THE CROSS
A DOCTOR’S VEIW BY Dr. TRUMAN DAVIS, OPTHALMOLOGIST
A CROSS IS PLACED ON THE GROUND AND THE EXHAUSTED MAN IS QUICKLY THROWN AGAINST THE WOOD. THE LEGIONNAIRE FEELS FOR THE DEPRESSION AT THE FOOT OF THE WRIST. HE DRIVES A HEAVY, SQUARE, WROUGHT IRON NAIL THROUGH THE WRIST DEEP INTO THE WOOD. QUICKLY, HE MOVES TO THE OTHER SIDE AND REPEATS THE ACTION, BEING CAREFUL NOT TO PULL THE ARMS TOO TIGHTLY, BUT TO ALLOW SOME FLEX AND MOVEMENT.
THE CROSS IS THEN LIFTED INTO PLACE. THE LEFT FOOT IS PRESSED BACKWARD, AGAINST THE RIGHT FOOT AND WITH BOTH FEET EXTENDED, TOES DOWN, A NAIL IS DRIVEN THROUGH THE ARCH OF EACH, LEAVING THE KNEES FLEXED.
AS HE SLOWLY SAGS DOWN WITH MORE WEIGHT ON THE NAIL IN THE WRISTS, EXCRUCIATING FIERY PAIN SHOOTS ALONG THE FINGERS AND UP INTO THE ARMS TO EXPLODE IN THE BRAIN. THE NAILS IN THE WRIST ARE PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE MEDIAN NERVES. AS HE PUSHES HIMSELF UPWARD TO AVOID THIS STRETCHING TORMENT, HE PLACES THE FULL WEIGHT ON THE NAIL THROUGH HIS FEET. AGAIN HE FEELS THE SEARING AGONY OF THE NAIL, TEARING THROUGH THE NERVES BETWEEN THE BONES OF HIS FEET. AS THE ARMS FATIGUE, CRAMPS SWEEP THROUGH HIS MUSCLES, KNOTTING THEM IN DEEP RELENTLESS THROBBING PAIN. WITH THESE CRAMPS, COME THE INABILITY TO PUSH HIMSELF UPWARD TO BREATHE. AIR CAN BE DRAWN INTO THE LUNGS BUT NOT EXHALED. HE FIGHTS TO RAISE HIMSELF IN ORDER TO GET EVEN ONE SMALL BREATH.
FINALLY CARBON DIOXIDE BUILDS UP IN THE LUNGS AND IN THE BLOOD STREAM AND THE CRAMPS PARTIALLY SUBSIDE, SPASMODICALLY, HE IS ABLE TO PUSH HIMSELF UPWARD TO EXHALE AND BRINGS LIFE GIVING OXYGEN. HOURS OF LIMITLESS PAIN, CYCLES OF TWISTING, `JOINT WRENCHING CRAMPS, INTERMITTENT PARTIAL ASPHYXIATION, SEARING PAIN AS TISSUE IS TORN FROM HIS LACERATED BACK AS HE MOVES UP AND DOWN AGAINST ROUGH TIMBER. THEN ANOTHER AGONY BEGINS A DEEP CRUSHING PAIN IN THE CHEST AND THE PEROCARDIUM SLOWLY FILLS WITH SERUM AND BEGINS TO COMPRESS HIS HEART. IT IS NOW ALMOST OVER, THE LOSS OF TISSUE FLUIDS HAS REACHED CRITICAL LEVELS. THE COMPRESSED HEART IS STRUGGLING TO PUMP HEAVY, THICK, SLUGGISH BLOOD INTO THE TISSUES AND THE TORTURED LUNGS ARE MAKING A FRANTIC EFFORT TO GASP IN SMALL GULPS OF AIR, AND HE CAN FEEL THE CHILL OF DEATH CREEPING THROUGH HIS TISSUES.
Phil. 2:8…AND BEING FOUND IN FASHION AS A MAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, AND BECAME OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS.
