Jesus' Body Was in Good Health Although He Was Roughly Treated Prior to Ascending the Cross

It is well documented in the New Testament that our Lord had a rigorous ministry, requiring that He travel by foot throughout Palestine.   Most certainly this would have precluded any major physical illness or a weak constitution.  It is well known that Jesus made the frequent trek by foot between the Sea of Galilee and Jerusalem in order to be present for the various Jewish feasts.   Accordingly, it is reasonable to assume that Jesus was in excellent physical condition prior to His walk to Gethsemane where He was arrested.

However, in the twelve-hour period following the Passover [Exodus 12:1-5] meal, our Lord suffered great emotional stress as evidenced by Him perspiring blood [Luke 22:44] in the garden of Gethsemane, abandonment [Matthew 26:56] by His disciples, and a savage beating [Matthew 27:26-27 and Mark 15:15] by Roman soldiers after His trial.  In addition to being deprived of sleep that night, He was forced to walk close to three miles while being transported to the sites of the various Roman and Jewish trials [Matthew 26:67 and Mark 14:64]. Considering the physical and emotional impact of these factors of our Lord, it would seem reasonable that Jesus was rendered particularly vulnerable to the cruel effects of scourging.

He Suffered Extraordinarily by Severe Flogging

By the time of Christ, the Romans had refined the "art" of flogging [Matthew 27:26-27 and Mark 15:15] (or scourging) to a science. Flogging was considered to be a preliminary event prior to every Roman execution.  So cruel was the practice that women, Roman senators, and soldiers (except in cases of desertion) were considered exempt.

The scourging was carried out by using a short whip (or flagrum) with sever single or braided leather thongs of various lengths.   Incorporated in the thongs of leather were small iron balls, sharp pieces of sheep bones, and sharpened metal buttons designed to exact maximum physical damage, undoubtedly producing deep gashes in the flesh along with deep bruising.  Clearly, the victim of the scourging was sent to the cross physically weakened, but still able to bear his own cross to the execution site, as was the custom.  Indeed it was rare for the victim not to be still able to bear the cross after scourging.

How Could There Be Blood and Water Together? The Medical Condition Is Called Hematidrosis

Thus, considering the excellent physical condition of our Lord, it must be considered that the scourging of Jesus was extraordinarily severe and resulted in an excessive amount of blood loss, bordering on circulatory shock.   The actual scourging was usually carried out by two soldiers with the victim stripped of his clothing, tied to an upright pole by his hands.  The soldiers would then alternate their blows flogging the back, buttocks, and legs.  The severity was dependent upon the disposition of the soldiers, and was usually limited to thirty-nine lashes in accordance with Jewish law (II Cor. 11:24).  In addition to the previously mentioned results of the scourging, it also produced a condition known as hematidrosis. This syndrome, a result of blunt trauma to the skin, causes swelling and bleeding under the skin, and results in the skin becoming extremely tender and sensitive.

As a result of a vicious beating, the victim undoubtedly lost a considerable amount of blood.  Thus the severity of the beating and the resultant blood loss could lead to circulatory collapse and shock.  This could well determine the length of time that a victim could survive on the cross.  Although the Gospels do not discuss the severity of the scourging, no doubt it was severe considering the physical weakness of Jesus on His way to the Cross.  We do know that Christ was mocked and taunted by Roman soldiers, His beard was plucked out, and a robe was placed across His shoulders [Luke 23:11 and Mark 15:16-20].  Later, when this robe was removed, the scourging wounds were probably reopened and the bleeding resumed.   Further blood loss would have resulted, and Jesus probably would have been near circulatory shock.

The Severe Scourging Weakened Jesus So That He Could Not Carry the Cross to the Execution Site

After the scourging, it was customary for the condemned man to carry his crossbar to the crucifixion site, but as Scriptures tell us, Jesus was so weakened by the flogging and by the abusive treatment of the Roman soldiers that He was unable to bear His crossbar [Matthew 27:32] the entire distance to Calvary.

Nails Through the Wrists

At the execution site, it was the custom of the Romans to nail the victims to the cross with tapered iron spikes five to seven inches in length. The spikes were nailed through the wrists (the Greek word for hand includes the wrist) rather than the palms since the wrists would give better support and were less likely to tear.

The Spearing in the Side

The survival time on the cross generally ranged from a few hours to three or four days and was inversely related to the severity of the scourging.  Since no one was intended to survive a crucifixion, one of the Roman guards would customarily hasten death by either breaking the legs below the knees, or by piercing the body with a spear or lance.

The Roman soldiers were probably taught that an efficient fatal wound would result from a spear wound to the right chest wall, thereby puncturing the heart.  Since Roman spears were five to six feet in length, one could easily reach the chest of a man crucified on the customary low cross.

How Respiration Was Affected

The major physiological effect of the crucifixion, beyond the excruciating pain caused by the spikes, was a marked restriction of respiration, primarily exhalation.  With the weight of the body pulling down on the outstretched arms and shoulders, the respiratory muscles located between the ribs would be fixed in an inhalation state and thereby make exhalation a difficult feat requiring significant strength.

Although shallow exhalations were possible, this would suffice for only a short while.  Only by elevating the body by pulling up on the hands while pushing upward with the legs (thus supporting the entire weight of the body by the pierced members could normal exhalation be accomplished.  However, this was such a painful maneuver that it could be performed only intermittently, and for short periods of time.  In addition, the lifting of the body probably would painfully scrape the scourged back against the rough wood of the cross, and cause a resumption of the bleeding.

Circulatory Shock

As noted above, respirations were primarily diaphragmatic and thus very shallow. With such shallow breathing, carbon dioxide would quickly accumulate in the blood leading to painful muscle cramps and tetany.  With the limitation of breathing (combined with the circulatory shock that was probably present, fluid would quickly accumulate in the lungs and in the pericardium (the sac surrounding the heart).  This would further worsen respiration and hasten death. Death on the cross usually resulted from suffocation, shock, and exhaustion as a direct result of the victim's attempts to breathe.  Other possible contributing factors would include dehydration (dependent upon the length of time spent on the cross), pulmonary edema (water on the lungs), and congestive heart failure.

The Piercing of His Side

In the case of our Lord, the Gospel of John describes the piercing of Christ's side and the overflowing of blood and water [John 19:34]. Many have assumed that the passage referred to the piercing of the abdomen, and that the water resulted from puncturing the bladder or the presence of ascites (intra-abdominal fluid that can collect as a result of stress or disease). However, a study of the Greek word for "side" used in the passage is pleura, which clearly refers to the chest rather than the abdomen. Our lungs and the walls of the internal chest cavity are lined with a thin, clear membrane called the "pleural lining."  Thus it seems probable that the spear wound was to one side of the chest wall.  Tradition has depicted the right side, although John is not specific. Medically speaking, this would support the idea of the flow "blood and water ..." from Christ's side since the spear would first puncture the lung and allow the accumulated water, probably due to pulmonary edema, to flow out.

In congestive heart failure caused by stress, the right side of the heart enlarges and results in fluid collecting in the lungs (pulmonary edema) and pericardium.  As the spear continued through the lung, it would next puncture the pericardium (sac around the heart) allowing more "water" to drain out of the wound.  Finally, the enlarged right ventricle of the heart would be punctured causing a large flow of blood from the wound.  Thus the water probably represents clear fluid from the lungs and pericardial sac, and the blood is from a direct puncture of the right side of the heart.

Other Eventualities

Other writers have suggested that the cause of Christ's death was from some type of catastrophic event such as cardiac rupture, irregular heartbeats, or the sudden passage of blood clots to the heart, lungs, or brain.  Such an event is suggested by the fact that the Scriptures say Jesus cried out in a loud voice, then bowed His head and died [John 19:30].  With the setting of the scourging and crucifixion, the physical stress that Christ endured could have led to the formation of blood clots on the heart valves that could possibly dislodge and travel to some vital organ.  If the clot was large enough, then death would quickly follow.  Although uncommon, rupture of the heart wall has occurred hours after a blood clot has traveled to the heart. Again, death would come within seconds after the rupture.

Another reasonable scenario would be that His death was multifactoral. Death would then be a result of the combination His blood loss, exhaustion, circulatory collapse, circulatory shock, and suffocation.  In such a case, the final event is a fatal cardiac arrhythmia caused by the various factors.

The Real Reason For His Death

Finally, as Christians we realize that our Lord's death occurred only because He allowed it to occur.  Had He desired to lengthen His time on the cross, then certainly, it would have happened.  Our study of the possible mechanisms of His death is, at best, problematical and speculative.  The real significance of the death of Christ is that He ultimately conquered death, and He arose from the dead three days later.