Throughout the bible is mention of many necessary evils. If not for those "necessary evils" you would not know how to enjoy all things good, or all things of GOD. Just as Satan will use good people to do the work of evil, GOD will sometime uses evil people to do the work of righteousness. The bible teaches us that even the killing of the King of Kings was a "necessary evil". For centuries it has never been taught as such, but if it is preordained by GOD who are we to question it?

Of all of the forms of execution devised by man, crucifixion was one of the most tortuous. Unlike such methods as hanging or beheading, which were at least relatively quick and painless, the agony of crucifixion could go on for many hours, or even days. But then, that seemed to be the point - the authorities wanted the condemned person to suffer as much as possible, for as long as possible, to serve as a warning to others. Crucifixion wasn't just a form of execution - it was also a political tool devised to keep the people in line.

The usual crucifixion began with the victim being flogged and severely beaten. He was then forced to carry or drag the crossbeam of the cross to the place of execution, where the upright post was already firmly fixed in the ground ( Stake). He was then bound or nailed to the crossbeam which was then raised up and attached to the post about 10 to 12 feet (3 or 4 meters) off the ground. The nails would be banged into the wrist not the hand.  The bones of the hand do not provided strength enough to support the body if nailed.  Yes, most crucifixes you see today are inaccurate, just as most sermons you sit through.  (Learn more about that by visiting JB's corner.) The feet were then nailed to the post. The legs were then often broken with an iron bar.

The death of the victim, depending upon age and physical condition, would usually be the result of heart failure, suffocation or exhaustion - but rarely soon. In some cases, it could take days.

Jesus Christ was a strong, perfectly healthy young man when He was arrested That Fateful Night. And yet He died on the cross at Calvary (the "Place of The Skull," in photograph above) within one day. How is it that He died so unusually soon? Pilate himself was surprised when he found that Jesus was already dead (Mark 15:44).

The answer is found in John's record -

"Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath [i.e. the annual Holy Day of the Passover, not the regular weekly Sabbath]. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water." (John 19:31-34).

Many assume that the soldier speared The Body of Jesus after He was dead, but why would he do that? Sheer maliciousness could be one answer, but that would still leave the big question unanswered - Why then was Jesus already dead, before the other two men who were crucified with Him, and well before Pilate expected? Or, does the sentence describe, as numerous Biblical scholars now understand, that instead of killing Jesus by breaking His legs, the soldier killed Him with his spear? After all, the Scripture plainly says that "one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear."

People who die of suffocation or heart failure do not produce a "loud cry" as Jesus did (Mark 15:37) - they would not have sufficient air in their lungs to make the sound. But, people who have been suddenly stabbed do naturally cry out from the pain and the shock.

Also, dead people do not have the blood pressure to produce a "sudden flow of blood" as described in John 19:34 - but people who are still alive do.

In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John describes the Prophecy of The Return Of Jesus Christ by saying -

"Look, He is coming in the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him." (Revelation 1:7)

There is special mention of that soldier, not because he needlessly speared the body of the dead Savior, but because that bloody stab wound was actually what killed Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Bible, Jesus Christ is referred to as "The Lamb of God" (John 1:29), which is a direct reference to the slaying of the Passover lamb - that was always done by its shed blood (Exodus 12:6-7). It is also very interesting to note that none of the lamb's bones were to be broken (Numbers 9:12).

Our salvation was made possible through the shed blood of The Savior, not by Him dying from exhaustion or a heart attack. That Roman soldier, almost certainly without realizing the tremendous significance of his brutal act, was the one who accomplished that requirement. Making this a necessary evil. For GOD used him to take the life of Jesus Christ, so those who doubted could see the power of the creator of Earth and Man by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Look at your own life, have there been evil people that forced you into a better situation. Maybe it was being fired by an evil boss who did not like you, you then landed a job that paid more money than even that boss. Evaluate the sacrificing of the lambs in your life before judging the events so harshly.
(Also See also the night before The Sacrificing of The Lamb, at the bottom of this Page.)

Story by Jamcnblood
See Also Jamcnbloods Commentary this Month.

"Then the soldiers of the governor, Pontius Pilate, took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe upon Him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat upon Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe, and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry His cross the base where the crossbar is attached for crucifixion. And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of a skull, they offered Him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among them by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over Him there. And over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews." (Matthew 27:27-37 RSV)

Story by Jamcnblood
See Also Jamcnbloods Commentary this Month.