Did Jesus Really Die - Essay Example

 Did Jesus Really Die? The given reading tries to answer the question whether Jesus really died. In order to answer the question it is necessary to clarify the following aspects: how to explain the empty tomb, if a resurrection of a body with the Laws of Creation, what the followers who wrote the New Testament saw. The author admits that Jesus was severely tortured and it was not possible to stay alive after such tortures. Thus, we should base our conclusion on the fact that Jesus really died on the cross even if the evidences of his probable survival appear regularly. The death of Jesus should not be considered as false after which he could resurrect. “That Jesus really died on the cross needs to be established for various reasons. If Jesus did not die—which is a necessary prelude to rising physically—there can be no forgiveness of sins and eternal life for all who believe in Him” (Rom. 6:1–23; 1 Cor. 15:12–23 cited ion Miller, p.209). The question is how we could explain the empty tomb. Bible testifies about this fact and we do not have any reason not to believe it. The explanation stating that the friends of Jesus took his body and brought it to safe place in order to protect from outrage, is rather convincing. And empty tomb is not a proof of body resurrection. However, Miller doubts that “Besides, this theory is full of problems. Could the disciples have overpowered Roman guards and stolen the body? Not a chance. Just hours before, they were all scared and abandoned Jesus; and the most fearless, Peter, became fearful and denied Him three In addition how could the guards know who took the body since they were sleeping?” (Miller, p 19). It is possible to state that the resurrection of physical body does not correspond to the Laws of Creation (Knight, 2001). These Laws are reflected in perfect and unchangeable Will of God. Everything happens in the framework of these laws even if they are not completely studied by the science. Thus, we talk about the cure of an illness as about a miracle only because we still can’t identify the laws, which are the basis of this event. Science is not less than the attempt to understand the Laws of God and use them. Religion and science should be united, they should not contradict to each other. However, there are the facts about the live of Christ like “The Immaculate Conception” or “the body resurrection of Christ”, which do not correspond to the Laws of Creation and, thus, need reconsideration. If Jesus could physically resurrect, it means that we can’t deny the possibility of other “wonders”. He may not be born by Maria, but descend from heaven. He could also descend from the cross. But such miracles are not possible. If the love of God was embodied in the human shape of Jesus, his life was depended from the Laws of Gods. The question is how we should understand the resurrection of Christ. Gruber claimed: “A detailed analysis shows that the term used in the Greek original for the thrust of the soldier, nyssein, means a light scratch, puncture or stab to the skin, not a thrust with full force, let alone a deep penetration…. Even Origen (185–254), who did actually believe Jesus was dead at the time when the blood and water came out from the wounds, pointed out that corpses do not bleed” (cited in Miller, p.2.). According to the fact s from the Bible, some friends of Christ saw him after death. But could they see Christ in the flesh? It would be more logical to assume that they could see the soul of Christ. This could be proved by the fact that only some people could see him and some could not recognize him. Having gone through very serious stress connected with the death of Christ, his followers became mentally ready for seeing Jesus again. They got to know one more truth: the life continues even after physical death. This is the basis of Christian believes: the belief in immortality of soul. The reading makes us think about the issue and our belief in God. Certainly the belief in miracle of resurrection of Christ is connected with many doubts and issues. However, such doubts should not exist. We doubt the resurrection of Christ, but we still celebrate Easter every year. The mission of Christ was to expiate our sins, to make us reveal the Love which will lead us to God and will allow us to resurrect. The main essence of Easter is our ability to imagine this. References Miller, S.M. (2009) .The Jesus of the Bible. Barbour Books Knight, G.W.(2001). A simplified harmony of the gospels. Holman Reference Read More