. Willingness of Jesus Christ to Die for Our Sins:
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee were with Jesus Christ before the
elders of the people and the chief priests came to take him to crucify
him. Jesus at this point talked to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee
as in Matthew 26:38 "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding
sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me." Then
Jesus went a little further way from them and prayed to God as in
Matthew 26:39 "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and
prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."
It is very clear from the above verse in Matthew 26:39 that Jesus had
no intention of dying. In this verse it is shown that Jesus was
praying strongly (Matthew mentions that Jesus repeated these prayer
three time) to have this death removed from him. Had Jesus Christ been
sent to be crucified he would not have hesitated to be killed at all.
When I relate this to my Christian friends, they tell me that this
hesitation comes from the flesh side of him (in other words he was
tempted), and that his soul which is godly does not have this
hesitation at all. When we look at Matthew 26:38 we see that Jesus is
contradicting this idea by saying, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful,
even unto death." (Matthew 26:38). He himself says that it really his
soul that is hesitating and not his body. These are Jesus' own words.
2. God Answered the prayers of Jesus Christ:
After Jesus made the above mentioned prayer he was answered by God
according to Hebrews 5:7 "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had
offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto
him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he
feared." These words clearly show that when Jesus was praying strongly
to God, God would grant him his request. The word "heard in that he
feared" (Hebrews 5:7) mean that God granted him what he requested. So
the above verse shows that when Jesus asked of God to "let this cup
pass from" (Matthew 26:39) him, God respond to his prayer and saved
him from death or crucifixion.
3. Three days and three nights in the grave!?
People were asking Jesus Christ if he was going to show them a sign.
He replied by saying that the only sign that they should expect is the
sign of Jonas. Matthew 12:39-40 "But he answered and said unto them,
An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there
shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. For
as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so
shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of
the earth. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's
belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth."
- Now let us see if this prophecy came to pass:
Jesus was crucified on Friday, this is certainly known among all
Christians, and that is the reason for calling that Friday by "Good
Friday". Jesus was buried on Friday night. Now let us start counting:
1. Friday night Jesus was buried. This is night number 1.
2. Saturday day Jesus was still in the grave. This is day number 1.
3. Saturday night Jesus was still in the grave. This is night number
2.
Mary Magdalene, very early in the morning before sun rise and after
the Sabbath, went to the see Jesus, and he was not there. The
following verses relate this event:
Mark 16:1-2 "And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary
the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they
might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day
of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
Mark 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they
were affrighted. Mark 16:6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted:
Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not
here: behold the place where they laid him.
The number of days and nights that Jesus had spent in the heart of the
earth is 1 day and 2 nights. This clearly challenges what Jesus had
prophesied. When I tell this to my Christian brothers, some of them
responded by saying that what Jesus wanted to really say was that he
will be gone for a while, and not that he will be in the heart of the
earth for three days and three nights. This is clearly not the case.
Had Jesus meant that, he would have said it, but it is clear that he
wanted the people to know that this was a sign (miracle) and that it
will be like Joans' sign, and that he will be in the heart of the
earth for three days and three nights. These were his own words!!
Why Would Jesus Have to Die on the Cross?
According to the Christian doctrine, Jesus died on the cross as a
sacrifice for our sins. The idea here is that every human is born with
sins, or that all humans will sin, and therefore it was necessary that
someone as pure as Jesus would be the crucified to nullify these sins.
The question is; why does anyone have to die for our sins when God,
the All-Merciful, could as easily give us forgiveness if we ask for
it? Isn't God the one who makes the rules? Why does He have to make
someone suffer for our sins or for someone else's sins? Isn't that
unjust of Him? According to the Bible the way to redemption could be
obtained without the need for sacrifice. The Bible says:
Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not
bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the
iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon
him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Ezekiel 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he
hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful
and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Clearly the soul that sins shall die. Clearly that no one shall bear
the iniquity (sins) of others. So Jesus cannot bear the sins of others
either. If one is righteous then it shall be upon him, and if one
commits a sin then it shall be upon him, and not on Jesus. Finally,
the way to repentance and forgiveness is by turning from all sins,
doing what is right, and keeping the commandments.
Also we see the same message given by Solomon. He says in the book of
Ecclesiastes 12:13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of
man." This is the whole message, and this is the conclusion of
messages. It is that one should fear God, and keep the commandments,
and nothing else.
Again in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from
their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin, and will heal their land." This clearly states that to seek
forgiveness from God we have to humble ourselves, pray and seek God,
and turn away from wickedness.
Finally the Bible says in Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD
as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the
voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
hearken than the fat of rams." This clearly states that obeying God is
better that sacrifice whether this sacrifice is of objects, animals,
or humans, or any other type. What God likes is for us to heed and
obey Him, and if that is what God likes then it is not of Him to come
later and change his mind, and change his ways. God says in the Holy
Qur'an, "Verily God is All-Knowing, All-Wise" (Ch 9: Vr 28).
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