10,000 Reasons (Laus Deo Semper)

Tim Cho

Permalink allofthegrero: The Anatomical And Physiological Details Of Death By Crucifixion:By Dr. C. Truman DavisA Physician Analyzes the Crucifixion.From New Wine Magazine, April 1982.Originally published in Arizona Medicine,March 1965, Arizona Medical Association.Crucifixion was invented by the Persians in 300 BC, and perfected by the Romans in 100 BC.1,It is the most painful death ever invented by man and is where we get our term “excruciating.”2,It was reserved primarily for the most vicious of male criminals.Jesus refused the anaesthetic wine which was offered to Him by the Roman soldiers because of His promise in Matthew 26: 29, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”3,Jesus was stripped naked and His clothing divided by the Roman guards. This was in fulfilment of Psalm 22:18, “They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”4,The Crucifixion of Jesus guaranteed a horrific, slow, painful death.Having been nailed the Cross, Jesus now had an impossible anatomical position to maintain.5,Jesus’ knees were flexed at about 45 degrees, and He was forced to bear His weight with the muscles of His thigh, which is not an anatomical position which is possible to maintain for more than a few minutes without severe cramp in the muscles of the thigh and calf.6,Jesus’ weight was borne on His feet, with nails driven through them.As the strength of the muscles of Jesus’ lower limbs tired, the weight of His body had to be transferred to His wrists, His arms, and His shoulders.7,Within a few minutes of being placed on the Cross, Jesus’ shoulders were dislocated.Minutes later Jesus’ elbows and wrists became dislocated.8,The result of these upper limb dislocations is that His arms were 9 inches longer than normal, as clearly shown on the Shroud.9,In addition prophecy was fulfilled in Psalm 22:14, “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint.”10,After Jesus’ wrists, elbows, and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of His body on his upper limbs caused traction forces on the Pectoralis Major muscles of His chest wall.11,These traction forces caused His rib cage to be pulled upwards and outwards, in a most unnatural state. His chest wall was permanently in a position of maximal respiratory inspiration. In order to exhale, Jesus was physiologically required to force His body.12,In order to breathe out, Jesus had to push down on the nails in His feet to raise His body, and allow His rib cage to move downwards and inwards to expire air from His lungs.13,His lungs were in a resting position of constant maximum inspiration.Crucifixion is a medical catastrophe.14,The problem was that Jesus could not easily push down on the nails in His feet because the muscles of His legs, bent at 45 degrees, were extremely fatigued, in severe cramp, and in an anatomically compromised position.15,Unlike all Hollywood movies about the Crucifixion, the victim was extremely active.The crucified victim was physiologically forced to move up and down the cross, a distance of about 12 inches, in order to breathe.16,The process of respiration caused excruciating pain, mixed with the absolute terror of asphyxiation.17,As the six hours of the Crucifixion wore on, Jesus was less and less able to bear His weight on His legs, as His thigh and calf muscles became increasingly exhausted.There was increasing dislocation of His wrists, elbows and shoulders, and further elevation of His chest wall, making His breathing more and more difficultWithin minutes of crucifixion Jesus became severely dyspnoeic (short of breath).18,His movements up and down the Cross to breathe caused excruciating pain in His wrist, His feet, and His dislocated elbows and shoulders.19,The movements became less frequent as Jesus became increasingly exhausted, but the terror of imminent death by asphyxiation forced Him to continue in His efforts to breathe.20,Jesus’ lower limb muscles developed excruciating cramp from the effort of pushing down on His legs, to raise His body, so that He could breathe out, in their anatomically compromised position.21,The pain from His two shattered median nerves in His wrists exploded with every movement.22,Jesus was covered in blood and sweat.23,The blood was a result of the Scourging that nearly killed Him, and the sweat as a result of His violent involuntary attempts to effort to expire air from His lungs.Throughout all this He was completely naked, and the leaders of the Jews, the crowds, and the thieves on both sides of Him were jeering, swearing and laughing at Him.In addition, Jesus’ own mother was watching.24,Physiologically, Jesus’ body was undergoing a series of catastrophic and terminal events.25,Because Jesus could not maintain adequate ventilation of His lungs, He was now in a state of hypoventilation (inadequate ventilation).26,His blood oxygen level began to fall, and He developed Hypoxia (low blood oxygen).In addition, because of His restricted respiratory movements, His blood carbon dioxide (CO2) level began to rise, a condition known as Hypercapnia.27,This rising CO2 level stimulated His heart to beat faster in order to increase the delivery of oxygen, and the removal of CO228,The Respiratory Centre in Jesus’ brain sent urgent messages to his lungs to breathe faster, and Jesus began to pant.29,Jesus’ physiological reflexes demanded that He took deeper breaths, and He involuntarily moved up and down the Cross much faster, despite the excruciating pain.The agonising movements spontaneously started several times a minute, to the delight of the crowd who jeered Him, the Roman soldiers, and the Sanhedrin.30,However, due to the nailing of Jesus to the Cross and His increasing exhaustion, He was unable to provide more oxygen to His oxygen starved body.31,The twin forces of Hypoxia (too little oxygen) and Hypercapnia (too much CO2) caused His heart to beat faster and faster, and Jesus developed Tachycardia.32,Jesus’ heart beat faster and faster, and His pulse rate was probably about 220 beats/ minute, the maximum normally sustainable.33,Jesus had drunk nothing for 15 hours, since 6 pm the previous evening.Jesus had endured a scourging which nearly killed Him.34,He was bleeding from all over His body following the Scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails in His wrists and feet, and the lacerations following His beatings and falls.35,Jesus was already very dehydrated, and His blood pressure fell alarmingly.36,His blood pressure was probably about 80/50.37,He was in First Degree Shock, with Hypovolaemia (low blood volume), Tachycardia (excessively fast Heart Rate), Tachypnoea (excessively fast Respiratory Rate), and Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).38,By about noon Jesus’ heart probably began to fail.39,Jesus’ lungs probably began to fill up with Pulmonary Oedema.40,This only served to exacerbate His breathing, which was already severely compromised.41,Jesus was in Heart Failure and Respiratory Failure.42,Jesus said, “I thirst” because His body was crying out for fluids.43,Jesus was in desperate need of an intravenous infusion of blood and plasma to save His life44,Jesus could not breathe properly and was slowly suffocating to death.45,At this stage Jesus probably developed a Haemopericardium.46,Plasma and blood gathered in the space around His heart, called the Pericardium.47,This fluid around His heart caused Cardiac Tamponade (fluid around His heart, which prevented Jesus’ heart from beating properly).48,Because of the increasing physiological demands on Jesus’ heart, and the advanced state of Haemopericardium, Jesus probably eventually sustained Cardiac Rupture. His heart literally burst. This was probably the cause of His death.49,To slow the process of death the soldiers put a small wooden seat on the Cross, which would allow Jesus the “privilege” of bearing His weight on his sacrum.50,The effect of this was that it could take up to nine days to die on a Cross.51,When the Romans wanted to expedite death they would simply break the legs of the victim, causing the victim to suffocate in a matter of minutes. This was called Crucifragrum.52,At three o’clock in the afternoon Jesus said, “Tetelastai,” meaning, “It is finished.”At that moment, He gave up His Spirit, and He died.53,When the soldiers came to Jesus to break His legs, He was already dead. Not a bone of His body was broken, in fulfilment of prophecy (above).54,Jesus died after six hours of the most excruciating and terrifying torture ever invented.55,Jesus died so that ordinary people like you and me could go to Heaven.All He Asks You is to Love Him, Your Lord, Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind!!
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The Power of Praise

This past Easter Sunday was nothing more than a routine for me, a mere reminder of His perfect sacrifice for a desensitized soul as mine. I wanted to care but some facts are just accepted rather than appreciated. Sitting through service I engaged in a half-hearted hour of seeming convictions and emotions that were immediately disregarded upon leaving chapel. Several days have past since Easter Sunday and just as the sacrifice of Jesus Christ remains the same, my grasp of this sacrifice remains as trivial as ever. 
I write this post while sitting in Clarke library studying for a quiz in my evening discussion section. I re-listened to a recently released worship song with a message of Easter. I now sit here in Clarke library unable to work because of the immense power of the words that this song entails. The message of this song causes not only tears to well up but a hunger for God to instill within my heart an understanding…an understanding of the gravity of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. For a person filled with even an inkling of such understanding would be changed forever and filled with eternal praise/repentance. 
If you the reader have made it this far in the post I encourage you with every ounce of conviction that I have to listen to this song and to meditate on the lyrical power that this song possesses. 

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!


Verse 1

Man of sorrows Lamb of God
By His own betrayed
The sin of man and wrath of God
Has been on Jesus laid. 

Verse 2

Silent as He stood accused
Beaten mocked and scorned
Bowing to the Father’s will
He took a crown of thorns. 

Chorus 

Oh that rugged cross my salvation
Where Your love poured out over me
Now my soul cries out Hallelujah! 
Praise and honor unto Thee! 


Verse 3

Sent of heaven God’s own Son
To purchase and redeem
And reconcile the very ones
Who nailed Him to that tree.

Bridge

Now my debt is paid
It is paid in full by the precious blood
That my Jesus spilled
Now the curse of sin has no hold on me
Whom the Son sets free 
Oh is free indeed! 

Verse 4

See the stone is rolled away
Behold the empty tomb
Hallelujah! God be praised!
He’s risen from the grave. 

-Man of Sorrows, Hillsong Live (2012)
 

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Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.

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Sometimes I just can’t help but think my mom is the cutest human being in the world. 

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I can’t wait to join this eternal chorus: 

All the angels cry out, “Holy is the Lord God!”

All the Earth replies, “Holy are You!” 

All the angels cry out, “Holy is the Lord God!”

All the Earth replies, “Holy are You!”


-Alleluia, Jesus Culture

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Who shall we say you are? 

You’re the living God! 

Who shall we say you are?

You’re the Great I AM!

The highest name of all

You’re all you say You are. 


-Holy (10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman) 

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The Simple Thing in Life.

There’s something amazing about taking a leisurely bike ride to the library or to X-destination especially in breezy weather like this. 
Getting on my bright as crap yellow bike, listening to classical music, and cruising on the streets rejuvenates me beyond the capabilities of anything else except for Jesus of course. During the twenty or so minutes that I’m on my bike, I don’t have a care in the world and the stresses of my week don’t consume me. Paying bills this week, politics exam next week, getting enough sleep? Doesn’t mean anything. All that matters is getting from point A to point B and being mindful of the cars whizzing by me. The combination of the wind on your face, classical musicians playing away, and rhythmically pedaling is surreal. A lot of people reading this might think it’s extremely fruity to listen to classical music or describe this whole experience in such a poetic manner but I don’t think any person here on campus understands the immeasurable joy I have on my bike. 

Tonight biking to Nau to study for my exam, I was feeling it. I had Suite No. 1 in G Major for cello quietly playing on my iPod while riding on this beautiful, breezy night. I couldn’t help but crack a smile and hum along. Waiting at traffic lights, motorists probably thought I was on drugs but that’s okay. In my own sense I am high, high on life. 

The more I think about it I’d like a job as a bike messenger one of my years here at UVA or get a chance to ride in the big city. Getting paid to do the thing you love. I think the ultra combination of the city’s bustle/lights and the towering buildings while riding my bike would probably result in me yelling or fainting for joy in the middle of riding my bike. 

So, if anyone reading this sees me riding back home tonight or sees me/have seen me the countless times I ride around Grounds, don’t be offended that I don’t acknowledge your “hellos!” because for the few precious moments I have on my bike I’d like to enjoy them. 

Permalink Bill Clinton in awe of President Knowles
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Passion Conference/End It Movement.

This past winter break I had the utmost privilege of attending Passion Conference in Atlanta, GA. If you’ve never heard of Passion, it definitely is something worth taking a look at: 60,000+ college students from across the nation coming together in the Georgia Dome to worship Jesus and make known that His renown is the desire of our souls (Isaiah 26:8). 

The conference has had a specific focus on human trafficking, mainly sex trafficking in an attempt to not only raise awareness that 26+ million individuals exist today who are trapped in some form of slavery. The sheer number of this definitely domineers my thought but with faith and prayer the Passion Movement officially launches the End It! Movement in February to free the millions of enslaved people worldwide. 

This year, during one of the evening sessions, Passion’s media team put together a video of a certain girl named Rachel. Her life was absolutely pathetic and heartbreaking to hear: at a young age with the absence of her parents in her life, her uncle wanted to have sex with her and she ended up in the dark world of sex trafficking. Hearing her testimony on the Jumbotrons, I felt absolute disgust and a biting sense of anger towards Rachel’s uncle. How sick does a human being have to be to surmise an act like that? 

The story of Rachel and the unspeakable actions of her uncle resonated on my heart for the remainder of the conference. As I sat through Piper’s sermon I went through the Bible and stumbled on 2 Samuel and the story of King David. In a nutshell, the story goes King David looked on Bathsheba bathing, the wife of Uriah the Hittite one of David’s most loyal warriors. Drunken with lust, King David sent Uriah to the place where the battle was most intense and Uriah valiantly fought but was killed. At the mention of this, King David called for Bathsheba, slept with her, and married her. 

However, King David failed to realize how severe this sin was in the face of Almighty God. The story continues where God sends Nathan the Prophet to King David’s kingdom…Nathan begins with a story of two men living in the city: one was a wealthy man of immense wealth while the other was an impoverished man with a single sheep. The wealthy man had a guest and decided to take the impoverished man’s sheep and have it killed for the banquet. King David, enraged, declared that whoever this man was deserved to be killed. At that moment Nathan the Prophet condemns King David and exclaims that the king was the rich man in the story. Realizing this, David weeps bitterly and realizes the extreme offense he had committed towards God. 

As I was reading this I realized that Rachel’s uncle and how much I detested the man wasn’t justified. Rachel’s uncle was driven by an extreme form of lust but I, on the other hand have experienced and relented to lust countless times before. I am just as sick a man as Rachel’s uncle. In fact, the entire sex trafficking issue is fueled by one thing: man’s lust.  
Returning home from Passion Conference, it’s so encouraging to see people so on fire and passionate to be a part of this End It! Movement. I felt the same during the conference and I even donated a hefty amount for the cause but returning home, returning to school I’ve lost that fire. I’m the perfect imitation of a scene I saw in Hotel Rwanda where no matter how much you televised the genocide in Rwanda, the public would view the graphic images, declare it a horrible sight, show some forms of pity, even donate a few dollars, and go back to “eating their dinners.” 
I know that sex trafficking exists and I know that young girls like Rachel are being raped and exploited every passing minute as I write this post. Yet, I sit here sympathizing but lacking that burning passion in my heart to see change in this world, specifically in that area. 

So the more I see people posting and sharing this End It! Movement and uploading a few pictures from Passion that are past due, I sit with an enormous amount of guilt on my heart. I know bringing awareness is doing my part to help the movement but something in me yearns for more.

After all, sitting here and going about my regular routine of life and stumbling left and right at obstacles I face everyday, I realize I am no better than Rachel’s uncle. 

Permalink gutsanduppercuts: A young Bruce Lee posing for a picture with Grandmaster Ip Man.