The punishment of crucifixion was the fixing of the person to a cross. Some victims were tied up, others nailed up. Jesus was nailed up. Crucifixion was a slow death, but this suffering was usually not intended to last for more than a few hours. Certain things were done in order to speed up the process. It was hot and dry in Jerusalem, and exposure to the sun would have helped speed up Jesus’ death.

The cross beam was placed on the ground and Jesus was laid on it, forced to lie face up with His arms outstretched. The soldiers nailed His arms to the cross and He was lifted into place on the upright. Then His feet were nailed into place.

The legs would probably have been bent at the knees and turned to one side, and there would have likely been a small ledge on the upright to sit on and partly take the weight so that the nails did not pull through the flesh. With the legs twisted, and the arms out like this, it is difficult to breath and the victim would eventually have suffocated.

According to John, Pilate had a sign written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek which was nailed to the cross and read “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The chief priest complained when he saw this. He felt the sign should have read, “He said, I am King of the Jews.” But Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

We can easily see why the priest is complaining. The words “He said” indicate that Jesus committed blasphemy and that is why He was being killed. The words “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” imply that Jesus was in fact the Messiah.

Jesus looked down and saw His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary, Mary Magdalene and the Disciple John standing near the foot of the cross. Jesus said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to John, “Behold, your mother!”

Jesus was entrusting His mother into John’s care. Jesus intended that from now on, Mary should look on John as her son and John would look on Mary as his own mother.

Jesus dies on the cross

The crowd were still jeering and mocking Jesus. People laughed at Him, saying, “You claim You can heal others, why can’t You heal Yourself. If You are the King of the Jews, then come down from the cross and we’ll believe You.”

Suddenly, after many hours, the soldiers heard Jesus cry out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Jesus also cried out “I thirst”. The soldiers took a sponge and soaked it in vinegar and a herb, put the sponge on the end of a spear or stick and offered it to Jesus to drink. The soldiers, seeing the end was near, were probably offering Jesus some sour wine mixed with a drug. This was common practice, again, to speed the end as both the Sabbath and the start of the Passover festival were approaching. With the senses dulled, the victim would stop fighting and give up.

Jesus then cried out, “It is finished,” and died.