Dr Paul Allen

Not surprisingly, since the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most significant event in world history, numerous alternative theories have arisen seeking to convince people of something other than a supernatural miraculous historical event. There are four primary alternative theories, none of which is compelling.             1. Jesus did not die on the cross but merely swooned. Some have argued that Jesus did not, in fact, die on the cross but rather swooned or basically passed out and therefore appeared dead. This is also what the Muslim Qu'ran teaches as fact. Regarding this claim, theologian John Stott has asked if we are to believe: “…that after the rigours and pains of trial, mockery, flogging and crucifixion he could survive thirty-six hours in a stone sepulchre with neither warmth nor food nor medical care? That he could then rally sufficiently to perform the superhuman feat of shifting the boulder which secured the mouth of the tomb, and...

When the Roman authority in Jerusalem crucified Jesus , who was viewed as a dangerous messianic pretender and disturber of the peace, there was no uncertainty about what came next: The body of Jesus would be buried in a tomb, but not in a place of honor. That was the Jewish law, and the Romans had no objections to it. We know the Romans permitted the Jewish people in Israel to follow their customs. If they had not, they would have had insurrection on their hands. Proper burial of the dead, even the bodies of the executed, was of enormous importance to the Jewish people. Guided by the Mosaic law of Deut 21:22–23, the Jewish people buried the dead before nightfall to safeguard the purity of the land. This included criminal dead.  We also know that this Jewish custom was respected by the Romans, during peacetime (as seen in Philo, Embassy 300 ; Josephus , J.W. 2.220; Ag. Ap. 2.73), especially because of what Josephus reports: “the Jews used to take so much care of the burial...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South : Wikipedia ) Matthew 20:17–19 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem . And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death” ( v. 18 ). Following the parable of the laborers in the vineyard , Jesus ’ advance toward the cross progresses in earnest. He is drawing ever closer to Jerusalem and in today’s passage explicitly predicts His death and resurrection for the third time. Jesus has succeeded where His people failed, overcoming Satan’s temptations ( Matt. 4:1–11 ), rightly understanding and teaching God ’s law ( chap. 5–7 ), and initiating the restoration of the cosmos ( 9:18–26 ; 12:9–14 ; 17:14–21 ). He has fully qualified Himself to be the true Israel and hence, the new Adam , whose perfect obedience will justify all those in Him ( Isa. 53 ). All that remains for Christ to accomplish salvation is to endure t...