3 O’ Clock

This is 9 O’ Clock in the morning of a year in first Century AD. A disfigured (Ugly) man
covered in blood and wounds is passing through the narrow city of Jerusalem. He is
carrying a crossbar of a cross call PATIBULUM weighing from somewhere 80 LB to
125 pounds. Definitely he is very weak to carry such a heavy object in this physical
condition. Roman soldiers are keeping him away from the reach of commoners and also
making it sure that he is carrying the PATIBULUM. The path is rocky, and sun is purring
fire from the sky, humidity is adding into it making it harder for this man whom they call
Jesus of Nazareth to cover a distance of SIX HUNDRAD AND FIFTY YARDS about six
and half times bigger than a foot ball field. His head is bleeding because of the crown of
thorns Roman soldiers put on his head and push it into the skull to mock him, his face is
red and blue and battered and bruised because of the constant hitting on it, his back is
shredded, he looks dehydrated and exhausted, his feet are tired and his body is weak. But
it is not the end of story worse yet to come!

Yesterday it was entirely different day, Luke writes in Chapter 19:36-40 that “then the
crowds spread out their coats on the road ahead of Jesus. As they reached the place where
the road started down from the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and
sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in highest
heaven! But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, Teacher, rebuke your followers
for saying things like that! He replied, if they kept quiet, the stones along the road would
burst into cheers.” it was a pleasant day, and Jesus entered in the City of Jerusalem with
triumph. Crowd was shouting Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna. They were putting their head
coving and coats, the branches of Palm tree on his way to welcome him as the King not a
king.

They were expecting him to be the king just because he gave them hope by stand up
against the craftiness of religious authorities. Nevertheless he had no agenda to through
the Roman government and become a political hero.

It was the evening of the same day that Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane a
beautiful Olive orchard; this is where this painful journey started, Luke 22:44 says “And
being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like great drops of
blood falling to the ground.” Being God Christ knew the pain, torment, and agony he
was going to go through in a few hours, therefore he ask His father earnestly to take the
cup of suffering away from him …if it is possible…

This is the place where we going to learn a few medical terms to examine the death of
Christ on the cross. There is medical condition for someone having a “sweat like great
drops of blood” calls HEMOHIDROSIS or HEMATIDROSIS. This has been seen in
patients who have experienced extreme stress or severe shock to their system. What
happens, due the stress and mental pressure the capillaries a web of very tiny vanes
carrying blood through out the body become fragile and leak blood into the sweat which
comes out of sweat glands. It shows the intensity of his stress.
Keep it in your mind that he is already in agony, and now its about the time that his
physical strength as a human going to be tested. Having been a carpenter and traveling
throughout the land during His ministry would have required that He would be in good
physical condition. Before the crucifixion, however, He was forced to walk 2.5 miles
over a sleepless night, during which He suffered great anguish through His six trials, was
mocked, ridiculed and severely beaten, and was abandoned by His friends and Father in
heaven.(Edwards).

In the garden of Gethsemane they arrest him (Luke 22:47-53) through out the night till 9
O’clock He would be mocked, and scourge. The scourging prior to crucifixion served to
weaken the condemned man and if blood loss was considerable to produce orthostatic
hypotension and even hypovolemie shock. an unfinished timber
CROSS: The first known practice of crucifixion originated with the Persians near 400
BC, and later passed to the Carthaginians and the Phoenicians; and off course Roman
adopted the practice and used it as capital punishment. It caused maximum pain and
suffering over a significant period of time. In fact, the word excruciate means “to cause
great agony, torment. It comes from the Latin “from, or out of, the cross.””

The religious leaders find Christ worthy of crucifixion but when Jesus brought to the
Pilate he finds Him not guilty but under the pressure of crowd he orders Jesus to be
wiped and crucified.

Flogging by the Romans was so severe that eh victim often died from the beating. They
used a whip that was called a FLAGRUM or FLAGELLUM. It was consist of small
pieces of bone and metal, attached to a number of leather strip. When Christ was flogged,
the solider brought the heavy whip down with full force again and again across Jesus;
shoulders, back and legs, the pieces of bone and metal diged deep into his skin pulling
flash out exposing a bloody mass of muscle and bone; HAMBURGER (Metherall). The
skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass
of torn, bleeding tissue. This is why ISAIAH 52:14 says, “He was so disfigured that He
hardly looked human.” To mock Him, they throw a robe across His shoulders and place
a stick in His hand for a scepter. One said, a king cannot be king with crown. They made
a crown out of branches covered with thorns. Thorns were 1 to 2 inches long, and gospels
state that the Roman soldiers continued to beat Jesus on the head probably with the stick
they gave Him as a scepter. It must have driven the thorns into the scalp and forehead
which is one of the most vascular areas of the body. It could have damage the
TRIGEMINAL NERVE . The trigeminal nerve (the fifth cranial nerve, also called the
fifth nerve or simply V) is responsible for sensation in the face. Sensory information
from the face and body is processed by parallel pathways in the central nervous system.
The fifth nerve is primarily a sensory nerve, but it also has certain motor functions
(biting, chewing, and swallowing). These are discussed separately.

The term SPINAL NERVE generally refers to the mixed spinal nerve, which is formed
from the dorsal and ventral roots that come out of the spinal cord. The spinal nerve is the
bit that passes out of the vertebrae through the intervertebral foramen. All spinal nerves
are part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves in
humans. …. It again caused severe bleeding. This huge blood loss caused

HYPOVOLEMIC SHOCK..

Each wound apparently was intended to produce intense agony, and thee contributing
causes of death were numerous. With this physical torment, he is walking carrying an
unfinished 80 to 125 LB heavy Timber Patibulum. Under hot sun on an uphill rocky path
every step He takes, the log scratches His back more. Finally, He arrives on the Golgotha,
the procedure of crucifixion started.

NAILING OF HAND:The Patibulum was put on the ground and the Christ laid upon it.
Since the palms of the hands were not able to support the weight of the body Nails, about
7 inches long and with a diameter of 1 cm were driven in the wrists, but it not wrong
when we read that he show his hands to Thomas because according to the ancient
terminology, the wrists were considered to be part of the hand. The points would go into
the vicinity of the median nerve, causing shocks of pain to radiate through the arms. After
both arms were fixed to the crossbar, the Patibulum and the victim, together, were lifted
onto the stipes. It caused massive strain on the wrists, the arms and the shoulders
resulting in a dislocation of the shoulder and elbow joints. With the arms up and
outward, the ribcage was held in a fixed position that made it extremely difficult for the
Christ to breathe and He would therefore be able to take only shallow breaths. This
explains why Christ made very short statement when he was on the cross. As time passed,
the muscles from the loss of blood, last of oxygen and the fixed position of the body,
would undergo severe cramps and SPASMODIC condition. In the center of the stipes was
a crude seat, called a SEDULUM which served a support for the victim.

NAILING OF FEET:The feet were then nailed to the stipes, although the feet could be
fixed to the sides of the stipes or to a wooden footrest calls SUPPEDANEUM, they
usually were nailed directly tot the front of the stipes.. To allow this the knees had to be
bent and rotated laterally, being left in a very uncomfortable position. With each
respiration the painful scourging wounds would be scraped against the rough wood of
the stipes.

With the weight of the body being supported by the sedulum, the arms were pulled
upward. This caused the INTERCOSTAL and PECTORAL muscles to be stretched. As
pain in the wrists and arms increased, the victim was force to raise the body of the
sedulum, therefore transferring the weight of the body to the feet. Respirations became
easier, but with the weight of the body being exerted on the feet, pain in the feet and legs
mounted. When the Pain became unbearable, the victim drops down on the sedulum to
relieve pain in the feet. Eventually, he became exhausted or lapsed into unconsciousness
so that he could no longer lift his body off the sedum. In this position with the respiratory
muscles essentially paralyzed.

Due to the shallow breathing, the victim’s lungs begin to collapse in small areas causing
HYPOXIA (Less supply of OX) and HYPERCARBIA (large amount of CO in ). A
RESPIRATORY ACIDOSIS is an unbalance condition of Acids in our body, and this
unbalance condition can cause disturbance in the exchange of gases. With lack of
compensation by the kidney due to the loss of blood from the numerous beatings, resulted
in an increased strain on the heart, which beats faster to compensate. Fluid builds up in
the lungs. This fluid call PLEURAL EFFUSION. Under the stress of hypoxia and
acidosis the heart eventually fails. It is also possible that , the Christ died due to the
EXHAUSTION ASPHYIXA:SUFFUCATION.

Cause of Death Due to three kinds of Shocks

1. HYPOVOLEMIC SHOCK: which is due to the loss of blood and fluid volume
in the body.
2. TROMATIC SHOCK: due to the all injuries.
3. CARDIO GENIC SHOCK: which was the consequences f the first two shocks.
Where heat fails to pump.