Starman3000m
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(excerpt - complete article at link provided below)
“ ... Once Jesus was lifted to the cross, His feet were nailed to it. But, in order to do this, His knees were bent and the feet brought up a bit to allow them to lie flat against the stake so they could be nailed to it. Once suspended, the force of gravity brings the weight of the body down and the shoulders and elbows dislocate by popping out of joint, ripping ligaments.
Because of the outstretched position of the arms, the chest cavity is in a perpetually expanded state and it is very difficult to breathe. With the severe loss of blood from the scourging and crucifixion, Jesus would have become dehydrated and His body would have less blood to carry oxygen. Therefore, His heart would beat faster as it attempted to compensate and His need for oxygen would increase greatly. In order to breath, Jesus had to push up on the nails in His feet to allow His chest enough flexibility to inhale. Pushing up on the nails is not only excruciating, but this meant that He had to scrap His raw, beaten back against the rough wooden stake. This whole process of breathing and exhaling by pushing up on the nails only increases in intensity as time passes. Soon, the body gets to the point of no return and the heart either ruptures or the person dies from asphyxiation. But, before that happened, the blood loss results in extreme thirst as the body craves water to restore the lost blood. Jesus said, "I thirst" (John 19:28), whereupon a soldier offered Him some sour wine (Luke 23:36), but Jesus refused it -- because He would not seek to escape any of the ordeal.
In order to prolong the suffering, sometimes, the Romans would place a very small seat nailed to the stake so that the victim could partially sit on it. This would allow a small amount of rest and would greatly increase the time it took to die, sometimes several days. But in Jesus’ case, since He was so badly beaten before He got to the cross, He died in a short amount of time. It was, therefore, not necessary to break His legs to prevent Him from pushing up on the nails in His feet so He could breath. Jesus died a horrible death.
As I read this account, I am stricken by the greatness of His sacrifice and very thankful that He loves us enough to die for us. He deserves all the glory.”
The Crucifixion of Jesus | Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry
“ ... Once Jesus was lifted to the cross, His feet were nailed to it. But, in order to do this, His knees were bent and the feet brought up a bit to allow them to lie flat against the stake so they could be nailed to it. Once suspended, the force of gravity brings the weight of the body down and the shoulders and elbows dislocate by popping out of joint, ripping ligaments.
Because of the outstretched position of the arms, the chest cavity is in a perpetually expanded state and it is very difficult to breathe. With the severe loss of blood from the scourging and crucifixion, Jesus would have become dehydrated and His body would have less blood to carry oxygen. Therefore, His heart would beat faster as it attempted to compensate and His need for oxygen would increase greatly. In order to breath, Jesus had to push up on the nails in His feet to allow His chest enough flexibility to inhale. Pushing up on the nails is not only excruciating, but this meant that He had to scrap His raw, beaten back against the rough wooden stake. This whole process of breathing and exhaling by pushing up on the nails only increases in intensity as time passes. Soon, the body gets to the point of no return and the heart either ruptures or the person dies from asphyxiation. But, before that happened, the blood loss results in extreme thirst as the body craves water to restore the lost blood. Jesus said, "I thirst" (John 19:28), whereupon a soldier offered Him some sour wine (Luke 23:36), but Jesus refused it -- because He would not seek to escape any of the ordeal.
In order to prolong the suffering, sometimes, the Romans would place a very small seat nailed to the stake so that the victim could partially sit on it. This would allow a small amount of rest and would greatly increase the time it took to die, sometimes several days. But in Jesus’ case, since He was so badly beaten before He got to the cross, He died in a short amount of time. It was, therefore, not necessary to break His legs to prevent Him from pushing up on the nails in His feet so He could breath. Jesus died a horrible death.
As I read this account, I am stricken by the greatness of His sacrifice and very thankful that He loves us enough to die for us. He deserves all the glory.”
The Crucifixion of Jesus | Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry