St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

Did Jesus really die?

... or was his "resurrection" because he wasn't dead in the first place?

The Christian faith needs to be founded on solid facts, otherwise it will be a nice thing to think when we’re in the mood, but it won’t be any use when our backs are against a wall. If a disaster happens in our lives, and in particular if we lose someone close to us, we need to have solid reasons for a belief that there is life beyond the grave. And the bible gives us some solid reasons.

One of them is the accounts of Jesus’ death. But if we approach these stories with a lively mind, we’re bound to ask if there are alternative explanations. Here’s one I’ve heard suggested by quite a lot of different people:

“Jesus didn’t really die on the cross - he only fainted and seemed to be dead. This is partly because his crucifixion was cut short. Later, in the cool of the tomb he revived and escaped, and recovered sufficiently to fool his disciples into thinking he had been raised from the dead.”

It seems to me that there are lots of things wrong with this “explanation”. Here are some of them:

The Romans were experts at crucifixion. So when Pilate heard that Jesus had already died by sunset he knew that this was unexpected, and he double-checked with the centurion (Mark 15:44) that there was no mistake.
The soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, and out came “water and blood” (John 19:34). Medically speaking this means Jesus’ blood had separated into layers of plasma and red blood cells, which is a sign that circulation had ceased.
The tomb was sealed and guarded (Matthew 27:66) and a weak man escaping would be easily caught by the soldiers.
In those days people were more familiar with death than we are. The disciples weren’t expecting Jesus to be raised, and they would never have believed it without good reasons.
Dumping someone unconscious on a cold stone in an airless room doesn’t revive them.
Jesus asked his disciples to examine him physically (Luke 24:39-40), and they would have noticed if he was simply recovering from being ill.

When added to other evidence about the empty tomb, the wide variety of appearances, the rapid spread of the gospel ... it’s enough to convince me. How about you?

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. April 2006, Page 1.
Home Page. Index of articles: by subject, by date. In this issue: (April 2006) Did Jesus die? A lonely cross, Annual Meeting, Baptists, Question. Other Vicar's letters.	Did Jesus really die? ... or was his "resurrection" because he wasn't dead in the first place? The Christian faith needs to be founded on solid facts, otherwise it will be a nice thing to think when we’re in the mood, but it won’t be any use when our backs are against a wall. If a disaster happens in our lives, and in particular if we lose someone close to us, we need to have solid reasons for a belief that there is life beyond the grave. And the bible gives us some solid reasons. One of them is the accounts of Jesus’ death. But if we approach these stories with a lively mind, we’re bound to ask if there are alternative explanations. Here’s one I’ve heard suggested by quite a lot of different people: “Jesus didn’t really die on the cross - he only fainted and seemed to be dead. This is partly because his crucifixion was cut short. Later, in the cool of the tomb he revived and escaped, and recovered sufficiently to fool his disciples into thinking he had been raised from the dead.” It seems to me that there are lots of things wrong with this “explanation”. Here are some of them: The Romans were experts at crucifixion. So when Pilate heard that Jesus had already died by sunset he knew that this was unexpected, and he double-checked with the centurion (Mark 15:44) that there was no mistake. The soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, and out came “water and blood” (John 19:34). Medically speaking this means Jesus’ blood had separated into layers of plasma and red blood cells, which is a sign that circulation had ceased. The tomb was sealed and guarded (Matthew 27:66) and a weak man escaping would be easily caught by the soldiers. In those days people were more familiar with death than we are. The disciples weren’t expecting Jesus to be raised, and they would never have believed it without good reasons. Dumping someone unconscious on a cold stone in an airless room doesn’t revive them. Jesus asked his disciples to examine him physically (Luke 24:39-40), and they would have noticed if he was simply recovering from being ill. When added to other evidence about the empty tomb, the wide variety of appearances, the rapid spread of the gospel ... it’s enough to convince me. How about you? John Hartley
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