'duke nail's were long from four-------------keep his balance' explain
Answers
I. Introduction (Colossians 2:13,14)
A. A very plain object this morning – a nail
B. We are all familiar with the use of a nail in the wall where we are used to hanging up a picture or even our clothes on them—a jacket, a sweater, a hat—sometimes holding up quite a weight, so it had to be well anchored.
C. Well, technology hasn’t really replaced the nail thankfully – after thousands of years, we still use lots of nails for everything!
D. A lot can be learned from such a simple item - especially since the Bible gives us a glimpse at just how powerful for us the nailing of Jesus to the cross was
II. Let Me Give You Some Background on Some Special Nails (Luke 24:37-40)
A. Crucifixion was invented by the Persians about 300 B.C. It was among the most painful and excruciating form of punishment leading to death ever contrived by man for man (women were never crucified).
B. If we trace the word "excruciating" back to its Latin origins we find that it relates to the act of crucifixion.
C. Contrary to popular opinion, the nails which held Jesus to the cross were driven into His wrists, and not his palms. Many great painters from the past have depicted Jesus being nailed through His palms to the cross; it is a medical impossibility for this to be the case.
D. Jesus' nails would have been made of heavy, square shaped iron, 7-9 inches long. You may have to really work your mind to grasp the enormity of what was going on here. The weight of a fully grown man was going to be suspended by three nails: one in each wrist, and the other through both feet!
E. The Process of the Crucifixion
1. When Jesus got to the place of His execution, He was placed on His back with His arms outstretched. The nails were first driven through small wooden disks (like washers) to eliminate any chance of the heads pulling through the flesh. The site of the incision in the base of the wrist was critical; the Romans had perfected the procedure, a very specific procedure. The Roman legionnaire who had been given the task felt for a specific spot, the nail had to be driven in-between the bones of the forearm up close to the wrist while not severing any major arteries or veins. There is a space between eight small bones which is structurally suitable to permit a full body weight to be supported for a time. If the nails had been driven into the palms of the hands, under the weight, they would have quickly ripped out between the fingers.
2. First, a nail would have been driven into His arm on one side, and then the other. The legionnaire would make sure that His arms were not pulled too tightly, allowing movement. With this done, the cross was then raised and dropped into a set hole in the ground. Then came the nailing of the feet. The third nail had to be driven through both feet, which were turned outward so the nail could be hammered inside the Achilles tendon. With His knees slightly flexed Jesus was now crucified. As He slowly sagged down, He would have tried to support His weight with the muscles of His legs, an impossible position to maintain. In some cases, the victims' legs were broken, so that they couldn't support themselves in this way. Eventually more and more weight was placed upon the nails. The method the Romans had perfected ensured that crucifixion victims would hang painfully until their diaphragm went into spasm and they literally suffocated to death.
F. What an incredible price Jesus was forced to pay, to pay for our sins!
G. And it was not paid through just the rough wood of that cross, nor the cruel mockery of the crowd that gathered at its base, but the price was paid through three massive nails!
H. I want us to learn as much from those nails as possible because I believe those nails spiritually can mean the difference between heaven and hell for people, and between sin and forgiveness, and between bitterness and real joy!
I could go on but it would go for a very long time