The Historic Truth About The Crucifixion
By Rev. Esper Ajaj
“For since in the wisdom of God the
world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness
of what was preached to save those who believe. For the Jews demand miraculous
signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling
block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.” (I Corinthians 21-23)
One of the foremost
dividing issues in the Christian faith vis-à-vis other religions, and
particularly Islam, is the cross of Christ and the crucifixion. This does not come as a surprise. Saint Paul
in his epistle to the Corinthians wrote, “For the preaching of the cross is to them
that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved is the power of God.” (I Cor. 1:18) All through history
of mankind, the cross stands as a powerful symbol of the victory of life over
death. Historically, crucifixion was the choice capital punishment of the day.
Criminals were sent to their death on the cross just as they are sent to the
electric chair today. Christ was tried, and ironically enough, He was found
innocent by the secular leaders of the day. It was the religious leadership that
wanted him dead.
The death of Christ on the
cross was a real event recorded in the annals of that time, and later on
authenticated through many various testaments. Before we go on to enumerate the
witnesses and verification to the crucifixion, let me add that we do not do so
because we need to prove anything written in the Bible about this fact. The
Bible stands as the true word of God with no need to be verified. The Lord God
Himself has supplied us with these witnesses so that we may answer those who
question. As our Lord told Thomas to come and touch the nail marks and the scar
on his side, “27Then he said to Thomas,
"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it
into my side. Stop doubting and believe." John 20:27. We invite you
dear reader to do the same, investigate the evidences, and as a result stop
doubting and believe.
a) Pontius
Pilate His unusually long period of
office (A.D. 26-36) covers the whole of the active ministry both of John the
Baptist and of Jesus Christ. He was the Roman Governor who sent a full report
about the crucifixion of Christ to Tiberius Caesar. “Tertullian and Justin
Martyr both speak of a report on the Crucifixion (not extant) sent in by Pilate
to Tiberius, from which idea a large amount of apocryphal literature
originated. Some of these were Christian in origin (Gospel of Nicodemus),
others came from the heathen, but these have all perished.”[1]
b) Josephus (37-97 A.D.), who was a Jewish historian, wrote the history
of the Jews in twenty volumes. In this history, he wrote about the life of
Christ, His teachings, His miracles, and about the story of His crucifixion, at
the order of Pontius Pilate. Then Josephus wrote about Christ appearing alive
to His disciples on the third day.
c) Cornelius
Tacitus (55 A.D.), who was an atheist, and considered as one of the most
famous historians of old Rome, mentioned the story of the crucifixion of Christ
in his eighteen-volume series of history.
d) Lucian the
Greek (120 AD) was a prominent historian who also wrote about the
crucifixion of Christ and about the Christians who accepted death for the sake
of their faith in Christ.
The
Talmud is a holy book for the Jews. We read in its Amsterdam Edition of 1943,
page 42, that: “Jesus who was called Christ was crucified on
the evening of the Passover.”
In the
following passages you will find that there are 48 prophecies in the Old
Testament concerning the death of Christ on the cross, all which were literally
fulfilled.
Christ’s heel bruised.
“And I will
put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her see; it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his hell.” (Genesis 3:15)
Where they crucified him, and two others with him,
one on either side, and Jesus in the midst.
(John 19:18)
None of His bones were broken.
“They shall
leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all
the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.” (Number 9:12)
“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation,
that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that
Sabbath day was on high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken
and that they might be taken away. Then
came the soldiers, and break the legs of the first, and the other, which was
crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead
already, they break not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced
his side, and forthwith came blood and water.
And he that saw it bare record and his record is true: and he knoweth
that he saith true, that ye might believe.
For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A
bone of him shall not be broken.” (John 19: 31- 36)
The serpent lifted up.
“And Moses
made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a
serpent had bitten any man when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (Numbers 21:9)
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” (John 3:14)
Conspiracy against Christ.
“Why do the
heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against
his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their
cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1 –3)
“Who by the mouth of thy servant
David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain
things? The kings of the earth stood
up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his
Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed,
both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel,
were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel
determined before to be done.” (Acts 4:24 –28)
His body
will not see corruption.
“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither
wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10)
“For thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption. He seeing this before spake
of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his
flesh did see corruption.” (Acts 2:31)
Forsaken by
God.
“My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? Why art
thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psalm 22:1)
“And about
the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabaachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
(Matthew 27:46)
The mocking
of the Crucified.
“All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot
out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would
deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging
their heads.” (Psalm 22:7-8)
“And those who passed by blasphemed Him,
wagging their heads… He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him nowif He will have
Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God” (Matt. 27:39, 43)
The bulls
of Bashan (Jews) were against Him.
“Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan
have beset me round. They gaped upon me
with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.” (Psalm 22:12-13)
“Ye men of
Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by
miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye
yourselves also know: Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain.” (Acts 2:22-23)
His agony on the cross.
“I am poured
out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.” (Psalm
22:14)
“But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his
side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” (John 19:34)
His severe thirst.
“My strength
is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and thou hast
brought me into the dust of death.” (Psalm 22:15)
“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now
accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.” (John
19:28)
For dogs (Gentiles) compassed Him.
“For dogs have
compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my
hands and my feet.” (Psalm 22:16)
“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into
the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a
scarlet robe. And when they had platted
a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a reed in his right hand: and
they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying’ Hail, King of the Jews!’”
His pierced
hands and feet.
“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the
wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and feet.” (Psalm 22:16)
“And when they were come to the place, which is
called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right
hand,, and the other on the left.” (Luke 23:33)
They stared upon Him.
“I can count all my bones. They look and stare at Me” (Ps. 22:17)
“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take
this, and divide it among yourselves.”
(Psalm 22:17)
“And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him,
saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of
God.” (Luke 23:35)
Casting lot on His garment.
“They part my
garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” (Psalm 22:18)
“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus,
took His garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his
coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us
not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might
be fulfilled, which saith, ‘They parted my raiment among them, and for my
vesture they did cast lots.’ These things therefore the soldiers did.” (John
19:23-24)
Mission accomplished
“It is
finished...” “They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a
people that shall be born, that he hath done this.” (Psalm 22:31)
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar; He
said, it is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (John
19:30)
Committal of His Spirit
“Into thine
hand I commit my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me O, Lord God of truth.” (Psalm
31:5)
“When Jesus
therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and He bowed His
head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30)
His acquaintance forsook Him.
“I was a
reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear
to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.” (Psalm 31:11)
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come
out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching,
and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. And they all forsook him, and fled.” (Mark
14:48-50)
False witnesses were against Him.
“False
witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. They rewarded me evil for good to the
spoiling of my soul.” (Psalm 35:11-12)
“Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the
council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death.” (Matthew
26:59)
Hated Him without a cause.
“Let not them
that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a
cause.” (Psalm 35:19)
“But this cometh to pass, that the word might be
fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.” (John
15:25)
He opened not His mouth.
“But I, as a
deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in
whose mouth are no reproofs.” (Psalm 38:13-14)
“And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou
nothing? Behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that
Pilate marveled.” (Mark 15:4-5)
Betrayed by His friend.
“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,
which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalm 41:9)
“I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen:
but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread, with me hath
lifted up his heel against me.” (John
13:18)
Given Vinegar in His thirst.
“They gave me
also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” (Psalm
69:21)
“They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall:
and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.” (Matthew 27:34)
The end of those who have betrayed Him.
“Let their
habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.” (Psalm 69:25)
“For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his
habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishopric let
another take. Wherefore of these men
which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out
among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was
taken up from us, must one be ordained
to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus,
and Matthias.” (Acts 1:20-23)
His intercession for His
enemies.
“For my love
they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.” (Psalm 109:4)
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know
not what they do. And they parted his
raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34)
They substituted His love
for hate.
“For my love
they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded
me evil for good, and hatred for my love.” (Psalm 109:4-5)
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”
(John 1:11)
He was ridiculed.
“I became also
a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shacked their heads.”
(Psalm 109:25)
Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell
them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my
fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. (Matthew
22:4)
The Plowers plowed upon
His back.
“A song of
degrees. Many a time have they
afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say: Many a time have they afflicted
me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.” (Psalm
129:1-3)
“Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had
scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:26)
Gave His back to the smiters.
“The Lord GOD
hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks
to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”
(Isaiah 50:5-6)
“Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had
scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:26)
The suffering of Christ on the cross.
“Behold, my
servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very
high.” (Isaiah 52:13)
“And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe
and when they had platted a crown of thorns. They put it upon his head, and a
reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him,
saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and
smote him on the head. And after that
they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment
on him, and led him away to crucify him.” (Matthew 27:27-31)
The news about the substitutionary death is too good to
be true.
“Who hath
believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isaiah
53:1)
“But though He had done so many miracles before them,
yet they believe not on Him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be
fulfilled, which He spoke, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath
the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because
that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart;
that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart and
be converted, and I should heal them.” (John 12:37-40)
Despised and rejected of men.
“He is
despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and
we hid as it were our faces from him: he was despised, and we esteemed him
not.” (Isaiah 53:3)
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
(John 1:11)
He was wounded for our transgression.
“Surely he
hath borne our grief’s, and carried our sorrows:
yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.: (Isaiah 53:4)
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I
also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Led as a lamb to the slaughter.
“He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he
openeth not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
“The place of the scripture which he read was this,
‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his
shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In
his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his
generation? For his life is taken from the earth.’ And the eunuch answered
Philip, and said, ‘I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself,
or of some other man?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same
scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” (Acts 8:32-35)
He opened not His mouth.
“He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a
lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he
openeth not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
Then said
Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against
thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marveled
greatly.” (Matthew 27:13_14)
Falsely accused.
“He was taken
from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? For he was
cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was
he stricken.” (Isaiah 53:8)
“And Jesus stood before the governor: and the
governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him,
Thou sayest. And when he was accused of
the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.” (Matthew 27:11-12)
Made His grave with the wicked.
“And he made
his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done
no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:9)
“Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one
on the right hand, and another on the left.” (Matthew 27:38)
He did no wrong.
“And he made his
grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no
violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:9)
“Pilate saith unto them, ‘What shall I do then with
Jesus which is called Christ? ‘They all
say unto him,’ Let him be crucified.’ And the governor said, ‘Why, what evil
hath he done?’ But they cried out the more, saying, ‘Let him be crucified.’
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was
made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am
innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. ‘Then answered all the people, and said,
‘His blood be on us, and on our children’. (Matthew 27:22-25)
His soul was made an offering for sin.,
“Yet it
pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make
his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of
the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:10)
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans
8:32)
He shall justify many, for He shall bear their
iniquities.
“He shall see
of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my
righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah
53:11)
“Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came
upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift
came upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:18-19)
He was numbered with the transgressors.
“Therefore
will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with
the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered
with the transgressors; and he bares the sin of many, and made intercession for
the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)
“And with him they crucified two thieves; the one on
his right hand, and the other on his left.
And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, ‘and he was numbered with
the transgressors\’.” (Mare 15-027-28)
He bore the sin of many.
“Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his
soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the
sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;
and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin
unto salvation,.” (Hebrews 9:28)
He made intercession for the wicked.
“Therefore
will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the
strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered
with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for
the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)
“And when they were come to the place, which is
called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right
hand, and the other on the left. Then
said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
(Luke 23:33-34)
The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself.
“And after
threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the
people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;
and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war
desolations are determined.” (Daniel
9:26)
“Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews,
that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.” (John 18:14)
Darkness at noon.
“And it shall
come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go
down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.” (Amos 8:9)
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all
the land unto the ninth hour.” (Matthew 27:45)
Sold with thirty pieces of silver.
“And the LORD
said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of
them.
And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter
in the house of the LORD.” (Zechariah 11:13)
“And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will
deliver him unto you? And they
covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” (Matthew 26:15)
Purchase of the potters field.
“And the LORD
said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of
them. And I took the thirty pieces of
silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.” (Zechariah
11:13)
“Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that
he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of
silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, ‘I have sinned in that I have
betrayed the innocent blood.’ And they said, What is that to us? See thou to that.’ And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and
departed, and went and hanged himself.
And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, ‘It is not
lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of
blood.' ‘And they took counsel, and
bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called the field of
blood, unto this day. Then was
fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took
the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the
children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord
appointed me.” (Matthew 27:3-10)
Pierced in His side.
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of supplications: and they
shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one
mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is
in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zachariah 12:10)
“But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his
side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he
knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done,
that the scripture should be fulfilled, “A bone of him shall not be broken.’
And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they have
pierced.: (John 19:34-37)
Desertion by His disciples.
“Awake, O
sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the
LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will
turn mine hand upon the little ones.” (Zechariah 13:7)
“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended
because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the
sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” (Matthew 26:31)
The death of
Christ on the cross occupies the first place in His earthly life. For this
reason, we see that the writers of the four gospels gave great importance to
this issue. Before the crucifixion, Christ talked to His disciples on many
occasions about His propitiatory death on the cross and about His resurrection
from the dead. When the Jews once asked Him to show them a sign or a miracle,
he answered them: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up”
(John 2:18-22).
“Then He
said to them: These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with
you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses
and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me … Then He told them, Thus it is
written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the
dead the third day and repentance and forgiveness of sin will be preached in
His name to all nations” (Luke 24:44-47). For more details see the following readings: (Matthew 20:28; Mark 9:31; 10:23-34; John 3:14-17;
10:11; 12:32-33 Revelation 1:18)
The witness
of the words of Christ on the cross:
No one else other than Jesus could speak the seven
words which He uttered on the cross while He was suffering an agonizing death.
Who else could speak His words of forgiveness?
“Father forgive them for they know not what they do?” (Luke 23:34)
It is an amazing fact that the first half of the
gospel of John speaks to us about Christ’s ministry on this earth. While the
other half speaks to us about the week of His crucifixion. This leads us to
understand that the fundamental reason for which Christ came was to be
crucified. This case applies to the other three gospels as well.
The witness of Joseph of Arimathaea
When Joseph of Arimathaea asked for the body of Jesus
from Pontius Pilate, and it was given to him (Mark 15:42-46), Joseph was aware that
it indeed was the body of Jesus which he himself had taken from the cross.
This was the message of John the Baptist when he saw
Jesus. He said: “Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). Before John the
Baptist, the Jews used to sacrifice many lambs for the atonement of their sins,
but now the Lamb of God became a sufficient sacrifice for all the sins of the
world. Before Christ, many lambs had to be sacrificed to atone for and to purify
the iniquities of people, while now, only the Lamb of God is a sufficient
sacrifice for the sins of all. Before the crucifixion, many lambs used to be
sacrificed on behalf of the people of Israel only, but now there is the Lamb of
God, who was sacrificed on behalf of the whole world. (John 1:29). We read in
Genesis 4 about Abel who sacrificed from the best of his sheep to the Lord. We
see here one lamb for one man. In Exodus 12 we read about one lamb being
sacrificed on behalf of a whole family. In Leviticus we read about one lamb for
the whole Jewish race, but now, Christ the Lamb of God is for the whole world.
The belief that Judas Iscariot replaced Christ on the
cross since Judas physically resembled Jesus, cannot be true for the following
reasons:
·
Such an assumption
ascribes to God conniving, deception, and fraud. God would never deceive human
beings.
·
This assumption makes
the prophecy of Zechariah invalid and unfulfilled which says: “Then I said
to them, if it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain, so
they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me.
Throw it to the potter, that princely price they set on me. So I took the
thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the
potter” (Zechariah 11:12, with Matthew 26:15)
·
The prophecy that
speaks of the thirty pieces of silver which Judas returned to the temple, with
which they bought the field of blood, would become an irrelevant prophecy if
such an assumption were true. (Zechariah 11:13, Matthew 22:7)
Obviously a person who would have been mistaken for
Jesus would have undoubtedly resisted and objected to being crucified;
informing the Roman soldiers that he was not Christ.
The Jews asked Pilate to seal the stone of the
sepulcher, not out of fear that Christ would rise from the dead, but out of
fear that His disciples would come to steal the body and then pretend that He
had arisen from the dead.
When the Lord Jesus took the Passover meal with His
disciples, He took the cup and said: “This cup is the New Testament in my
blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as
ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he
comes.” (I Corinthians 11:25-26)
Christians throughout history, regardless of their denomination, always used to
meet on the first day of the week, all over the world, to celebrate the Lord’s
Supper in remembrance of the work of the great love of God, and in remembrance
of Jesus Christ who shed His blood for the atonement of the sins of the whole
world.
All the animal
sacrifices in the Old Testament, is used for the atonement of sins, as
mentioned in the book of Leviticus: “For
the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the
alter to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes
atonement for the soul.” (Leviticus 17:11)
And in the
book of Hebrews we read “And according to
the law almost all things are purified with blood and without shedding of blood
there is no remission” (Heb 9:22) For this reason we see that Christians,
Muslims, and Jews believe in the principle of sacrifices and atonement. Muslims
celebrate the Adhha Holiday; the Jews
celebrate the Passover by sacrificing blood sacrifices for the atonement of
their sins, and the Christians believe in the death of Christ as “The lamb of
God” who is the great and final sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of the
world. The death of Christ and His atoning sacrifice gave meaning and reason to
be for all the other sacrifices. All the other feasts and holidays of
sacrifices are mere symbols and patterns of the real sacrifice, which Christ
presented on the cross. Otherwise, all other sacrifices are irrelevant and
meaningless
The teachings of the apostles were built on their
great faith in the death of Christ on the cross, and in His resurrection. They
lived and died as martyrs for the sake of their solid faith in the atoning work
of Christ on the cross. In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter had said
to the Jews: “Ye men of Israel, hear
these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and
wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves
also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” (Acts
2:22-23)
The apostle Paul writes in his epistle to the Romans
about the truth of their justification by the atoning death of Christ, saying:
“Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the
remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” (Romans
3:24-25) Then he adds: “For when we
were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some
would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) “
In Him we have redemption through His blood the
forgiveness of sin according to the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7) “To Him who
loved us and washed us from our sin in His own blood” (Rev. 1:5)
And they sang a new song saying: You are worthy to
take the scroll and to open its seals ; for you were slain and have redeemed us
to God by your blood Out of every tribe
and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9) For further study see the following
scriptures: Romans 10:9-10; I
Corinthians 5:7; 1:18; 2:2). For further information, consult the following
readings: (Acts 3:13-15; 10:4; Romans 1:4; 3:24; 4:24-25; 8:5; 6:3-4, 6;
Genesis 10:9; I Corinthians 1:18, 23; 2:2; 7:5; 14:6; 26:11; 15:3-4,17,20; II
Corinthians 4:10-14; 13:14; Galatians 2:20; 4:4; 6:14; Ephesians 7:1; 2:13;
5:2; Colossians 1:18,20; 2:12-14; 1:3; Philippians 2:6-8; 3:18; I Thessalonians
1:10, 4:14; 5:10; I Timothy 2:6; II Timothy 2:11,18; Hebrews 2:9,14-15; 5:8;
9:12,14; 10:10,14; 12:2; 13:12-13; I Peter 1:3,11,18-19; 2:21-24; 3:18,4,1; 5:1;
I John 1:7; 3:16; 4:10; and Revelation 1:5-7; 5:9,11)
The believer witnesses through his baptism about his
death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. (Romans 6:3-6)
History tells us that all twelve disciples, with the
exception of John the apostle, were martyred because of their belief in the
crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Christ. Is it reasonable that all those
disciples could die as martyrs for a myth or a lie? It is impossible for a man
to face death boldly, knowing that what he claims is a hoax.
The cross has been the symbol and emblem of
Christianity since its birth. One could see the cross raised on the towers of
its churches; on the crowns of its kings, on the memorial stones of its martyrs
and followers, just to remind them of the great love of God which leads to the
salvation of the world. It is astonishing to see the sign of the cross engraved
everywhere on the walls of underground cemeteries (Catacombs) below the city of
Rome since the first century A.D.
The
witness of the Nicene Creed
During the year 325 AD; a group of
Christian bishops over 300 in number, met for the purpose to summarize the
doctrine of the Christian faith, which is called the Nicene Creed, which reads
as follows:
I believe in one God, omnipotent
Father, the creator of heaven and earth and everything visible and invisible.
And in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only
begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, The very God of very
God, Light of light, The true God of
true God. Born, but not created, of the divine essence as the Father.
Every thing was made by Him, who
for us men and for our salvation descended from heaven and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit. Born
of the Virgin Mary. Took a human body, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
suffered, buried and rose again on the third day. He ascended into heaven and
sits at the right hand of the Father. He is coming back in great glory to judge
the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the
Lord, the giver of life, Proceeding from the Father and from the Son. He is
worshipped and glorified together with the Father and the Son, of whom the
prophets spoke.
I believe in one Church. Universal
and apostolic. I abeleive in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and await
the resurrection of the dead, and life everlasting. Amen.
This Creed was written about 350
years before Islam, and was believed all over the Christian world, that Christ
died on the cross during the time of Pontius Pilate.
[1]
The Catholic
Encyclopedia, Volume XII Copyright © 1911
by Robert Appleton Company Online Edition Copyright © 1999 by Kevin Knight Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort,
S.T.D., Censor Imprimatur. +John
Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York