How Did Jesus Die on the Cross?
We must understand that Jesus was in complete control of what was happening on the cross. When the Romans mocked Him, telling Jesus to call on His angels to save Him, Jesus could have done that. Jesus could have displayed a mighty act by reigning down legions of angels upon the crowd. But instead, He asked God to forgive “those who do not know what they do,” and he suffered our eternal punishment.
The Bible says that after the darkness, Jesus cried out, “Eli, Eli, lema sabacthani” (“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”). He was offered wine vinegar, cried out again, and gave up His spirit (see Matthew 27:50).
Jesus didn’t die from the torture.
He didn’t die from blood loss.
He didn’t die from asphyxiation.
Remember, the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves crucified with Jesus so they wouldn’t be able to push off the spikes in their feet to lift their bodies enough to take a breath.
In fact, Jesus speaks a total of seven recorded times from the cross. He prays, speaks to the thief, talks to His mother and John, shares that He is thirsty (a vulnerable sign of His humanity), and makes declarations. See all seven utterances here.
The constant act of gasping for breath as your body weight bears down on the spikes must have been unbearable, and yet, the Bible is careful to record that Jesus, in the final seconds of His life, cries out in a loud voice.
By the time the soldier got to Jesus, He was already dead, having sacrificed Himself for us
1 Trackback / Pingback