. Instead, he must judge them in righteousness. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus chose to pay that judgment for others, taking their place. Even though the Jewish leaders protested the titulus, wanting it changed to “he said he was king of the Jews,” Pilate refused—ironically affirming the truth of Jesus’s identity.
Psalm 22: A Prophetic Portrait of Crucifixion
As Jesus hung on the cross, the soldiers divided up his clothing by casting lots, a fulfillment of Psalm 22. John includes this detail, which, while seemingly minor, points to the authenticity and prophetic fulfillment embedded in the crucifixion account. Unlike the other Gospels, John frequently highlights how Jesus's death fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. Psalm 22, written by King David hundreds of years earlier, specifically describes enemies dividing and gambling for the sufferer’s clothing—another striking detail that aligns with the crucifixion narrative.
Matthew 27 describes an eerie darkness that covered the land from noon to 3 p.m., which corresponds to divine judgment according to Old Testament prophecy. The prophet Amos had predicted a time when God would bring darkness at midday as a sign of mourning and judgment. Jesus’ cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” echoes the opening line of Psalm 22. This wasn’t a statement of doubt but a deliberate reference to the psalm, signaling to the onlookers that he was fulfilling Scripture. In the absence of chapter divisions in ancient Hebrew, quoting the first line served to reference the entire psalm.
Psalm 22 continues with descriptions that eerily parallel crucifixion: mockery from bystanders, physical torment, extreme thirst, dislocated bones, and public humiliation. The psalm mentions hands and feet being pierced and bones being on display—vivid images that match the crucifixion scene. David wrote this around 1000 BC, centuries before crucifixion was even invented. This is evidence of divine authorship through the Holy Spirit, writing through David a millennium in advance to point toward Jesus's suffering and mission.
The Father Turns Away: A Cosmic Transaction
The greatest spiritual torment Jesus endured was the moment of separation from the Father. At the point of death, Jesus experienced abandonment for the first time in all of eternity, as God the Father turned away. This wasn’t a breakdown in the divine plan, but rather the very heart of it—a transaction taking place between the Father and the Son. The judgment of humanity’s sin was being transferred to Jesus. Bystanders at the cross had no idea this divine exchange was occurring right before their eyes. But from a heavenly perspective, this was the climactic moment when the price of sin was paid.
Theological Significance: Jesus Becomes Sin for Us
Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Galatians 3:13 summarize the theological significance of the crucifixion. Jesus, who had no sin, was made to be sin for us so that we could receive God's righteousness. He became a curse for us, fulfilling the law’s requirements and taking the judgment we deserved. The reference to “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” connects back to both Jewish law and Roman practice. Even Roman thinkers like Seneca referred to the cross as an “accursed tree,” unwittingly affirming this biblical truth.
Jesus Declares the Work is Finished
John 19 then tells us that as Jesus neared death, he acknowledged the completion of his mission, saying, “I am thirsty.” This act also fulfilled another scripture, and the soldiers gave him sour wine using a hyssop branch. Upon tasting it, Jesus uttered his final declaration: “It is finished.” In Greek, this is the single word tetelestai, a term rich in legal and financial significance. In ancient times, it was the word written across a titulus—a statement of charges—when a prisoner had fulfilled their sentence: “Paid in full.” Jesus, by using this word, signaled that the entire penalty for sin had been paid completely. The judgment and wrath of God stored up for humanity’s rebellion and injustice was poured out fully on Christ in that moment.
Jesus’ Death and Fulfillment of Prophecy
With his final breath, Jesus surrendered his spirit. The Jewish leaders, concerned about leaving the bodies on crosses during the Sabbath—especially since it coincided with Passover—requested that the victims’ legs be broken to hasten death. The Roman soldiers complied for the two criminals beside Jesus, but when they came to him, they saw he was already dead and did not break his legs. This fulfilled Old Testament scripture, specifically the requirement in Exodus 12 that the Passover lamb must have no broken bones. John continues to draw theological connections between Jesus and the Passover lamb, underscoring that Jesus’ death was not only historically real but also prophetically significant.
The details from Exodus 12 are crucial for understanding the symbolism of Jesus' death. God had instructed the Israelites to choose a spotless lamb, slaughter it, and mark their doorposts with its blood as a sign that a substitute life had been given. This lamb was to be eaten in its entirety, and its bones were not to be broken. These instructions, given centuries earlier, find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. He is the true Lamb of God, innocent and perfect, whose blood was spilled so that judgment would pass over those who trust in him. John the Baptist’s declaration, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” finds its full meaning here at the cross.
The Core Message of Christianity
Christianity is not primarily about personal happiness, fulfillment, or friendship—though those things may come. Its central message is about Jesus paying the price for sin. Without this foundational truth, any understanding of Christianity is incomplete. What God offers—love, grace, relationship—is rooted in the cross. The only thing required to receive it is humility: to ask God for forgiveness. There's no spiritual checklist to complete or performance to impress God. It’s about recognizing our moral debt and receiving the mercy offered through Jesus.
[Personal example]. Have you asked God to pay your certificate of debt? No amount of good deeds can erase guilt. The only way to be made right with God is to appeal to his mercy, which he offers freely in Jesus.
Believers should reflect on whether they’ve lost their awe of the cross. It’s easy to assume that the crucifixion is merely the starting point of faith—something you graduate from. But the truth is that the cross is the foundation of everything in the Christian life. The deeper one understands God’s grace and the cost of forgiveness, the more one appreciates the new life God has provided. It’s not something to move on from—it’s something to grow deeper into.