How the Romans Actually Crucified Jesus

This is a replica which matches because we have 30 to 50 puncture wounds on the head and the scalp of the crucified man.

This Sean is an actual crucifixion nail from the first century that was used to execute criminals of Rome.

And when you hold it, I want you to do what I’ve done.

I want you to put it at your wrist.

Do you know why that is? Why the Romans wanted to minimize movement but maximize torment on the cross.

They were crucified through the calccanous directly through it.

So if the cross is in the middle, they essentially straddled the cross and the nail goes through the calccanous all the way through and pins him to the cross.

I’m an expert in Roman crucifixion.

We have one exemplar of all the crucifixion examples that we have from antiquity.

We have only one exemplar of someone that was crucified with a crown of thorns, and that’s Jesus of Nazareth.

These are 3-in Bethlehem thorn, Sean.

They’re extremely sharp because when they dry, they’re as sharp as nails.

So, I’d like to hand it to you, and I just want to describe it to you while you process it.

The scriptures say that sacrifices and offerings you did not require, but a body you prepared for me.

And this is a replica which matches because we have 30 to 50 puncture wounds on the head and the scalp >> of the crucified man.

I often joke with the people, yeah, try it on.

See if it works.

It definitely does.

Those wound those those are Bethlehem thorns as sharp as nails.

And >> they are >> This is what was thrust on Jesus’ head.

I want to make sure and remind you Sean of the chronology.

Jesus is first flogged.

He’s beaten.

I have the flagrroom here.

I’ll show you.

700 times.

Then they put the crown of thorns on his head.

Pontious Pilate stands up next to Jesus.

Remember his wife warmed him in a dream.

Have nothing to do with this man.

And yet Pilate says, “Eto in Latin, behold the man.

” And the crowd full of Jews began to yell, “Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him! They want him dead.

” Keep in mind, they had just seen Lazarus raised from the dead.

This is why the most dangerous place you can get is to stop seeking truth.

That’s why I love your program.

You You show us truth no matter the cost.

They put this on him.

And can you imagine the humiliation, the pain, and >> this is so nasty.

I don’t think humiliation would even be in my mind.

>> But do you know what I see? >> So painful.

>> I see love because it should have been my head in that crown, but it wasn’t.

I have four sons.

I would die for them.

I certainly wouldn’t give them for anyone.

And yet the Bible says Jesus loved me so much.

When I was at my worst, God sent his best for me, who put his head in that crown that I deserved.

And that is the beauty of the gospel.

That is the beauty that the gospel sets us free of our sin.

And we live on purpose for a purpose because we know that this life is not what we’re living for.

We’re living for the new heaven, the new earth, the resurrected king.

Man, >> tell me what you’re thinking holding that.

>> I’m thinking about how bad this would how painful this would be.

>> And I know you know stuffing it on their head on his head, you know, like just >> you know, violence, you know, pain.

I want to get your impression of it.

>> I mean, look at that.

>> Yeah.

you know how much force they would have to do just to get that around your head.

I mean, wow.

Now, >> I have something very cool to show you because this is Easter weekend.

I’ve just acquired this.

This Sean is an actual crucifixion nail from the first century that was used to execute criminals of Rome.

And when you hold it, I want you to do what I’ve done.

I want you to put it at your wrist.

These spikes are interesting because they were so valuable to the Romans.

They were often reused.

Be like if you could reuse bullets to kill someone, they would reuse these again and again.

Far more valuable than the than the criminals they executed.

It’s amazing what a man can do to another man in violence.

And when I look at this, I see an excruciating instrument.

That’s, by the way, that term excruciating Latin is from crucifixion, the cross.

But I want you to notice something.

I mean, can I hand you this? I want you to hold this.

>> As you’re holding that, I want you to notice that it has a square shaft.

So, without a doubt, that’s first century.

This was unearthed in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the Syrian province of Rome.

We have 21 different evidences of individuals being nailed to the cross.

The top of the nail would have been square at one time, but it’s been hammered so much into its victims, it’s almost been circularized.

But Sean, if you look closely, do you notice how there is a bend in the nail? Do you know why that is? >> Why? >> The Romans wanted to minimize movement but maximize torment on the cross.

So if they were crucifying you, they would often adjust the nails while you were on the cross just to inflict greater pain.

>> Geez.

So after crucifying I don’t know how many victims, this nail, this iron spike over time begins to wilt even under that pressure.

I want you to put it against your wrist and just imagine.

And I want you to let some scripture wash over you.

Think about the messianic Psalm 22 verse 16.

They pierced my nails and my feet.

David sees that prophetically a thousand years.

Of course, this is before crucifixion was even invented.

We see this in Isaiah 53.

And you’re holding in your hand a nail.

And you know what struck me as I as I researched this? The nails that Jesus died with were probably they had probably been used on other people that did deserve it.

These were nails that had been used to kill others, but he was not deserving of death.

There’s DNA on it.

There’s rust and his sinless blood.

And here’s the beauty of it.

Those nails did not keep Jesus on the cross.

His love for you and me kept him on that cross.

>> What do you mean by that? Jesus could have called down a legion of angels at any moment, but he wanted to go to the cross.

The Bible says in Luke that he set his face like flint to go to Calvary.

This was no accident.

Jesus came and he gave that message, the greatest miss message.

I have come to seek and save all who are lost.

He said, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself.

and he was lifted up in a torturous way.

So no, the the c the nails people think that kept the author of life up there, but no, it was really his love.

Wow.

You know, out when you were describing uh all the all the the shroud to me, you talked about how they did the feet, >> right? Could you go through that now? >> Yes.

This is very important.

May I have it back? So, I love The Passion of the Christ.

Actually, I just showed it to my triplets who are nine.

Mel Gibson got so many things right, but not everything is correct in it.

>> You know, the new one, the new one’s coming out this next year, >> bro.

>> They’re filming it right now.

>> Yes.

So, and again, Hollywood resurrection.

>> Yeah.

And I I love that.

And I love Dallas Jenkins, The Chosen.

I have no problem with creative license, but people need to know that’s just an approximation.

They don’t realize.

And that’s why this conversation needs to be shared.

People need to know the brutality of what Jesus went through for us.

There was no pedestal that he was standing on.

My friend Scott Strippling, the archaeologist who endorsed my book, The Jesus Discovery, has proven and shown that the victims, forgive me for holding up my foot, they were crucified through the calccanous directly through it.

So if the cross is in the middle, they essentially straddled the cross and the nail goes through the calccanous all the way through and pins him to the cross.

How do we know this? We have in the Israel Antiquities Museum, we actually have the heelbone of poor old Yehan John Johan Jon and Jonathan who was crucified under the reign of Pontius Pilate.

They had to get him buried before nightfall.

Sean, they couldn’t get the nail out of the out of the out of the cal calca, out of the heelbone.

And so finally they just said, “Forget it.

It’s nightfall.

Just bury the nail with the heelbone and throw it in the ground and throw it in the tomb.

” And so in 1967, we unearthed the heelbone with a wood washer.

I have a photo of it that we can show your audience right now that very few people in the world have seen.

There’s a olivewood washer showing that yes, they straddled the cross.

So, we’re actually talking about four nails.

We’re talking about one, two, three, four.

So, >> through the heelbone, >> through the heelbone, through the calccanous >> and that shows you what experts they were because our heels are very brittle.

These men knew how to crucify you.

The Romans didn’t invent crucifixion.

They perfected it.

And so when Jesus dies, yes, he dies by exfixiation, but based on the hematological reports, he also died of a massive heart failure, which is interesting to think about the blood loss, heart failure.

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

No one takes my life from me.

I give it willingly.

But people need to understand the brutality of it.

And this shows that there’s something else because we can get so callous.

Can I show you something else? Of course.

I’ve just acquired these.

No matter where you’re watching the Shawn Ryan Show from, if you get anything out of this at all, anything, please like, comment, and subscribe.

And most importantly, share this everywhere you possibly can.