5: The story behind the alleged crucifixion.
“Salvation can only be achieved by the blood sacrifice of Jesus” cries the Christian. Are we to just sit back and swallow every claim that they make? The Holy Qur'an says: “Produce your proof, if you are truthful” (Holy Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqara (2), verse 111). Thus, the Qur'an is commanding us to ask for proof, which makes absolute sense. This is also a clear indication from Allah (swt) that we are to read the Bible and examine its content. Allah (swt) also said in His Noble Book: “And if you follow most of those on the Earth, they will misguide you away from the path of Allah. They follow nothing but conjectures (fiction), and they do nothing but lie” (Holy Qur'an, Surah Al An,am (6), verse 116), which is a clear indication that most of those on Earth are following conjectures (guesswork; fiction), and that they fabricate lies to suit their purpose.
The Christian is unwilling to accept the Holy Qur'an as the Word of God, so we have to turn to “key-witnesses”, known as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. As I mentioned back in chapter 3, pages 60-61, part 9, Matthew records a very odd incident of “many holy people raising up from their graves and walking the streets of Jerusalem, and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52-53)
To be honest, when I read this passage, vivid images of “Resident Evil” and other zombie films came to mind! The most absurd thing about this story is that out of all the New Testament writers, only Matthew records this! Amazing!
When Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem (thus fulfilling Zechariah 9:9, according to Christian belief), Luke added that: “...he was near to Jerusalem, because they thought that the kingdom of God would immediately appear” (Luke 19:11)
So I ask: Which kingdom? It has been over 2010 years, and we haven't seen a sign of the “kingdom of God” YET! Concerning Jesus, he had been told by the Pharisees to rebuke his disciples (John 19:39). The Jews, on the other hand, decided that Jesus was a threat to the nation, and therefore it was “expedient for one man to die for the nation” (John 11:50). Yet, the Jews were reluctant to attempt an arrest in public, due to the fact that Jesus had become popular.
6: Jesus was unwilling.
Jesus was not planning on “accepting his fate” by waiting for the Jews to arrest him. On the contrary, we see that he even prepared his disciples in case a fight was necessary:
35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. 36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. / Luke 22:35-36
Question: What would Jesus and his disciples do with these swords? According to the Christians, Jesus was the “peace-maker”, yet here we see him giving the order for his disciples to arm themselves! And you definitely don't use swords to pare apples and bananas! Swords are used for combat, and combat alone! However, Jesus hadn't predicted a battle against highly-trained Roman soldiers, thus this explains why he thought that “two swords would be enough” (Luke 22:35-38).
Further proof of Jesus' unwillingness is the fact that he leads his 11 disciples to Gethsemane, a courtyard built of stone walls approximately 5 miles out of town. Upon arrival, he leaves 8 of the 11 disciples at the gate, and takes the other 3 (Peter and the 2 sons of Zebedee) further into the garden. So the question arises: Why go to Gethsemane? Surely not for prayer, as they could have prayed in that upper room, or even better, at Solomon's temple. The only reasonable explanation is that they needed to be in a better location to defend themselves if the need arises, and that is why he tactfully placed 8 disciples to guard the gate. He also took the other 3 with him further into the garden, and told them to “watch with me while I pray yonder”. He then went a little farther, and fell on his face (as we Muslims perform “sajda”), and prayed:
37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” / Matthew 26:37-39
Does this seem like a willing victim to you? Running, hiding, and praying to the heavenly Father to save him? The Scripture tells us:
During the days of Jesus’ life on Earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission / Hebrews 5:7
Note: There is a discrepancy at this point in the story. Jesus, after having prayed, came back to find his disciples sleeping (Matthew 26:40; Mark 14:39-40). Mark says that the disciples had no excuse. However, the most absurd account is given by Luke:
When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. / Luke 22:45
I find it quite odd that Luke, being a physician, gives this unique excuse. According to professors of physiology, when under shock, stress, or fear, the adrenal gland secrets a hormone into the bloodstream which chases away all sleep. I think that what really happened was that the disciples of Jesus had too much food and drink!
Another example of Jesus' unwillingness is at the cross, when he cried out, according to Matthew and Mark: “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachtani?” which translates into: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)
Can we possibly attribute such a blasphemy to one of the messengers of God? And can it be possible that Jesus, supposing that he knew his fate, would utter such things? Of course NOT!
7: The unfair trial.
When Jesus and his disciples were approached by a “multitude of men with swords and clubs” (Matthew 26:47), he realised that it would be suicide to attempt any kind of resistance. We are told that one of his disciples drew his sword and struck a servant, and cut off his ear (Matthew 26:51). At this point Jesus told his disciple to put away his sword, as “all who live by the sword, die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). He was changing his strategy, for the sake of his disciples.
We are told, that at the trial which was given to Jesus, no two witnesses could agree. Even though Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples, and abandoned by the rest, the worst part is what the Jews had in stock for him. They had reached a verdict BEFORE the trial had even begun! They had determined that “one must die so that a whole nation perish not” (John 11:50)
At the trial, Pontius Pilate asked Jesus what he considers himself to be, and what he has to say in his defence. Although the “Gospels” agree at this point, John alone records something which no other Gospel writer has penned down: Jesus replied to Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:33-36). Did Jesus reveal this piece of information only to John? Or was it that only John heard these words? It truly remains a mystery!
Pontius Pilate found Jesus not guilty. However, the cunning Jews blackmailed Pilate, by saying:
“If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” / John 19:12
8: Crucifixion, or Cruci-Fiction?
The Jews were extremely impatient in the matter of getting rid of Jesus. As the Bible testifies, Jesus was on the cross by the sixth hour, and by the ninth hour, he had “given up the spirit” (Matthew 27:45-50). There is supporting evidence which proves that this event is grossly exaggerated, and that Jesus couldn't have died on the cross!
Evidence #1: Jesus couldn't have died so fast! As previously noted, the crucifixion only lasted 3 hours! Normally, for a person to die on the cross, it takes at least 2-3 days!
The length of time required to reach death could range from two to three days, depending on the prior health of the condemned, and environmental circumstances. Death could result from any combination of causes, including blood loss resulting in hypovolemic shock, or sepsis following infection, caused either by the scourging that sometimes preceded the crucifixion or by the process of being nailed itself, or eventual dehydration. A theory attributed to Pierre Barbet holds that, when the whole body weight was supported by the stretched arms, the typical cause of death was asphyxiation. He conjectured that the condemned would have severe difficulty inhaling, due to hyper-expansion of the chest muscles and lungs. The condemned would therefore have to draw himself up by his arms, leading to exhaustion, or have his feet supported by tying or by a wood block.
Evidence #2: Jesus spoke just before his alleged “death on the cross”. Normally, crucifixion takes a lengthy amount of time, during which a person slowly suffocates to death, as I mention above. However, the Bible contradicts this basic aspect of common sense by reporting that Jesus spoke clearly before he “yielded up his spirit” (Matthew 27:50). How can that be?
Evidence #3: Blood came out of the wound! It is reported that a Roman soldier pierced Jesus' side, and blood and water came out of the wound (John 19:34). It is a blessing of God that when the human body cannot endure further agony and pain, we fall unconscious. But immobility, fatigue, and the unnatural stance on the cross must have slowed down the blood circulation. The lancing from the Roman soldier came to the rescue. By “blood-letting”, the circulation could again regain its rhythm. We are assured in the Encyclopedia Biblica, under the article “cross”, page 516, column 960, that “Jesus was alive when the spear was thrust”. This also confirms the statement of John that the flow of “water and blood” was instant.
But why the “water and blood”? Dr. W.B. Primrose, a Senior Anaesthetic of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, gave his expert opinion: In the “Thinkers Digest”, London Winter 1949 issue, he said that (quote): “The water was a result of the nervous upset of the blood vessels locally due to the overstimulating effect of the scourging by staves”. This may be an extreme case, but so was his sweating, like “great drops of blood, falling down to the ground”, when Jesus was in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). Medical authorities also confirm the latter phenomenon.
Evidence #4: Pilate marvelled when he heard that Jesus had died (Mark 15:44) so soon! Why was Pontius Pilate surprised to hear that Jesus had died? The reason is that he knew, from military experience, that no man would die on the cross within just 3 hours!
Evidence #5: Furthermore, we all know the story of Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb in order to anoint Jesus (Mark 16:1), and there she found the stone removed and the winding sheets unwound. Now do Jews anoint their dead after such a long period of time? We all know that after only three hours of death, rigor mortis sets in, and the cells harden, and thus the body becomes stiff and impossible to manipulate. Of course, this is not the case, unless Mary was looking for a living Jesus!
Evidence #6: The Winding sheets were unwound and the stone was removed. My second question is this: Does a resurrected body (Spirit; more on this later on in this chapter) require a stone to be removed? Does it require for the sheets to be unwound? The answer is no!
Evidence #7: So when Mary Magdalene comes out of the tomb, she meets a gardener, whom in reality is Jesus Christ in disguise. The Scripture says: “Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” (John 20:15). The Scripture says that she didn't recognize him, because he was disguised like a gardener, so my question arises:
Do spirits look like gardeners? The answer is of course no! Then why does Jesus Christ disguise himself as a gardener? The answer to that is simply because he was afraid of the Jews, which means that he hadn't conquered death yet, which means that he was in flesh and blood, and not a resurrected spirit!
Evidence #8: Also, notice what Mary said: “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” (John 20:15) Notice here the word “him” and not “it”. If Jesus was a dead body, she would have said “it”, but she did not. Why? Simply because Mary must have known beforehand that Jesus was alive, but of course, she wasn't going to shout that out in-front of the Roman soldiers when they had just brought him down from the cross, or else they would have put him back up again!
Evidence #9: At this point, Jesus Christ says to her: “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni! (which means “teacher” in Hebrew)” (John 20:16). When she goes forth to grab him, he says: “Touch me not!” (John 20:17) Why touch me not? Simply because he is a physical body, and not a spirit! And imagine the pain he went through! Therefore it would hurt if she would have touched him!
Evidence #10: He says: “I have not yet ascended unto my Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). Meaning what? Simply meaning that he has not died yet!
Evidence #11: The disciples were terrified and frightened of Jesus, as they thought that he was a ghost (Luke 24:37). Do notice the word: “and supposed” meaning they thought that he was a spirit. But did he look like a spirit? No! Then I say why should the disciples think that the man is a spirit, when he didn't look like one? Well, the reason is that the disciples of Jesus, had heard that the master was hanged on the cross, and that he had given up the ghost. And they had heard that he was dead and buried for three days. So when they suddenly saw him in-front of them, they were terrified! So Jesus Christ, wanting to assure them that he was not a resurrected spirit, tells them: “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: Handle me and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have.” (Luke 24:39)
Evidence #12: Spirits do not eat! The Scripture tells us:
Luke 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, “Have ye here any meat?”
Luke 24:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and a honeycomb,
Luke 24:43 And he took it, and did eat before them.
I ask: What was Jesus trying to prove? The simple answer is that he was himself, and that he was not resurrected, because the resurrected bodies become spirits! The Bible says:
1 Corinthians 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
The same is confirmed by Jesus Christ, in the Gospel according to St. Luke, Chapter 20, Verses 27-36. It concerns the story of the woman who had seven husbands:
27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” 34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the Angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.” / Luke 20:27-36
Basically, the Jews came to Jesus and told him that a woman had seven husbands, and finally the woman also died. So they asked Jesus what would happen on the other side, meaning on the day of resurrection, when seven brothers will want her all at the same time. Wouldn't there be a war in Heaven about this one woman? Jesus answers that they need not marry any more, as a person who is resurrected becomes equal unto the Angels, meaning they become angelised, meaning they will become spirits.
9: Conclusion.
It is hard to believe, that after giving all this evidence, one would still blindly accept the crucifixion as authentic. The strong evidence of contradictory reports, combined with prophecies, and the obvious points which prove that Jesus actually survived, make it a strong barrier for any logical thinker into accepting the crucifixion. Any truth seeker can examine this evidence carefully, and come to the conclusion that the crucifixion is in fact pure fiction.
Lastly, the Bible mentions something very interesting:
1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty (in vain) and your faith is also empty (in vain).”
I believe you know the serious implication of this statement after having read this thread!
Case Closed!
This post was edited by poulgaragr on Aug 9 2012 03:04am