Luke 22:14–20 (ESV)
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
So, how does crucifixion kill? I heard that you suffocate because you can’t hold yourself up, and just hanging by your arms interferes with your breathing.
I’ve heard that too, but it never made sense to me. As a child, I played on many different kinds of monkey bars and jungle gyms, and I never found any position that interfered with my breathing—even a little bit.
Turns out that a more recent theory—that you die of the more obvious things, like exposure and dehydration—is gaining ground.
How’s that?
Well, first I want to set this up with some details about Jesus’s specific case. Something happened the night before Jesus died that’s an important clue to what happened later. Jesus drank little if anything at the last supper. Luke 22:17–18 says:
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” (ESV)
Why does He ask the disciples to divide up his cup of wine?
The word “for” that’s used twice in this passage, is γὰρ (gar) in Greek. It’s a connector of explanation. Jesus asked the disciples to divide His cup because (gar) from now on [He] will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.
This ends up affecting how Jesus died; it’s why He ends up dying quicker than the two lasetases He’s crucified with. Jesus’s refusal to drink reduced His fluid levels.
Okay, so if exposure and dehydration are what kill you, missing one drink at supper is going to make a difference?
It’s only a small piece of the puzzle, but there’s more—much more. Then Jesus does something that further dehydrates him; He pulls an all-nighter.
And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” — Luke 22:41–46 (ESV)
Jesus even loses blood in this. He isn’t severely dehydrated yet—not even close— but he’s moving down that path.
Okay, still minor effects, but I see where you’re headed.
Crucifixion normally takes a couple of days to kill you. That’s what the Romans wanted. Remember, the purpose of crucifixion wasn’t just to get rid of someone; it was to deter others from doing what they did. They wanted them to be screaming and writhing in pain for a long time, and they wanted as many people as possible to see it. That’s how they kept their empire safe.
Sure.
But Jesus didn’t make it that long. His unique path to the cross weakened him in a way that made him specifically vulnerable to crucifixion. He wasn’t sick to start out with and never got ill in any usual sense of the word.
But He got dehydrated.
Okay, but why is that important?
It’s important because it connects all the dots in the biblical accounts. Everything that happens next makes perfect sense when you track Jesus’s dehydration.
If you say so.
I will. See you tomorrow.
