Did Jesus Really Die ? PDF Print E-mail
Islam TV recently rebroadcast a debate involving the late Mr. Deedat, deceased Muslim cleric and past head of the Islamic Propagation Center in South Africa. On the show he tried to ridicule the Christian understanding that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected after 3 days.

It soon became apparent from the TV debate that the reason the Muslims reject the evidence that Jesus died on the cross is that they refute the belief that Jesus died for the sins of the world.  According to the Muslim belief, each person dies for his or her own sins- no person can die for the sins of another.  This is why there is no assurance of salvation under Islam. This means that a Muslim does not know if Allah will save his or her soul when they die. It is only when they stand before Allah on the Judgment Day, that Allah will weigh up the good and the bad things the person has done and then decide if he or she can enter heaven or not.

As Christians, it is wonderful to know that Christ died for all mankind and that a person, who accepts Jesus as Savior and appropriates His atoning blood for all his /her sins, can have assurance of salvation. “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son so that all who believe on Him will not perish but have life eternal” ( John 3;16).  In contrast to Islam, the Jewish leadership of the day who condemned Jesus to death did not at all dispute the fact that Jesus died on the cross. To them the problem was that He was resurrected after 3 days and was alive! We read that the leadership told the guards at Jesus’ tomb to say that the disciples stole His dead body and disposed of it. (Matt.  28:13).

This poses the question: “Do the Jewish people believe in the resurrection of the dead?” Yes they do. The following Hebrew texts testify to this: Ezekiel 37 The Valley of the Dry Bones. Isaiah 26:19 “Your dead will live- Their corpses will rise…” and Daniel 12:2 “..many of those who sleep in the dust…will awake.”

The great Jewish sage, RAMBAM, embraced the concept of the resurrection and lists it as one of the major beliefs of the Jewish faith that is recited as part of Jewish liturgy: “I believe with perfect faith that there will be a resurrection of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, blessed be His Name, and exalted be the remembrance of Him for ever and ever.” Why then, were the Jews surprised at Jesus’ resurrection?
While the concept of a resurrection forms part of their Biblical belief framework, they expected it to take place within the framework of the resurrection of all the dead at the end of days. Jesus’ resurrection as the first-fruits of the resurrection of all the dead at a future date was not expected.

Their problem was that if Jesus was raised from the dead by God as an individual, He would have proved His claim to be the Son of God. They would then have killed the Anointed one, the Messiah.
The predicament of the Jews became more apparent when many people reported seeing Him after his death. The same disciples, who fled from Jesus when the Jewish leadership arrested Him, also attested to seeing, speaking and touching Him. Instead of being timid and scared as they were at His crucifixion, after Jesus appeared to them, they became powerful witnesses to His life and teachings. Meeting the risen Lord had transformed their lives!  Jesus’ appearance and confirmation of His Messianic credentials inspired them to take the Gospel to every part of the known world. So strong was their belief in the risen Lord that they were prepared to die for their faith. All the Disciples, except John, died a martyr’s death while defending their belief in His resurrection to the end. To quote Paul, they knew that:

“If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection”.  (Romans 6:5).

Jesus’ resurrection was accompanied by the promise of being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Filled with the Spirit of God, these same disciples started performing miracles in Jesus’ name, even on occasion raising the dead, something His followers are able to emulate to this day.

The biggest gift of believing and accepting Christ’s atoning blood is the assuredness that all one’s sins are forgiven and that one can be sure of being accepted in the Kingdom of God.  That is why the Apostle Paul says that if Jesus did not die and was not resurrected, our faith is misplaced.(1 Cor. 15:13).

In the first sermon that Jesus preached He said He had come to set the captives free (Luke 4:18). It is this blessed assurance that we are free from our past misdeeds and forgiven for all our wrongs that makes our Christian walk so worthwhile. We need no longer be in bondage. We are forgiven and we can forgive because we have received forgiveness from all our transgressions.  Christ died for the Jew, the Muslim and the Gentile. We can all take strength in the fact that he died and was resurrected, that he appeared in the flesh to many before ascending to heaven and still enters into a special relationship with all who call upon His name.

Jesus’ death was real, so was His resurrection. Without the witness to this fact the Christian church would not have stood the test of time. Today, all those that call upon His name and surrender their lives to Jesus, discover that He is alive. He is able to forgive our sins, heal the sick and transform lives. Put it to the test. Enter into a relationship with Jesus.  He is able to forgive your sins and give you a fresh start in the kingdom of His grace.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 12 August 2009 01:14