How Did Jesus Not Die on the Way to Calvary?

Over the decades, many professionals and scholars have examined the Passion and Death of Jesus from a medical and scientific stand-point.  While the authors of the Gospels faithfully describe the ordeal that Jesus endured for our salvation, these medical and scientific professionals add a new dimension to our understanding of what Jesus suffered on our behalf.   

In a March 2024 podcast, Father Chris Alar of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception encapsulated these medical and scientific studies to present a profound analysis of Jesus’s suffering and death on the Cross.  See 

https://divinemercyplus.org/videos/scientific-proof-christs-crucifixion-and-how-he-suffered 

Many books and articles have analyzed the science and medical explanations for Jesus’s Passion and Death.  Here are several for your consideration:

“Medical views on the death by crucifixion of Jesus Christ” by Gary Habermas, Jonathan Kopel, and Benjamin C. F. Shaw  Baylor Medical Center Proceedings (30 July 2021). Accessed at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8545147/  

“On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ” by Dr. William D. Edwards MD, Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; and Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI.  Journal of the American Medical Association.  (March 21, 1986).  Accessed at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/403315 

“Medical theories on the cause of death in crucifixion.” by Matthew W. Muslin and Piers D. Mitchell.  Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.  (April 2006).  Accessed at 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1420788/  

^“The physical effects of the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus” by Terry McDermott (March 13, 2020).  Accessed at https://catholicinsight.com/2020/03/13/the-physical-effects-of-the-scourging-and-crucifixion-of-jesus/

“The Science of the Crucifixion” by Dr. Cahleen Shrier, PhD.  (March 01, 2002).  Accessed at https://www.apu.edu/articles/the-science-of-the-crucifixion/

It is often said that science and religion are incompatible.  The scientific analysis of Jesus’s Passion, Crucifixion and Death offer yet another rebuttal of this fallacy.  The science explains the depth of Jesus’s suffering which in turn illustrates the depth love of Jesus has for His Father and for us.  “While these unpleasant facts depict a brutal murder, the depth of Christ’s pain emphasizes the true extent of God’s love for His creation,” Dr. Cahleen Shrier, Professor of Biology at Azusa Pacific University in California wrote in her article “The Science of the Crucifixion.”   

The following descriptions of Jesus’s suffering and death on Good Friday are based upon the medical and scientific analyses that I consulted for this article.  I would refer you to the aforementioned sources and Father Chris’s March 2024 podcast for further consideration.  

Jesus’s excruciating journey to the Cross began in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus was fully aware of the physical, mental and emotional suffering that he was about to endure for our sins.  The resultant stress and anguish produced a rare condition known as hematidrosis in which capillaries in the sweat glands broke, causing blood to mix with sweat.  Though lacking the scientific explanation, the Gospel of St. Luke records  Jesus experiencing this rare phenomenon:  “He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground (22:44).”

Jesus was then put on trial with the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman political leaders, ie. Pontius Pilate and Herod.  Pilate ordered Jesus scourged.  During this sadistic, brutal punishment, Jesus was tied to a pillar and repeatedly beaten with a leather whip that had pieces of lead at the ends.  Again, the Gospels describe Jesus being scourged, and again science gives us a deeper understanding of what Jesus endured.  The repeated blows of the scourging caused widespread bleeding and tore the flesh of our Lord across his body, causing intense widespread pain and significant blood loss.  

Adding to the cruelty, the Roman soldiers emplaced a crown of thrones upon Jesus’s head and dressed him in a purple royal robe to mock him.  This too is mentioned in the Gospels and science explains how these sharp thrones caused further bleeding across his head and intense pain.  Then, the soldiers ripped the robe from Jesus.  The fabric having adhered to his bloody body further inflicted cruel pain and suffering.  

Having endured the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging at the Pillar, and the Crowning with Thorns, Jesus next had to carry the instrument of his execution through the streets of Jerusalem and outside the city to Golgotha (Calvary).  By now, Jesus was undoubtedly suffering from hypovolemia and probably from hypovolemic shock in addition to the horrendous pain caused by the brutal tortures inflicted upon him by the Roman soldiers.  

Hypovolemic shock occurs when the body loses 15% or more of its fluids including blood.  This can be caused by blood loss due to injury, severe burns, dehydration, diarrhea and vomiting.  

I am not a medical professional but I did have some medical training while serving in the Navy Reserve.  I received basic first aid training and training in treating casualties at various times and especially prior to my Iraq deployments.  The U.S. Navy Non-Resident Training Course  “Hospital Corpsman NAVEDTRA 14295” defines shock as “the collapse of the cardiovascular system, characterized by circulatory deficiency and the depression of vital functions” (page 4-21).  NAVEDTRA 14295 further states “The essential feature of all forms of hypovolemic shock is loss of fluid from the circulating blood volume, so that adequate circulation to all parts of the body cannot be maintained” (page 4-23).  Fortunately, I never had to treat anyone for shock.  

There is some disagreement amongst scholars as to whether Jesus carried the whole Cross or only the horizontal cross-bar (patibulum).   Carrying either would have been a major ordeal for a person already suffering from extensive injuries / wounds and suffering from hypovolemia due to significant blood loss and dehydration.  Indeed Jesus falls three times while carrying the Cross and requires the assistance of Simon the Cyrene.  

When Jesus arrives at Calvary, he is nailed to the Cross.  If he was carrying only the patibulum, then his hands would have been nailed to the patibulum and then he would have been lifted onto the vertical portion of the Cross (staticulum) which was already there at Calvary.   If he was carrying the full Cross, then his hands and feet would have been nailed to the Cross and the whole sadistic apparatus raised into position.  Adding to the agony of hypovolemic shock and intense pain from his previous injuries would have been the severe pain of having been nailed to the Cross and the difficulties of breathing in this brutal position.  He is offered a mild pain killer but refuses it.  At 3 o’clock, “Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last”  (Luke 23:46).  

There is some disagreement amongst medical and scientific professionals about the cause of Jesus’s death.  Some say it is asphyxiation.  Others say that it is hypovolemic shock.  Some say a combination of causes.  I am no medical expert but hypovolemic shock seems to be the most plausible.  

Given what Jesus had endured prior to carrying the Cross, his major loss of blood and fluids, and the physical exertion required to carry the Cross, Jesus could have died on the way to Calvary.   I wonder at how Jesus even managed to make it to Calvary to be crucified.  

Yet he did make to Calvary and he did suffer even more for our sins when he was nailed to the Cross.  His death paid the ransom of our sins; his Resurrection opened up Heaven to those who believe in him.  His love for us and the Father motivated everything he did for us and enabled him to overcome the incomprehensible pain and suffering that he endured for us.