Death of Jesus

Death of Jesus - Did Jesus really die like the Bible says?
Yes, the biblical account of the death of Jesus is accurate. God often allows people the great honor of being martyred for their faith. But Jesus is far greater than a typical martyr. Not only was He killed for teaching the truth, death was His mission in life. On this the Bible is very clear. Jesus said about Himself:

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).

And just before His death, He also said:

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour”? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!’” (John 12:24-27).

The great prophet Isaiah, inspired by God hundreds of years before Jesus lived on earth, wrote this profound prophecy about the Messiah, Jesus, who would come:

“See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).

As the prophet said, “After he has suffered, he will see the light of life.” The Gospels clearly tell us that three days after Jesus died, He came back to life. That seems impossible, but nothing is impossible with God. Even Jesus’ followers did not believe it had happened. But He showed Himself to them alive. Then they believed, they travelled about and preached the good news of forgiveness through Jesus, and they were killed like their master.

No one but God could imagine a person like Jesus. He is the ultimate sacrifice for all people. Animals are not good enough. Jesus was sinless, and for that reason, he was the perfect sacrifice.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:14-15).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

With or without faith, we will experience difficulty in life. No difficulty is so great that it should keep us from seeking and believing the truth. When you think about truth, consider Jesus.

Death of Jesus – Where’s the proof?
The physical damage inflicted upon Jesus’ body strongly points to death:

1. Jesus was severely whipped, beaten, and crucified.
2. Soldiers stuck Him in the side with a spear.
3. Water and blood came out of the spear hole (itself proof of severe internal damage).
4. Those who buried Jesus’ body wrapped it in tight cloths.
5. He was put in a cold rock tomb sealed with a great rock and guarded by soldiers.
6. Despite agonizing torture and great loss of bodily fluids, He had nothing to drink for many hours.

Any one of those things could kill a person. Taken together, surviving such treatment would require a miracle. Though Jesus had performed many miracles upon others, He never spoke about escaping death. On the contrary, He said He came to die and would certainly be killed.

The testimonies about Jesus’ death are strong, diverse, and consistent:

1. The soldiers who crucified Him believed He died. They knew death when they saw it.
2. Pilate was convinced that Jesus had died.
3. The historical accounts of observers—Mathew, John, and Mark—state that He died.
4. Luke, a physician and proven historian, interviewed many people and wrote about Jesus and His death.
5. Jesus’ other disciples and followers believed that He had died.
6. First and second century secular writers (e.g., Josephus, Tacitus, Lucian) speak of Jesus’ death.

You are encouraged to read the Gospel accounts themselves. See Mathew chapters 26-28, Mark chapters 14-16, Luke chapters 22-24 and John chapters 18-21. They tell not only of Jesus’ death, but also His resurrection. Multiple accounts provide tremendous historical substantiation. Finally, there are also the important words of the apostle Paul:

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

Many people, both from the time of Christ and soon thereafter, have spoken. Their testimony cannot be simply negated by anyone born centuries later.

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Compliments of Scott Munger, PhD, Biblica, All rights reserved in the original.

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