In his book Christianity: A Clear Case of History!, author Edward C. Wharton writes the following about what happened during death by crucifixion and the six hours upon which Jesus hung upon the cross.
Killing Time on a Cross
The death of the crucified victim was brought about either by starvation or by exhaustion, but not by loss of blood. If he was tied to the cross nothing more was done and he was left to starve to death. If he was nailed to the cross a tablet for his feet or an improvised saddle of wood was made (for) him to rest his body on to prevent his wounds from tearing apart as his body sagged from exhaustion. This may have produced some insignificant bleeding, but not fatally so. Death rarely resulted before a day and a half to three days, depending entirely on the constitution of the individual.
This would explain why the Jews broke the legs of the thieves who were crucified on either side of Jesus. The day following the crucifixion was a Sabbath day and the Jews wanted the victim taken away prior to that time, so their legs were broken to accelerate their deaths by preventing them from supporting their bodies in order to breathe (John 19:31-33).
Jesus Died in Six Hours!
Mark tells us that Jesus was crucified at the third hour, about nine o’clock in the morning, and that he died at the ninth hour, about three o’clock in the afternoon (Mark 15:25-37). The importance of this fact cannot be overstated. Had Jesus remained alive on the cross for the length of time it ordinarily took to doe by crucifixion there would have been no evidence that he had exercised his divine power to lay down his life by an act of his own will as he had earlier claimed. IT would have appeared that he had died like any other man on a cross. It was therefore necessary for death to ensue early while yet the strength of life was surging through his body. We have reason to expect that an ordinary man would have survived the ordeal of crucifixion had he been removed from the cross after only six hours. But, remarkably, Jesus, after only six hours on the cross, announced with a strong voice that this was the very moment of his death, and immediately he died! (Luke 23:46; John 19:30).
This explains Pilate’s surprise when slightly more than six hours had lapsed before Joseph of Arimathaea requested of the governor that he grant to him the body of Jesus. Mark says that Pilate marveled if he were already dead,” and called for the centurion of the execution squad to confirm the Lords death (Mark 15:43-45). Pilate marveled inasmuch as it was too soon for the normal expectation of death by crucifixion. [Edward C. Wharton, Christianity: A Clear Case of History! (Howard Pub. Co., 1997) 136-138]
The above point is well made, though seldom considered. If not careful, we may be tempted to conclude that the reason Jesus died after only six hours on the cross was due to the weariness and stress of being taken from one illegal assembly to another throughout the night of his betrayal or that a quick death was, perhaps, the result of the severity of the scourging He received before He was crucified. Wharton describes it this way:
The fact that Jesus died of his own volition and at the very moment of his own choosing, not by the effects of the crucifixion, has not received the attention that it warrants. Yet this amazing fact has been stated clearly enough by all four of the Gospel historians. Perhaps this is due to the fact that crucifixion as a means of execution is so far removed from our modern frame of reference that none of the effects of requirements upon the one being crucified is generally known. That is very possibly why the unique circumstances accompanying the death of Jesus on the cross are not recognized, even by the great mass of Bible readers. [135, 136]
It is significant that Jesus stated “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 19:17, 18).
Jesus was willing to give His life as a perfect sacrifice for all of humanity. Let’s look for opportunities to grow closer to the Savior through God’s Word, and share the greatest story ever told with a lost and hopeless world! Have a Great week!