Hi friends!!
I hope you all are having an amazing week! I don’t know about you, but I feel like I have been so busy in these past weeks especially with going back to in person school. Lately I have been feeling super discontent, just constantly wishing for something I do not have. I pray that you and I can learn to find our true contentment in Jesus alone instead of looking to the world and ourselves for satisfaction. Always remember how loved you truly are by your creator. This week we will be talking about whether Jesus’ death and resurrection are actually proved.
Did Jesus actually die on the cross? To start off, the Romans were incredible at executions as they had 1 to 2 centuries to perfect them. Because the Romans were so thorough with their executions, there was almost no way that the person would remain alive. I won’t go into all the details, but if you want to know more, check out https://www.livescience.com/65283-crucifixion-history.html (warning it can be a bit graphic with wording). In John 19:34, John says that “Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” For a little bit of context, the Roman executioners were testing to see if Jesus was dead or not. John says a flow of blood and water came out of Jesus' side, so what does that mean? Jesus was brutally beaten, almost to the point of death and nailed to a cross. To breathe he had to use every effort to lift his body up on each inhale then to fall right back down again on the exhale. This causes a major lack of oxygen due to the energy output. Plus consider the fact that Jesus was nearly beaten to death prior to walking 2 miles with an extremely heavy cross on his back. Because of the decrease in oxygen, Jesus’ tissues would become damaged and begin to discharge water causing a build-up of water around the heart. This scientifically means any human, including Jesus, likely would have gone into cardiac arrest and died. This likely explains why there was a separation of blood and water when he was pierced with a spear. This verse is clearly not a lie or fabrication because John would not have known the exact science we know at that time. This would have seemed out of the ordinary and confusing causing that detail to be remembered, not knowing that later on it would prove scientifically that Jesus was dead. In addition to the scientific proof that Jesus was dead, there is also historical proof. Flavius Josephus (a Jew and the historian), Tactius (a Roman public official), and Pontius Pilate (who led Jesus’ trial and convicted Jesus’ to crucifixion on the Roman cross) all confirm Jesus’ death. This shows that Jesus’ death is not just something the new Christians of this time confirmed, but something everyone of that time experienced. Also just a quick reminder, Jesus went through all of this suffering for us, so that we can be forgiven and have a personal relationship with God. Never forget Jesus’ immense love for us.
Next post we will finish this up and talk about if Jesus really rose from the dead. Have an amazing week!
With Joy,
Megan Conway
Comments