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"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life- only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." John 10:17-18

Crucifixion was Rome's punishment for slaves, foreigners, and criminals who were not Roman citizens. It was the most agonizing and ignominous death that could be devised. Nails were driven through the hands and feet, and the victim was left hanging in agony, starvation, insufferable thirst and excruciating pain. Death usually followed in four to six days.

TRIAL, CHARGES, AND BEATINGS: Jesus Christ was condemned before the Sanhedrin, in the house of Caiaphas (Matt. 26:57; Mark 14:53; Luke 22:54; John 18:24). They condemned Him of blasphemy, from His own acknowledgement that He was the Son of God (Mark 14:61-62). Upon hearing His admission, the priests spat on Him, mocked Him, and beat Him (Matt. 26:67). The next day the Sanhedrin officially charged Him of blasphemy, but knowing that the charge would hold no weight with Pilate, the concocted the charge of sedition against the Roman government. After Pilate interviewed Jesus, he found Him innocent of the charges, and sent Him to Herod, who had jurisdiction over Galilee, Christ's home (Matt. 27:2, 11-14; Mark 15:1-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-38).
Before Herod, Jesus refused to answer his questions. Herod mocked Him and sent Him back to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12). Pilate attempted to go over the head of the rulers of the people, to set Him free, but the people wanted to see Christ put to death (Matt. 27:15-26; Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39-19:16). Pilate then ordered Jesus to be scourged, hoping that would satisfy the people. Jesus was stripped of His clothing, and His hands were tied to an upright post. His back, buttocks, and legs were flogged by either two soldiers or by one who altered positions. Flogging was intended to weaken the victim to a state of shock or just short of collapse of death. The Romans used a whip, called a flagellum, which consisted of small pieces of bone and metal attached to a number of leather strands. The number of strikes upon Jesus is not mentioned in the Gospels, but Jewish law set the number at 39, while the Romans set no limits. As the soldiers struck His back, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and bone would cut his skin. As the flogging continued, the cuts tore into the muscles of His back and produced ribbons of bleeding flesh.
Extreme blood loss likely occurred from this beating, leaving Jesus in a severely weakened state, if not on the point of unconsciousness. The extent of blood loss may have determined how long a victim survived on a cross.
The Roman soldiers then fashioned a crown of thorns and placed it upon His head. They then beat Him with their hands, plucked out His beard, and struck Him over the head with a rod (Matt. 27:29-30; Mark 15:17-19; John 19:2-3; Isaiah 52:13). The crown of thorns likely contained points of 1"-2" in length. It probably covered His entire head instead of just the forehead. Each blow from the soldier's rod would've driven the thorns deep into His scalp and forehead, causing severe pain and bleeding.
After this, Pilate presented Him to the people, hoping that it would satisfy their bloodthirst, but the people were not satisfied, and Pilate sentenced Jesus to crucifixion. Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, Church Historian (AD 264-340), claimed that Pilate later ended his life by suicide.

THE CRUCIFIXION: Tradition states that He was crucified April 7, 30 AD, on a Friday, at the age of 33. However, new evidence points to the date of April 5, on a Wednesday. The following outline in arranged in order from the four accounts from the Gospels.
The distance from the fortress where He was tried to Golgotha was 650 yards. The crossbeam that He was to carry that distance weighed between 80-110 pounds.
He was unable to carry the beam, likely due to His weakended state following the severe beatings. Some theorize that He may have fallen down the fortress steps attempting to carry it, which may have led to a contusion of the heart, predisposing His heart to rupture on the cross. Whatever the case, a man, Simon of Cyrene was summoned to carry the cross for Him (Luke 23:26). They arrived at Golgotha at 9 A.M. (Halley's Bible Handbook). The crossbeam was put on the ground and He was laid upon it. Nails, about 7"-9" long, with a diameter of 3/8" were then driven into His wrists. The points went directly into the vicinity of the median nerve, causing shocks of pain to radiate through His arms. It was possible to place the nails between the bones so that no fractures occurred, and according to Psalm 22:16-17, this is what was done.
Already standing upon Golgotha was the vertical post of His cross, standing 7' high. In the center of the post was a crude seat, which served to support Him.
After the nails were driven through His wrists, He was lifted up and secured on the vertical post, His feet were then nailed to the post itself. To allow this, His knees were bent and rotated laterally in a very uncomfortable position.
A person could live in agony for hours and even days on a cross. The body's position made breathing difficult since hanging by the arms kept the chest expanded so that exhaling required the active use of the diaphram. If Jesus pushed with His feet, He could elevate His body, placing the chest in a more natural position making it easier to breath, but causing severe pain in His legs. Sometimes the soldiers would hasten death by breaking the legs of the victims, as they did to the two thieves hanging on either side of Christ, making it almost impossible to push the body high enough to breathe. If Jesus shifted His weight very often, He would eventually exhaust Himself where He could no longer even lift His body.
In minutes, the strength of Jesus' legs gave out, resulting in the weight of the body being borne by His arms and shoulders, causing the shoulders to become dislocated. This causes the arms to be 6-9 inches longer than normal. Due to shallow breathing, His lungs would've began to collapse in small areas. Under this stress, His heart would begin to beat faster to compensate. Fluid would begin to fill His lungs, eventually causing His heart to fail. Several theories state that He died of cardiac rupture. The actual cause may be related to shock, exhaustion, and acute heart failure. In any case, the Lord Jesus Christ's life was over six hours after being nailed to the cross (John 19:33-34).

OCCURRENCES FROM THE CROSS

1) He is offered wine mixed with gall (or myrrh) to drink, to stupefy him and deaden the sense of pain. But He refuses it (Matt. 27:34). Suffering from blood loss from the beatings and in a dehydrated state, Jesus would've been extremely thirsty. It is obvious that the Lord turned down this drink as He chose to face death without a clouded mind.
2) He asks His Father to forgive the men who nailed Him to the cross (Luke 23:34).
3) Soldiers cast lots for His garments (Matt. 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34: John 19:23; Psalm 23:18), and nail the sign, "King of the Jews" above His head.
4) He is mocked, scoffed at, railed on, jeered, by the chief priests, elders, scribes and soldiers (Matt. 27:39-44; Mark 15:24-32; Luke 23:35-39).
5) Possibly after an hour or two, Jesus tells the pentient robber crucified with Him, "Today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise."
6) Probably near noon, after the jeering mob had gone, Jesus speaks to His mother: "Woman, behold thy son." To John, His apostle: "Behold thy mother." (Matt. 27:45-48; Mark 15:34-35). He did this to provide a home for His mother, which was His last earthly act. Since speech occurs during exhalation, each of His last words must've been difficult and very painful.
7) Darkness then fell, from noon to 3 P.M. His first three hours on the cross marked by the words of mercy and kindness, even though He is suffering extreme pain. Now He enters the final stage of the amends of sin. He must have suffered greatly in His last hours as He took upon Himself the sins of the world (John 19:33-34).
8) He cries out: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" He is alone, in the pains of hell and sin, to keep us from going there. With the sin of the world upon Him, Jesus suffered spiritual death (separation from God). The Father must have turned away from His Son on the cross. For the first time, Jesus does not address God as His Father (See Isaiah 59:2)
9) He says, "I thirst!", and accepts sour wine, made of grape juice and yeast (John 19:29). The drink was given on the stalk of a hyssop plant. In EX. 12:22, hyssop was used to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the wooden doorposts of the Jews. It is interesting that the end of the hyssup stalk pointed to the blood of the Perfect Lamb which was applied to a wooden cross for our salvation. In addition, the wine vinegar is a product of fermentation, a word which means "that which is soured" and is related to the Hebrew term for "that which is levened." Yeast and leven is a Biblical symbol of sin. When Jesus took this drink, it is symbolic of His taking the sins of the world into His body for our salvation.
10) He cries out, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). This was a cry of relief and joy. The reign of human sin and death broken.
11) He states lastly, "Father, into thy hands I commend My spirit." With that said, He breathes His last (Luke 23:46).
12) The Jews begged Pilate that he would put an end to the punishment before the Sabbath by breaking the legs of the criminals that they might be taken down and buried. The soldiers who were to execute this duty found that Jesus was dead and the thieves still living. The death of the Lord before the others was partly due to the mental suffering He had endured and partly because His will to die lessoned the natural resistance of the body to live.

The death of Jesus after only 6 hours on the cross surprised even Pilate. There are two explainations: 1) that He died of cardiac rupture. 2) the His death may have been hastened simply by His state of exhaustion and the severity of the flogging by the Roman soldiers. The fact that He cried out and then bowed His head and died suggest a catastrophic rupture.