2) Isaiah 53:5-7 (NASB)
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Facing and Undergoing the Torment of the Cross<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tom Edwards<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though God in human flesh (Jn. 1:1,14; Matt. 1:23), yet Jesus was not exempt from the human frailness of that flesh. For He still became \u201chungry\u201d (Matt. 4:2), \u201cthirsty\u201d (Jn. 19:28), \u201cwearied\u201d (Jn. 4:6), \u201ctempted in all things as we are, yet without sin\u201d (Heb. 4: 15) \u2014 and He could feel pain! But exchanging His glorious heavenly \u201cform\u201d for an inferior human body was necessary \u201cbecause of the suffering of death\u2026so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone\u201d (Heb. 2:9); and \u201c\u2026that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives\u201d (vv. 14,15).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In realizing what Jesus was up against in facing and undergoing the cross, we should be able to better appreciate the determination He had in going to that extreme to carry out His Father\u2019s will. Paul also speaks of this in Philippians 2:8, when saying that Jesus \u201c\u2026humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS\u201d (emphasis mine). Of all the ways to die, being nailed to a cross to suffer for hours in excruciating torment would be a most difficult way to go. Yet, the Lord willingly went through with it! And this He indicates in John 10:17,18: \u201cFor this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.\u201d It is also in this same chapter that Jesus says of Himself, \u201cI am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep\u201d (v. 11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to His crucifixion, just the mere thought of it had led to an inner torment for the Son of God. For instance, on the night of His betrayal, only hours away from being severely scourged and nailed to the cross, Jesus \u201cbegan to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, \u2018My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death\u2026\u2019\u201d (Mark 14:33,34). He, therefore, \u201cwent a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by\u201d (v. 35). Three times He prayed concerning this: \u201cFather, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done\u201d (Luke 22:43). The Hebrew writer also speaks of the Lord\u2019s impassioned appeals to His Father when \u201cIn the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety\u201d (Heb. 5:7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notice, too, what Luke\u2019s account brings out about this time in the garden: \u201cAnd being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground\u201d (Luke 22:44).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Various versions refer to this sweat as being \u201clike\u201d drops of blood. But could that be said because it was not 100% blood, but a somewhat mixture of blood with sweat? If so, and which various scholars agree, it is then indicating that Jesus was actually experiencing hematidrosis, which is also sometimes written as hemathidrosis,\u201d \u201chematohidrosis\u201d and \u201chemidrosis.\u201d It is defined as \u201ca condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, occurring under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress\u201d (Dr. Frederick Zugibe). Only in the gospel of Luke, who was a physician, is mention made of the Lord\u2019s sweat becoming \u201clike drops of blood.\u201d According to Segen\u2019s Medical Dictionary, Hematidrosis is \u201cAn extremely rare condition characterized by the sweating of blood, which is said to occur when a person is facing death or other highly stressful events. It has been seen in prisoners before execution and occurred during the London Blitz. \u2026 Hematohidrosis is attributed to rupture of the capillaries surrounding sweat glands, with oozing of blood into the glands and out the sweat ducts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we had previously seen, Jesus was under extreme pressure while realizing His crucifixion was just hours away. And something else that indicates that, which we might have failed to take into consideration, is that it was not an overly warm night that was causing all that sweating. For just the opposite was true! It was a night cold enough for the need of warmth, as seen in John 18:18: \u201cNow the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So could it be that it was \u201clike\u201d drops of blood because it was not 100% blood; but, rather, would have been a slight mixture of blood to the sweat, which then gave it a bloody appearance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another effect from hematidrosis is that it causes the skin to become \u201cextremely tender and fragile\u201d and, thus, even more sensitive toward pain. So that would certainly intensify the suffering on a cross also!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And what else would make the suffering even more difficult? Would it not be the prior flogging that was carried out most severely? According to Unger\u2019s Bible Dictionary, \u201cCrucifixion was preceded by scourging with thongs, to which were sometimes added nails, pieces of bone, etc., to heighten the pain, often so intense as to cause death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Incidentally, the word \u201cexcruciating,\u201d which we use to express a most intense pain or torture, has its etymology around A.D. 1560-70 from the Latin \u201cexcruciatus,\u201d which is a past participle of excruciare<\/em> and means \u201cto torment, torture.\u201d The root of that word, \u201ccruciare,\u201d is derived from crux<\/em>, which means \u201ccross\u201d (Webster\u2019s Random House College Dictionary). So, again, we see the cross in connection with extreme pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We recall that after the Lord\u2019s scourging, He was initially the One who was \u201cbearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha\u201d (Jn. 19:17). According to the custom of that time, it would not have been the entire cross, which might weigh over 300 pounds, but just the upper crossbeam that would be carried, and with the upright portion of the cross already in the ground where it would permanently remain. But even that lighter crossbeam, which could be from about 75 to 125 pounds (New World Encyclopedia), Jesus was not able to continue carrying, due to the intense scourging, loss of blood, and physical weakness it had led to. So Simon of Cyrene was \u201cpressed into service\u201d to bear the Lord\u2019s cross (Matt. 27:32). Simon was \u201ca passer-by coming from the country\u201d (Mark 15:21), and they \u201cplaced on him the cross to carry behind Jesus\u201d (Luke 23:26).<\/p>\n\n\n\n About 1,000 years prior to the Lord\u2019s crucifixion, the means of His death was already indicated in prophecy. Numerous verses in Psalm 22 foretell the crucifixion scene. And though at that time the Law of Moses spoke of execution by the sword (Exod. 32:27,28), by fire (Lev. 21:9), and by stoning (Lev. 20:2), yet Psalm 22:16 indicates the future way that Jesus would be executed: \u201cFor dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Herodotus, the \u201cfather of history,\u201d who was born about 484 B.C. and a contemporary of Socrates, speaks of crucifixion as originating with the Persians (Hist. i.128.2; iii. 132.2, 159.1). The Britannica Encyclopedia states that \u201cIn 519 BC Darius I, king of Persia, crucified 3,000 political opponents in Babylon.\u201d Rome\u2019s use of crucifixion, which they picked up and \u201cperfected\u201d from the Persians, is said to have not been until the first century B.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, as we have seen, God knew even before the world began how Jesus would be put to death and the events surrounding that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So may the Lord\u2019s willingness to submit to such extreme agony in order that an atonement could be made for every lost soul cause us to realize even more the great love that God has for us and His desire for all to be saved! By His death, Jesus made it possible that our greatest need, which is the forgiveness of sins, can be met! And that must have been one of the reasons why the Hebrew writer says about Christ that \u201cfor the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God\u201d (Heb. 12:2). Jesus\u2019 love for us could not be hindered even though it would involve torturous sufferings! He loved us that much \u2014 and still does!<\/p>\n\n\n\n (All Scriptures from the NASB.) \u201cBut He was pierced through for our transgressions,| 1) Hear the gospel<\/strong>, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31). Tebeau Street \u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u2026teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age\u201d (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 Contents: 1) Facing and Undergoing the Torment of the Cross (Tom Edwards)2) Isaiah 53:5-7 (NASB)\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 -1- Facing and Undergoing the Torment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":613,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612\/revisions\/613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\nIsaiah 53:5-7<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth\u201d (NASB).
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2) Believe in the deity of Christ <\/strong>(John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins<\/strong> (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ<\/strong> (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water<\/strong> for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith<\/strong>, living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday <\/strong>services: 9:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday: <\/strong>7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist\/editor: <\/strong>Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go<\/a> (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http:\/\/tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org\/<\/a>
http:\/\/ThomasTEdwards.com\/audioser.html<\/a> (audio sermons)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"