Prologue:

The second part of the mini-series, Science and Christianity, is titled The Physical Death of Jesus Christ. Please note that there are some graphic and potentially disturbing images in this post, Reader discretion is advised!

Some things to consider:

• This was written in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1986
• The crucifixion is discussed in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
• There are more emotional and physical factors to consider that may not be mentioned today (walking distance, time of day, etc.)

Purpose of today’s class:

• We know why Jesus died for us, but do we really know how?
• Put a new perspective when you realize what he did, what his body and blood represent during communion

Video (via YouTube): The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ From A Medical Perspective HD

http://youtu.be/Hf1LwvSIODM

1) Jesus was emotionally distressed

• Jesus knew what was going to happen
• Betrayal by Judas
• Hematidrosis = sweating blood (Luke 22: 39-46) weakened the skin (leading to scourging)

2) Flogging (John 19:1)

• A required, legal process before any Roman execution
• Sheep bone, sharp objects were used at the ends of the whipping tool
• Ripping skin to muscle and fat layer
• Severity of Jesus’ scouring/flogging was not discussed in detail
• Loss of blood can led to hypovolemic shock (when your heart does not have enough blood to pump to the rest of the body = organ failure)

3) The long walk (John 19:17)

• The patibulum was the horizontal part of the cross (75-125lbs)
• Rough wood = more blood loss

4) Crucifixion (Luke 23: 26-43)

• Analgesic given = wine + gall
• Nails were likely not in the palms or else it would rip through the hand with the weight of Jesus’ body
• Nails were 5-7 inches and hammered into the wrists (nerves)

5) Final Death (Luke 23: 44-49)

• Jesus was in a constant state of inhalation (~3-6hours) = short, shallow breaths
• Any talking requires an exhalation of muscles
• Jesus yelled out on his last breath, one of 7 times Jesus spoke on the cross
• Exhaustion asphyxia = short supply of oxygen
• How did he die? Combination of loss of blood and labored breathing? Heart attack?

William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI. On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ. Retrieve from http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/deathjesus.pdf

Epilogue:

As gruesome as the crucifixion recorded to be, we must never forget the reason and the deeper meaning behind this historical event. This defining moment of Christianity demonstrated the ultimate Love from God to us, where He is willing to sacrifice His only Son for the sake of cleansing our sins. This same Love is also displayed fully by our Lord Jesus Christ, who took up such enormous and painfully journey so that we can truly rebuild our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We hope this topic brings new meaning and reinforce the “why” Jesus died for us from the “how”.

The overall reaction of the class was as expected, cringes and expressions of disgust at times.  The fact that the topic is as brute as it sounds, it is really not for everyone. We do have an incident that one of our Sr. High School student has to leave the room due to discomfort. However, there are quite a few of positive points sprout from the discussions; things such as curiosity and sense of discovery. The reality is, this topic is somewhat tugged away due to its content, but it does serve a platform of evidences that links between Science and Christianity.