Due to environment and family influences, I have been a constant listener of biblical stories and eventually became a seeker of pieces of evidence to prove these stories could indeed have happened.
The crucifixion story is perhaps one of the most widely recognizable biblical events, perhaps due to the information brought about by the yearly celebration of “Holy Week” by the Catholics.
One of the fascinations I encountered was a debate on whether Jesus truly died on the cross under circumstances narrated in the bible.
Particularly emphasized by those who argue he did not die was the shortness of the time frame for a crucified person to die in Jesus' case. Some say 3-6 hours was way below the normal 2 or more days span.
What I find interesting is that the argument Jesus did not die on the cross was used to prove Jesus’ performing miracles are not true and the resurrection story is made up.
It doesn’t. Surviving proves the opposite. This is not an opinion, it’s a fact if biblical events are to be consistently applied.
Let’s set the table first and get one thing out of the way.
Those who argue this did not deny that the crucifixion occurred historically.
They should if the biblical account is to be used. The execution was done in public, seen by those who can stomach the procedure.
With this established, there are other events and circumstances leading to the crucifixion and those that immediately followed after not mentioned in the debate that cannot be denied to be consistent with the story.
Like, what crime did Jesus commit that merited a crucifixion in the first place?
Two acts caught the ire of the Jewish chief priests and leaders then, his claiming to be equal to God and he is the Messiah.
These were not political crimes under Roman laws then. These facts were verified when Pontius Pilate was constantly finding various ways to possibly release Jesus free because he finds no substance of the accusation against him.
These were, however, regarded as blasphemous by the chief priests and Pharisees of the Jewish community. It was they who presented the case of Jesus and coerced the Jewish crowd to force Pilate to give in and eventually authorize the crucifixion. Pilate then handed Jesus to this group for the execution.
Then, subsequent to the crucifixion was a series of appearances to his disciples, including the one where he appears to Mary Magdalene and his disciples, except Thomas, just three days after and another to his disciples, including Thomas, eight days after.
With these premises set, the only chance Jesus survived and subsequently showed himself to his disciples in just a week requires the aid of a godly and powerful being, assuming he was not a supernatural being himself.
Let’s refresh who Jesus was handed to: a group who despise him much and a crowd that selected Barabas, a hardened criminal, to be released instead of him.
It was recorded the public saw Jesus injured due to being whipped with spikes, beaten, lashed, and crowned with thorns while carrying the cross to the crucifixion site before being nailed to it; and being stabbed in the side while he was hanging.
It’s not hard to imagine that the worst types of beating and whipping will be administered by the group. It is not hard to imagine either what kind of damages to Jesus' physical body and how much blood loss resulted from them.
One of the situations used as an illustration why Jesus survived is the experiences of Catholic volunteers in the Philippines who reenact the crucifixion during Holy Week. This is not realistic. Conditions in actual crucifixion compared to the reenacting of the crucifixion in the Philippines is as far as the north and south poles.
Further, following what happened on the cross, it would take superhuman ability for Jesus to be on his feet, appear to his disciples, and show the holes in his hand and side to Thomas.
It would take more than just three days of recovery time for a normal man to get back on his feet and wander around normally after being crucified in a manner described by the bible.
It would take much more than eight days to allow Thomas to put his hands into the holes punctured by nails and in his side punctured by a spear.
The combination of Jesus surviving the crucifixion and immediately appearing to his disciples to show off his wounds combination does not mix well within the scope of human abilities.
Based on these observations, if one is to accept a crucifixion such as this was survived by the person involved and he appears to his friends a few days later normally walking and showing off scars, someone or something supernatural must be involved for the sequence to happen.
The survival concept does not coincide with biblical teachings, yet it offers proof that a “Wolverine-like” being, the Marvel character who can heal fast, or a being that can cause an ordinary human to heal fast, actually existed before.
Contrary to the claim that the miracles of Jesus and the resurrection, both involving the supernatural, as just made up.
By Playmaker
Photo: An artist's concept of the crucifixion. courtesy of Pixabay
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