WHY CHRISTIANITY IS THE ONLY RELIGION THAT MAKES SENSE; “AN EMPTY TOMB”

                                     “THE BURIAL OF CHRIST’S BODY”

By Wayne Jackson

 

While it is common to stress the death and resurrection of Christ, little attention generally is paid to the matter of the Lord’s burial, as though minimal significance is attached to that circumstance, in contrast to these other events. That is not true. Paul declares that the gospel of Christ involves the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

 

After the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, his body was removed and placed in the new (unused) tomb of a wealthy gentleman who was a member of the Hebrew Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathaea. The apostle Matthew wrote:

 

And when evening was come, there came a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given up. And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed (Matthew 27:57-60; cf. Mark 15:43).

 

The Bodies of Criminals

 

From a strictly human vantage point, the burial of Jesus’ body in the manner described above was a radically unusual procedure. Christ was crucified by Roman authorities (at the behest of rebellious Jews – Acts 2:23). According to the Latin poet, Horace, it was the Roman practice to leave a body upon the cross until it decayed. He spoke about crucified slaves “feeding crows on the cross” (Epistle 1.16.46-48).

 

On the other hand, it was the custom of the Jews that any sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin was “not to be buried in the sepulchers of their fathers; but two burying places were appointed by the council, one for those that were slain by the sword and strangled, the other for those that were stoned who also were hanged and burnt” (Lightfoot, 2.374; emp. original).

 

The Jewish historian Josephus wrote: “We consider it a duty to bury even our enemies” (Wars 3.8.5). But, as one scholar has observed, an “area far outside the city of Jerusalem had been consigned for the burial of executed criminals” (Lane, 578). Professor Lane cites ancient Jewish sources in support of his statement.

 

Additionally, it has been noted that for Pilate “to release the body of a condemned criminal — especially one condemned of high treason — to someone other than a relative was highly unusual” (Wessel, 8.785).

 

Why would the governor permit the corpse of this Jesus, who had created such an upheaval throughout the region, to be released to anyone — particularly in view of the fact that Christ had foretold his own resurrection? Great care, therefore, would have been taken to prevent any confiscation of the body. As the chief priests and Pharisees explained the matter to Pilate:

 

Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, “After three days I will rise again.” Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest haply his disciples come and steal him away, and say unto the people, “He is risen from the dead”: and the last deception will be worse than the first (Matthew 27:63-64).

 

Burial of Christ

 

The burial of the Savior’s body conformed to neither Jewish nor Roman custom, in terms of how the remains of criminals were dispatched. Why was this the case?

 

The immediate explanation lies in the fact that Joseph was an influential Jew of “honorable estate” (Mark 15:43), who “asked for the body of Jesus.” And Pilate, the Roman governor, for reasons not explained in the biblical text, “commanded it to be given up” (Matthew 27:58).

 

The ultimate explanation, however, is to be found in the fact that divine prophecy foretold that though Jehovah’s suffering Servant would be “assigned a grave with the wicked” (NIV), nonetheless he would be buried “with a rich man in his death” (Isaiah 53:9). Divine providence clearly was at work in the fulfillment of this prophecy.

 

Liberal scholars attempt to evade the thrust of this prophecy by making the term “rich” a mere allusion to Jesus’ enemies, or else that of an elaborate burial; but Motyer forcefully points out:

 

Wicked … rich: the former is plural and the latter is singular. If Isaiah had merely intended the contrast between a shameful and a sumptuous burial, he would have used two singulars. The use of a plural and a singular suggests that he is talking not about categories but about actual individuals (337).

 

He goes on to point out that only Matthew’s record of Jesus’ burial in Joseph’s tomb can be the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Divine Overruling

 

Though Christ’s enemies doubtless intended that his grave be that of a common criminal (he was crucified between two thieves), it is absolutely remarkable that a prophet, seven hundred years earlier, foretold that the Lord would be buried with the “rich.” As observed already, this clearly is at variance with a reasonable expectation.

 

How could such a prediction possibly have happened by chance? It could not have. Ordinary human beings are unable to predict the future — no matter how many ridiculous claims there are to the contrary.

 

However, He who knows “the end from the beginning” is able to see the future, cause it to be written, and finally fulfilled (Isaiah 46:10).

 

It was essential that the location of the tomb be readily known, in view of the fact that some, likely in their opposition to the doctrine of the resurrection, would protest that Christ had not been raised, but the location of his grave simply was unknown, or had been misidentified. This futile explanation has been attempted many times across the centuries. But that view cannot be valid in view of the Jerusalem circumstances; Christ was buried in the tomb of a very prominent man. His tomb was not shrouded in obscurity.

The Seal

 

Further, the tomb was marked and authenticated with a Roman seal.

 

If a door had to be sealed, it was first fastened with some ligament, over which was placed some well-compacted clay [or wax], and then impressed with the seal, so that any violation of it would be discovered at once (Job 38:14; Song of Solomon 4:12; Matthew 27:66) (McClintock, 9.492-493).

 

It would be absurd to assume that the Romans kept no records of such important documentation.

 

The burial of Jesus, therefore, is a matter of supreme importance — intricately related to both the Savior’s death and his resurrection. And it should not be passed over lightly.

The “Embalming”

 

There is a final matter that warrants some reflection. It is commonly asserted that Jesus’ body was “embalmed.” That term is nowhere used with reference to the preparation of the Lord’s body. Certainly it was not an “embalming” analogous to what the Egyptians practiced, where there was a mutilation of the remains (see Morris, 496, 730). Among the Jews there was an anointing with spices, when such could be afforded, to retard the stench of decomposition (cf. John 11:39; see Borchert, 282).

 

Here is an important observation. The fact that the friends of Christ provided spices, and anointed his body for burial, clearly reveals that they had not grasped the significance of Psalm 16:10, namely that his flesh would not experience “corruption” (cf. Acts 2:25-28) because he would be raised. What is the importance of this point?

 

After Jesus’ death, the disciples did not concoct some outlandish plan to steal the body and proclaim that he had been resurrected! They did not anticipate the resurrection. They fully expected the corpse to decay and return to the dust. It was only seeing him on that Sunday following his death (and subsequently for 40 days) that generated their faith in a “risen Lord.” This is extremely powerful circumstantial evidence of the genuine resurrection of the Savior’s body.

 

Christianity is based upon a buried and resurrected Lord; the religion is genuine and stands unique, in contrast to all other religious systems — either ancient or modern.

 

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE CHRIST—part 2

 

                                  “The Crucifixion of Christ: The Real Emphasis”

By Wayne Jackson

 

Mel Gibson’s extravaganza, “The Passion of the Christ,” has made its public debut, and, contrary to the dire financial forecast of the liberal prognosticators, it is hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

As expected, though, it has received mixed reviews. Some have charged that it is “anti-Semitic,” that is, that it portrays a misleading view of the first-century Jews and, at the very least, it will generate hateful, anti-Jew emotions in an unstable society.

 

Some cite references to Gibson’s father, who, supposedly, has questioned the “statistics” of the German Holocaust during World War II. Others charge that the Gospel records themselves are the culprits. Allegedly, the ancient biographies are the source of malevolence for the Hebrews that supposedly oozes from the pores of this cinematic production.

 

One oft-repeated criticism of the movie is that it is far too graphic —overly filled with gore that is protracted, on and on to the point of nauseous extremity. An apologist for the film might contend, with some measure of reason, that this is a judgment call. One man’s repulsion might be another’s deeply moving experience.

 

I do believe, however, that something is awry when folks claim that they have never been so moved regarding the death of Jesus as by seeing this movie. Claudia Puig, a columnist for USA TODAY, wrote that, “Watching the sadistic torture and crucifixion of Jesus … provides a more visceral experience than reading the New Testament ever could render” (2/24/04). Apparently, for such folks as these, Mel Gibson has been able to achieve, through his cinemagraphic skills, what the Holy Spirit was unable to accomplish through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

 

Many years ago, the celebrated scholar J. W. McGarvey produced a number of works that assembled a powerful case for the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. One of the arguments the professor employed was that of the uncommon “restraint” that was so characteristic of the biblical writers. McGarvey, in his Evidences of Christianity (III, p. 219), wrote about the,

 

“imperturbable calmness with which they trace the current of history, relating with as little apparent feeling the most wonderful and exciting events, as those the most trivial; as calmly, for instance, the final sufferings of Jesus as the fact of his taking a seat on Peter’s fishing-boat to address the people. They appear to have been restrained from giving natural utterance to the intense feeling which burned within them, or to have been lifted above all human weakness, so as to speak like him,

 

‘Who sees with equal eye, as God of all,

A hero perish, or a sparrow fall;

 

Atoms or systems into ruin hurled,

And now a bubble burst, and now a world.’”

 

An example should suffice to illustrate the point. Admittedly, the apostle John was the disciple who was the closest to the Savior. John especially is designated as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jn. 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7,20). One would expect, therefore, that John, when composing his account of the crucifixion, would have poured his soul into the record, describing with agonizing detail, the horrors of this bloody and dreadful scene of an inch-by-inch death. And yet that is far from the case.

 

The apostle, with amazing brevity, depicts the actual crucifixion in less than four dozen words in the Greek New Testament.

 

“Then therefore he delivered him unto them to be crucified. They took Jesus therefore: and he went out, bearing the cross for himself, unto the place called the place of a skull, which is called Golgotha in Hebrew: where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus in the middle” (19:16-18).

 

Where is all the groaning, the technicolor descriptions of gushing blood, the battered, swollen face, tormenting insects, gnawing dogs, etc.? Such descriptives are conspicuously absent!

 

These elements are not essential in order to drive home the theological point —he died for our sins! We think it represents a misguided emphasis to dwell inordinately upon the physical aspects of the Lord’s ordeal, over against the profound truth that the innocent Savior died for guilty sinners who are deserving of eternal banishment from the holy God.

 

While there are a few prophetic portrayals of the horrors of the Messiah’s death (cf. Psa. 22; Isa. 53), this is not the prime emphasis of the Scriptures.

 

The real issue is this: the Son of God gave himself for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4); he offered us redemption by means of his plan of salvation (Rom. 3:21-26; Acts 2:38). And what are we going to do about it? Rail against it? Ignore it? Or humbly submit to its demands?

 

No shedding of a few tears during a movie, sincere though they may be, can ever be a substitute for genuine obedience to Jesus Christ (2 Thes. 1:7-9; Heb. 5:8-9; 1 Pet. 4:17-18)

 

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE CHRIST

                           “THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE CHRIST”

By Wayne Jackson

 

Crucifixion was probably the most horrible form of capital punishment ever devised by man. It was employed by the Persians (c. 522 B.C.). Darius had 3,000 Babylonians crucified when he conquered that territory. Later, it was employed by the Greeks. Following the destruction of Tyre, Alexander the Great crucified 2,000 men of military age. The Jews even used crucifixion on occasion. In the inter-biblical age, Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 B.C.) crucified 800 Pharisees who had been involved in a revolt. But the Romans were most noted for the practice. In 71 B.C., following a slave revolt in Rome, 6,000 recaptured slaves were crucified on the Appian Way leading to the city (Vos, p. 439).

 

The prospective crucifixion victim, as a rule, was first subjected to flagellation, i.e., a beating with a three-thong whip (fashioned of plaited leather, and studded with bone and metal). The victim was stripped naked and then was secured with leather ties. He was then beaten from his upper hack to the lower extremities of his legs. The flesh was flayed from the muscle. Eventually muscle could he shredded from the bone. The bones of the back, including the spinal column might well be exposed in a bloody mass. Not infrequently these whippings were fatal (Kittel, Vol IV, p. 517). In an article which appeared a few years back in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. W. Edwards wrote:

 

“The severe scourging, with its intense pain and appreciable blood loss, most probably left Jesus in a pre-shock state. Moreover, hematidrosis had rendered his skin particularly tender. The physical and mental abuse meted out by the Jews and the Romans, as well as the lack of food, water, and sleep, also contributed to his generally weakened state. Therefore, even before the actual crucifixion, Jesus’ physical condition was at least serious and possibly critical” (p. 1458).

 

The shape of the cross is a matter of some controversy. Some scholars believe that the victim was forced to carry, only the upper crossbar (which weighed about 125 pounds) to the place of torture. (It is little wonder that the Lord required assistance in carrying the beam – Lk. 23:26). At the death site, the upright post might have been secured in the ground already, awaiting the attachment of the crossbar (Kittel, Vol. VII, pp. 572-4).

 

The criminal would be made to lie upon the ground, with the crossbeam under his upper back. The arms were then attached by nails. The nails almost certainly were driven through the wrists, since the palm tissue “cannot bear the weight” of the body (Bloomquist, p. 48), The Greek term rendered “hands” (cheiras, Jn. 20:27) can also mean “arms” (Liddell, p. 1807; cf. Ezek. 23:42 where “hands” extends to wrists).

 

The feet were nailed also. In 1968 the first remains of a crucified man were discovered in Jerusalem. A seven-inch spike was wedged through a young man’s heels (Tzaferis, pp. 47,52). One source has suggested that only one heel was pierced by the nail and that the feet may have straddled the upright beam, with nails affixing the legs to each side of the olivewood post (Zias, pp. 22-27). The Romans were not always uniform in their methods of crucifixion.

 

The actual cause of death was the loss of blood volume and the inability to breathe due to the extension of the body (Edwards, p. 1461). The victim, unable to support his body so as to inhale/exhale easily, eventually suffocated; he usually died within 36 hours, though he could survive for days. Jesus lived only 6 hours. Let us reflect upon several matters relative to the Lord’s crucifixion.

The Nature of the Narration

 

It is an amazing thing that the biblical narratives recording the crucifixion of Jesus are so void of emotion. There is no shriek of anguish; there is no vindictive spirit evinced toward the Lord’s murderers. This is all the more remarkable since the Gospel records were written by those who deeply loved the Savior. But the record is so matter-of-fact. “And when they came unto the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him. . . ” (Lk. 23:33). One can only imagine the sort of “write-up” this event would have been given by a modern-day reporter. The subdued presentation of the Gospel writers is a subtle evidence that the authors were guided by the Spirit of God in the composition of their records.

Prophecy

 

Then there is the matter of prophecy. A thousand years before Jesus’ birth, David, speaking on behalf of the coming Messiah, described the ordeal of the crucifixion.

 

“I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: A company of evildoers have inclosed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I may count all my bones; They look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do they cast lots” (Psa. 22:14-18).

 

This context is doubtless the most comprehensive portion of the biblical record detailing the physical and emotional trauma of the Son of God during the crucifixion ordeal. Moreover, it is an amazing declaration inasmuch as it was penned five centuries prior to the invention of the torturous system.

 

The prophetic details in connection with the crucifixion of Jesus are amazing. Note the following abbreviated list of prophetic details. Jesus’ back was to be beaten (Isa. 50:6), and his hands and feet pierced (Psa. 22:16). His garments would be divided (Psa. 22:18), and he would he given vinegar and gall to slake his thirst (Psa. 69:21). Though it was common to break the legs of the victim (Jn. 19:32), such did not occur in Christ’s case because the Lord was the antitype of the Passover lamb (Ex. 12:46; Psa. 34:20; Jn. 19:33; 1 Cor. 5:7). Too, a crucified person normally was not given a burial (Horace, Epistle 1.16.48); the body was left to rot or be devoured by animals. But Jesus, by divine decree, was interred in the tomb of a wealthy Jew (Isa. 53:9; Mt. 27:57ff). These prophecies are powerful evidence of the divine origin of the Bible.

The Theological Significance

 

During the first century, the Jews employed four methods of capital punishment – stoning, burning, decapitation, and strangulation (Goldin, p. 141). But Jesus was executed according to Roman procedure. Aside from the political considerations, there were reasons for this.

 

First, Christ had to die in some fashion that involved the shedding of his blood, without which there could be no remission of sins (Heb. 9:22). Since the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), man, by virtue of his transgression, forfeited his right to live. However, in the marvelous sacred scheme of things, it was determined that God’s Son would offer his life in exchange for man’s (1 Cor. 15:3). Inasmuch as the “life” (Heb. – nephesh) resides in the blood (Lev. 17:11), it was necessary for the Lord to shed his blood to effect redemption. Isaiah speaks of the Messiah’s “soul/life” (nephesh) being “poured out” unto death (53:10-12). Centuries later, the Savior said: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto the remission of sins” (Mt. 26:28). The crucifixion thus accommodated a method of death consistent with the heavenly plan.

 

Second, under the Old Testament regime, hanging a body upon a tree was a special token of accursedness; “He that is hanged is accursed of God” (Dt. 21:23). J.H. Thayer noted that crucifixion was a most “ignominious punishment” designed for the “guiltiest criminals” (p. 586). By his death upon the cross, the Savior “was made a curse for us: for it is written: Cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree” (Gal. 3:13). It is significant that the “cross” is designated as a “tree” several times in the NT (Acts 5:30; 10:39; 1 Pet. 2:24). The Lord’s death by means of the crucifixion upon the cross, therefore, was a fitting symbol of the fact that he was hearing the “curse” and “shame” (Heb. 12:2) of sin for the human family.

 

All who so choose may take advantage of that wonderful gift (Rev. 22:17), by being immersed into Jesus’ death (Rom. 6:3-4).

The Cross as a Witness

 

There is a another brief but important point that must be made at this juncture. How was it that a mode of death so despised as “the cross” – became such a glorious badge of honor for Christians? The “word of the cross” was synonymous with the gospel (1 Cor. 1:18), and in that cross the early saints gloried.

 

Paul wrote: “But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . ” (Gal. 6:14; cf. Phil. 3:18; Col. 1:20). Why should such a hideous instrument of shame be transformed into an object of glory by the early Christians? Do men today honor the hangman’s noose, or the electric chair? Does anyone wear these emblems as an item of adornment? Hardly. It was because the cross “ceased to be an embarrassment _in the light of the resurrection”_ (Unmack, p. 152, emp. WJ). Had Jesus remained dead, the cross would have been forever an object of infamy. The cross, then, becomes a silent witness, an apologetic, for the authenticity of Christianity.

The Irony of History

 

When Pilate asked the Jews, “What then shall I do unto Jesus who is called the Christ?,” they screamed: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (Mt. 27:22; Jn. 19:6). When the governor inquired as to the nature of Jesus’ crime, no answer was forthcoming – only the bloodthirsty echo, “Crucify him!” Pilate therefore symbolically washed his hands, thinking he would relieve himself of culpability. When the Jews saw this act, they all said: “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Mt. 27:25). Little did they fathom the implication of that request.

 

In this culminating act of rebellion, the Jews were filling up “the measure” of their ancestors’ rebellion, and upon them full wrath would be visited (Mt. 23:31-36; 1 Thes. 2:14-16). Providentially, God would send “his armies” (the Romans) and destroy those murderers (Mt. 22:7; cf. 21:41).

 

When Rome’s forces marched against Jerusalem in the spring of AD. 70, it was the beginning of a bloodbath unrivaled in history (cf. Mt. 24:21). After a bitter six-month siege, vividly detailed by Josephus, the city fell. The Romans so despised the Jews that they crucified thousands of them – 500-a-day for many months (Tzaferis, p. 48). Josephus starkly says that “room was wanting for the crosses” (Wars 5.11.1). One cannot but be reminded of the maxim: “Whatsoever a man [or nation] sows, that shall he [it] also reap” (Gal. 6:7).