Christ is crucified (Luke 23:33-34)

Each of the four gospels records the moment that Christ was nailed to the cross (Matthew 27:33-38; Mark 15:24-27; Luke 23:33-34; John 19:18), with details that enable us to build a complete picture.

For his part, St Matthew tells us that Jesus was crucified by “the governor’s soldiers” – i.e. the Roman soldiers of Pontius Pilate. (Matthew 27:27-31). Crucifixion was a cruel Roman punishment for criminals and slaves. It involved fixing the victim with nails to a wooden cross. Nails were commonly driven into the wrists, rather than the palms, as in this image.

St Mark mentions the time of Christ being crucified (“the third hour”), while St Luke mentioned that Christ prayed for the soldiers to be forgiven as they nailed him to the cross. All four gospels mention that he was crucified along with two criminals – one on his right, and the other on his left.

Preaching on the crucified Christ, Pope Francis said: “Father, forgive them. Let us reflect on the Lord’s words. When did he say them? At a very specific moment: while he was being crucified, as he felt the nails piercing his wrists and feet. Let us try to imagine the excruciating pain he suffered. At that moment, amid the most searing physical pain of his Passion, Christ asked forgiveness for those who were piercing him. At times like that, we would scream out and give vent to all our anger and suffering. But Jesus said: Father, forgive them.”

He went on: “Unlike the other martyrs about whom the Bible speaks (cf. 2 Maccabees 7:18-19), Jesus did not rebuke his executioners or threaten punishments in the name of God; rather, he prayed for the evildoers. Fastened to the gibbet of humiliation, his attitude of giving became that of forgiving.”

This sculpture of the crucifixion of Jesus was created in the 1950s by Philip Lindsey Clark, when the church of the Holy Apostles, Pimlico, was originally built. It is one of the fourteen Stations of the Cross found on the pillars around the church, carved in a similar fashion.

The ‘Five Wounds‘ of the crucified Christ (both hands, both feet and the side, which was pierced by a lance – John 19:33-34) later became a favourite subject for both Christian art and devotion. Similarly, the popular Catholic prayer and hymn, Anima Christi (Soul of my Saviour), reflects devotion to the wounds Christ suffered during the crucifixion.

See the full image:

Where to find this work of art
Holy Apostles, Pimlico 

Read the relevant passage
Luke 23:33-34

On a similar theme

• From the Old Testament: Isaiah’s Song of the Suffering Servant refers to the wounding and death of the Messiah.
• From the New Testament: Before crucifying him, the soldiers stripped him of his clothes.