The Death of Christ

            Almost a month ago, we celebrated Good Friday- the day that Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.  Easter Sunday was also a day of remembrance; one that made us stop and think about his resurrection from the dead.  We took the time to remember what Jesus Christ did for us in order for us to obtain eternal life.  Most of us are blessed to know that Jesus did, in fact, die for us to take God’s punishment and on the third day, rose from the dead.  However, some have the misfortune of being led to believe that this is a myth.  There are different misconceptions floating around and upon learning about a few of them, I found this one rather interesting; not because it is easy to believe, but quite the opposite.  In fact, there are many aspects of the death of Jesus that clearly show that this theory is, well, a little off.  Though we are sure that Jesus died, people who agree with this belief, know Jesus to be one that never really died but merely fainted and was revived by the coolness of the tomb that he was buried in.  This idea is often referred to as the “Swoon Theory.”

            Along with going against what the Bible says, this assumption doesn’t agree at all with medical science.  When Jesus was crucified, his body was in the most terrible condition, it could be considered insanity to think that he could have survived.  Before his death, he was beaten… scratch that… he was scourged.  The whip that crossed his back 39 times contained tiny bits of metal or glass that were meant to rip through the skin.  These beatings were so severe, his muscles were in shreds and his skeleton was clearly visible.  The crown of thorns that was placed on his head was able to tear through a scalp.  Many people died from this torture alone.

            So, as you can see, his body was already severely damaged even before he was on the cross.  When he was hung on the cross, the nails went through his wrist; this action dislocated his shoulders and demolished his median nerve.  Destroying this nerve resulted in extreme pain and an immediate inability to move the arm.  As he hung there, he had to use the nails in his feet to support him in order to avoid suffocation.  His blood drained from the wounds on his body, making his heartbeat more rapidly with every passing second.  With his heart pumping faster, he struggled to gasp air, adding to his pain.  Since his body was losing so much blood in a short amount of time, he was in need of water to produce more blood.  His body was so low on blood that there was a very miniscule amount of oxygen left in him.  This lack of oxygen caused his heart to burst, filling his chest with liquid.  When the soldier pierced Jesus’ side, blood and water flowed out of his body.  This separation of the blood and water signified that his heart had indeed stopped working.

            There is much more evidence that Jesus had, in fact, died; there were a great amount of witnesses that proclaimed his death.  Also, when he was buried, his body was tightly wrapped in cloth and the stone that closed the tomb was too large for any one man to open by himself.  Now, because Jesus is also 100% God, he would have been capable of doing all these things that would have allowed him to save himself, but to pay for our punishment, his death was necessary.

            Some argue that the Romans could have been mistaken when pronouncing the end of Jesus Christ.  There have been some instances in which slow and shallow heartbeats have been mistaken for death- this very well could have happened.  However, the conditions of Jesus’ body clearly show that his destruction was for sure.  Not to mention that the Bible tells us that he did pass away. 

            Though Easter is the time in which we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are to celebrate the Easter story every day of our lives.  Because he did, in fact, die for us and rise again, he overcame death.  Through this victory we can have life… life everlasting.