THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST
A Paper
Presented to
Dr. Doug Cecil
Dallas Theological Seminary
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
Evangelism 602
By
D. Lance Waldie, box 1667
April 29, 1998
April 20, 1998
The following paper is my second of the optional reading assignments for Evangelism 602. This was a message I gave on Easter Sunday to a group of young adults (ages 22-35) in an early service and also a group of junior high youth in a later service. Both groups were from Cypress Bible Church in Cypress (Houston), Texas (my home church). Both messages were informal, in that I allowed questions and discussion throughout the study. Though the assignment required that this be in manuscript form I prepared it in a way that fits my preaching style because it was a real message that I gave. I hope that does not take away from my grade.
My point in this message was to present the Gospel as clearly as possible using all four Gospels as references. I wanted to shed greater light on what Jesus endured while going through the trials and especially the pain and agony he felt from crucifixion. My quotes come from Evidence That Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell which I consider to be the greatest book outside of the Bible I have ever read. I also included some discussion on some interesting observations I got from Frank Morison’s book Who Moved the Stone?, namely, dealing with the alleged illegalities of the trial and false accusations brought against Jesus. I read both of these books as a fulfillment of the reading options for the class.
The text of the message begins just after Christ was arrested. After giving a brief setting of events up to this point I begin with Jesus’ first trial.
Sincerely,
Lance Waldie, box 1667
DEATH AND RESURRECTION
John 18:28-29
28 They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium in order that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
29 Pilate therefore went out to them, and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"
Luke 23:6-12
6 But when Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean.
7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.
8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.
9 And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing.
10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently.
11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.
12 Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been at enmity with each other.
Matt 27:19-33
19 And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him."
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death.
21 But the governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas."
22 Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let Him be crucified!"
23 And he said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they kept shouting all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!"
24 And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves."
25 And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children!"
26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified.
SCOURGE
A whip used as a means of punishment. In the Old Testament, scourge is generally a word that describes punishment, either by man <1 Kin. 12:11> or by God <Is. 10:26>. The Mosaic Law prescribed that a wicked person could be beaten with forty blows <Deut. 25:2-3>.
In the New Testament, to be "examined under scourging" <Acts 22:24> referred to an investigation which began with the beating of the prisoner. Another word describes the "whip of cords" with which Jesus cleansed the Temple <John 2:15>. It also graphically describes the beating which Jesus received before His crucifixion <Matt. 27:26>.
The whip used for this type of punishment consisted of a handle to which one or more leather cords or thongs were attached. Sometimes these cords were knotted or weighted with pieces of metal or bone to make the whip more effective as a flesh-cutting instrument. In his prediction of the coming of the Messiah, the prophet Isaiah declared, "He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities" <Is. 53:5>, referring to the scourging of Jesus.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.
28 And they stripped Him, and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 And after weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
30 And they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.
31 And after they had mocked Him, they took His robe off and put His garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
32 And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.
33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,
John 19:17
18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.
CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST
The method of torture and execution used by the Romans to put Christ to death. At a crucifixion the victim usually was nailed or tied to a wooden stake and left to die.
Crucifixion was used by many nations of the ancient world, including Assyria, Media, and Persia. Alexander the Great of Greece crucified 2,000 inhabitants of Tyre when he captured the city. The Romans later adopted this method and used it often throughout their empire. Crucifixion was the Romans' most severe form of execution; so it was reserved only for slaves and criminals. No Roman citizen could be crucified.
Crucifixion involved attaching the victim with nails through the wrists or with leather thongs to a crossbeam attached to a vertical stake. Sometimes blocks or pins were put on the stake to give the victim some support as he hung suspended from the crossbeam. At times the feet were also nailed to the vertical stake. As the victim hung dangling by the arms, the blood could no longer circulate to his vital organs. Only by supporting himself on the seat or pin could the victim gain relief.
But gradually exhaustion set in, and death followed, although usually not for several days. If the victim had been severely beaten, he would not live this long. To hasten death, the executioners sometimes broke the victim's legs with a club. Then he could no longer support his body to keep blood circulating, and death quickly followed. Usually bodies were left to rot or to be eaten by scavengers.
To the Jewish people, crucifixion represented the most disgusting form of death: "He who is hanged is accursed of God" <Deut. 21:23>. Yet the Jewish Sanhedrin sought and obtained Roman authorization to have Jesus crucified <Mark 15:13-15>. As was the custom, the charge against Jesus was attached to the cross; He was offered a brew to deaden His senses, but He refused <Mark 15:23>. There was no need for the soldiers to break His legs to hasten death. By the ninth hour <Mark 15:34, 37>, probably 3:00 P. M.-- in only six hours-- Jesus was already dead <John 19:31-33>. Jesus' body was not left to rot; the disciples were able to secure Pilate's permission to give Him a proper burial.
The cross has been a major stumbling block in the way of the Jews, preventing the majority of them from accepting Jesus as the MESSIAH. The apostle Paul summed up the importance of the crucifixion best: "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" <1 Cor. 1:23-24>. Out of the ugliness and agony of crucifixion, God accomplished the greatest good of all-- the redemption of sinners.
CROSS
The recent discovery near Jerusalem of the bones of a crucifixion victim suggests that the knees were bent up side-by-side parallel to the crossbeam and the nail was then driven through the side of the ankles. Death by suffocation or exhaustion normally followed only after a long period of agonizing pain.
After being fastened to the crossbeam on the ground with ropes-- or, in rare cases, nails through the wrist-- the naked victim was then hoisted with the crossbeam against the standing vertical stake. A block or peg was sometimes fastened to the stake as a crude seat. The feet were then tied or nailed to the stake.
"The adjudged criminal was usually first forcefully stripped of his clothes, and then tied to a post or pillar in the tribunal. Then the awful and cruel scorging was administered by the lictors or scorgers. Although the Hebrews limited by their law the number of strokes in a scourging to forty, the Romans set no such limitation; and the victim was at the mercy of his scourgers."
" The brutal instrument used to scourge the victim was called flagrum. ‘It can readily be seen that the long, lashing peices of bone and metal would greatly lacerate human flesh.’"
"The sufferer’s beins were laid bare, and ... the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure."
"It has been conjectured that His scourging even surpassed the severity of the normal one. Although the normal scourging was administered by lictors, Pilate had no such lictors at his disposal so he used the soldiers. Thus, from the very character of these low, vile soldiers, it may be supposed that they exceeded the brutality meted out by the lictors."
"After a sleepless night, in which He was given no food, endured the mockery of two trials, and had His back lacerated with the cruel Roman cat-o’-nine tails, He was led out to execution by crucifixion. This was an excruciatingly painful death, in which every nerve in the body cried aloud in anguish."
"For indeed death by crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of horrible and ghastly -- dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, tetanus, shame, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds -- all intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured at all, but all stopping just short of the point which would give to the sufferer the relief of unconsciousness."
"The unnatural position made every movement painful; the lacerated veins and crushed tendons throbbed with incessant anguish; the wounds, inflamed by exposure, gradually gangrened; the arteries -- especially at the head and stomach -- became swollen and oppressed with surcharged blood; and while each variety of misery went on gradually increasing, their was added to them the intolerable pang of a burning and raging thirst; and all these physical complications caused an internal excitement and anxiety, which made the prospect of death itself -- of death, the unknown enemy, at whose approach man usually shudders most -- bear the aspect of a delicious and exquisite release."
Luke 23:46-47
46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit." And having said this, He breathed His last.
47 Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent."
John 19:31-37
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away (Breaking the legs insures quick death).
32 The soldiers therefore came, and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other man who was crucified with Him;
33 but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs;
34 but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water.
This would be caused by the rupture of the heart. This is evidence of mass clotting of the blood in the arteries and is exceptionally strong evidence for death.
35 And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
36 For these things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of Him shall be broken." (Ex. 12:46, Num. 9:12, Ps. 34:20).
37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced." (Zech. 12:10, Rev. 1:7).
Mark 15:44-45
44 And Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.
45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
Matt 27:62-66
62 Now on the next day, which is the one after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate,
63 and said, "Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ (they understood it while the disciples did not).
64 "Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, lest the disciples come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first."
65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how."
66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
Roman Guard:
consisted of four men according to the Jewish Mishnah. The captain of the guard made his rounds and if anyone was caught sleeping or even sitting his clothes were burned and/or he was killed. They were highly trained and sternly disciplined. The seal was probably a cord(s) stretched around the stone attached to both sides of the tomb.Matt 28:2-6
2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.
3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow;
4 and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
5 And the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.
6 "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.
Luke 24:4-6
4 And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel;
5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead?
6 "He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee,
Mark 16:5-7
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.
6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
7 "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.’"
John 20:1-16
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.
2 And so she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."
3 Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb.
4 And the two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first;
5 and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in.
6 Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he beheld the linen wrappings lying there,
7 and the face-cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.
8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb entered then also, and he saw and believed. (what did he believe?)
9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;
12 and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying.
13 And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."
14 When she had said this, she turned around, and beheld Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."
16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher).
Mark 16:9
9 Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.
Matt 28:11-14
11 Now while they were on their way, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened.
12 And when they had assembled with the elders and counseled together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
13 and said, "You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’
If the soldiers were asleep how could they know who stole the body?
14 "And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble."
John 20:19
19 When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." (this just shows how cowardly the disciples were following the death of thier leader. How preposterous to think they could all of a sudden become so bold as to steal the body from the guard, preach the resurrection, and die for what they knew was a lie.)
Luke 24:45
45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
John 20:30-31
30 Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
(CLOSING)
The Athenians had no answer to Paul’s claims about the resurrection. Acts 17:32 says they sneered. They merely laughed it off, because they could not understand how a man could rise from the dead. They did not even attempt to make a defense for their position. They, in essence, said: "Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is already make up." These people were satisfied to jest in ignorance and commit intellectual suicide. All one had to do was to make the trip to Jerusalem to see the empty tomb.
THEORIES OF SKEPTICS: