Exploring the Passion

How do we know what actually happened at the crucifixion of Christ? Are the gospel accounts reliable? Some of the evidence that supports the reliability of the gospels include: 1) an ample number of extremely old manuscripts; 2) a consistent story between gospels; 3) evidence outside the gospels (from both ancient historians and archaeological findings); 4) a large early following; and 5) a crucified Messiah. Who is responsible for killing Jesus is also addressed.

The historical reliability of the gospel narratives is shown using the bibliographic test. This tests the dating and transmission of a text to see if it is an accurate representation of what the original author wrote. To assess its reliability, the Bible is compared to other historical documents and archaeology. The question of who is ultimately responsible for Jesus' death is also addressed.

What really happened at the crucifixion? Are the gospel accounts historically accurate? Or are the gospel accounts propaganda? Who is responsible for the death of Christ? These questions are addressed through the lens of archaeological evidence and eyewitness accounts.

The suffering and crucifixion of Jesus is more than merely a historical event. This is evident in some of the statements surrounding Jesus on the cross. Those statements include: 1) they crucified him; 2) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?; 3) it is finished; 4) Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise. Jesus wants each individual to personally respond to this dramatic event.

The crucifixion of Jesus is a widely accepted historical event. Therefore instead of looking at the historical evidence, the meaning of the crucifixion is investigated. The meaning of the crucifixion is found in the statements surrounding Jesus on the cross. Jesus' death is significant in that it is intercessory, evidential, substitutionary, and complete.

Though it seems foolish to humanity, Jesus' death on the cross illustrates God's wisdom, justice, power, and authority, as well as His compassion for us. God had been planning this from the beginning. The Messiah was to be our substitute in death in order to redeem us so that we may be saved; Jesus' death is our only hope of reconciliation with God. When we accept God's forgiveness through Jesus, we become God's children and enjoy a personal relationship with Him.\r\n

Jesus' resurrection is the centerpiece of Christian theology because if it never occurred, our faith as Christians would be worthless. We are provided a plethora of evidence supporting its reality: we know that Jesus died and was buried; there was an empty tomb; and Jesus appeared to over 500 people after rising (most of whom were still alive and could give an account). The alternative theories don't add up. The validity of Jesus' resurrection implies that: Jesus vindicated his claim to be God; he offers eternal life; and he can transform our lives.

As believers it's vital that we provide evidence that Jesus was resurrected. Without that, our faith is futile. We can find more evidence supporting its reality than evidence against it. Here is the supporting evidence: we know that Jesus appeared to multiple people who were able to provide eyewitness testimony; the tomb was empty; and the church was started and then grew tremendously. Because we know that the resurrection occurred, we know that God accepted Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf.

If Jesus never rose from the dead, our faith as Christians is futile and we are of all men most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:19). It's easy to doubt that Jesus actually did resurrect because it was a supernatural event. We review common objections to its occurrence, evidence for it happening, and what that reality means for us.