What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those hours of torture on the cross? Below is an account of what physically happens during a Crucifixion as described by Dr. Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon who did extensive research on the topic. And to think the Lord went through this for you and me!<P>Before Jesus was actually crucified upon the cross, he was mistreated at the hands of Pilate, the Procurator of Judea. Pilate ordered Jesus to be scourged. Jesus was stripped of his clothing and his hands tied to a post above his head. A Roman legionnaire stepped forward with the flagrum, in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the end of each thong. The whip was brought down with full force again and again across Jesus' shoulders, back, and legs. At first the weighted thongs cut through the skin only. As the blows continue, they began to cut deeper into the tissues of Jesus' back and sides. Producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The skin of the back hangs in long ribbons, and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it was determined by the centurion that the prisoner is near death, the beating is stopped.<P><BR>At this time, after the scourging, Roman soldiers began to mock Jesus who was claiming to be a king. They threw a robe on him and placed a small stick in his hand for a scepter. Small flexible branches covered with long thorns, were plaited into the shape of a crude crown. The crown was pressed into the scalp and again there was bleeding as the thorns pierced the vascular tissue. The Roman soldiers mocked him and struck his face. They took the stick that was in his hand and also struck him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into his scalp, causing more vascular bleeding. The robe was removed from Jesus back and the clotted blood and serum which were in his wounds from the scourging began to bleed again because the robe had been adherent to the skin.<P><BR>As he lay slumped on the stone pavement, the heavy patibulum of the cross was tied across the shoulders. In spite of Jesus' efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious loss of blood, was too much. He stumbled and fell. The rough wood of the beam gouged into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tried to rise, but human muscles had been pushed beyond their endurance. Another was chosen to carry the beam to the place of the Skull called Golgotha. Jesus followed, bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock.<P><BR>The crucifixion begins. The patibulum is placed on the ground, and the prisoner is thrown backward, with his shoulders against the wood. The soldier feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. A heavy, square iron nail is driven through the wrist and deep into the wood. He moves to the other side and repeats the action. The patibulum is then lifted into place at the top of stipes and Jesus of Nazareth, was nailed into place. The left foot was pressed backward against the right foot. With both feet extended, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The victim was now considered CRUCIFIED. <P><BR>As Jesus slowly sagged down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shot along his fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain. The nails in the wrists were putting pressure on the median nerve, large nerve trunks which traverse the mid-wrist and hand. As he would push himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he placed his full weight on the nail through his feet. Again there is searing agony as the nail tore through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of his feet. As his arms fatigued, waves of cramps swept over the muscles, knotting them in deep relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps came the inability to push himself upward. Hanging by his arms, the pectoral muscles were paralyzed and the intercostal muscles, were unable to act. Air could be drawn into the lungs, but could not be exhaled. Jesus fought to raise himself in order to get even one short breath. He suffered hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyziation, and searing pain as tissue was torn from his lacerated back from his movements up and down against the timber of the cross. Then more agony begins: a deep crushing pain in the chest as the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart, slowly filled with serum and began to compress the heart. The end of life was rapidly approaching.<P><BR>Now, the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart was struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood to the tissues, and the tortured lungs were making a frantic effort to inhale small gulps of air. The dehydrated tissues sent their flood of stimuli to the brain. His body is now in extremis, and he could feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues. Finally, with one last surge of strength, he once again pressed his torn feet against the nail, straightened his legs, took a deep breath, cried with his last breath, it is finished..... and DIED.<P><BR>RESURRECTION<P>The Crucifixion is not the END of the Story. How grateful I am and we can be that we have a sequel to these events: A glimpse of the infinite mercy of God towards man-the gift of his atonement, the miracle of the resurrection, and the expectation of new life.<P>