Devotional: Evidence For The Resurrection (2) — Jesus Had Really Died

But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.  – John 19:33:34

A central tenet of the Christian faith is the actual, physical resurrection of Jesus. Over the years many have denied the resurrection by claiming Jesus did not actually die on the cross. In this so-called “the swoon theory,” Jesus fell into a kind of coma or trance, and later walked out of the tomb. However, there are several flaws to this line of reasoning. One, the Roman guards assigned to beat and crucify Jesus were brutally efficient. It’s hard to imagine they would not “get the job done” when assigned an execution. Two, to remove any chance of surviving, the soldiers would break the legs of the crucified man so he could no longer thrust himself up to gulp for air. The fact that they did not break Jesus’ legs shows they were convinced He was dead. Three, had Jesus fallen into a “trance” and had somehow survived the whippings and crucifixion, how would He have had the physical strength to roll away the boulder sealing the grave? Four, had Jesus somehow managed to roll away the boulder, how would He have gotten past the Roman guards set there to watch it? And five, when a soldier pierced Jesus’ torso with a spear, a “flow of blood and water” came out. That too is proof that Jesus had really died. A retired cardio-thoracic surgeon, Dr. Antony de Bono, puts it this way: “Jesus had a haemothorax, which in the stillness of the dead body, [the elements of blood] had separated out as they do into two layers: the heavier red cells below and the light watery plasma above. The haemothorax was the result of the savage flagellation [whipping]. The withdrawal of the spear would have been followed first by the red cells (blood), then by the lighter plasma (water). It is well known that blood in these circumstances in a still dead body starts to separate out, to sediment, the heavier red cells sinking to the bottom leaving a much lighter, straw colored fluid, the plasma above. When a hole is made by the spear, the red cells, which John describes as blood, gushes out first, followed by the plasma, which John saw as water.” The evidence is clear: Jesus really died, and so the only way His disciples and others saw Him later, was because He was physically resurrected that first Easter Sunday. You can put your trust in Him today!

Source

S.G.D.

Latest Articles

- Advertisement -

Latest Articles

- Advertisement -

Related Articles