Home Site Menu Religion Menu Interesting Menu Humour Menu Guestbook Forum Email

Back To What's So Special About Jesus?

"What is the big deal? The big deal is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the watershed issue of all history. If Jesus did indeed rise from the dead then nothing matters more to you and your family! How you respond to the risen Christ determines your eternal destiny. I encourage you to go to a church near you this Easter to discover what the big deal is all about! "
by Rev. J. Patrick Curtis, Senior Pastor

"...it is, I believe, impossible to find in any story upon record so many and such glaring absurdities, contradictions, and falsehoods, as are in the books (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). They are more numerous and striking than I had any expectation of finding, when I began this examination,..."
Age of Reason by Thomas Paine.

Christ's Resurrection ~ No Big Deal

According to Paul, the very foundation of Christianity rests on Christ's resurrection:

1Corinthians:15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15:15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

15:16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

You would think that an event of such magnitude and of such importance would be faithfully recorded in all four gospels as a consistent, continuous narrative, allowing no room for errors contradictions or divergencies.

Unfortunatly for the Christian faith this cannot possibly be done without adding, altering or omitting many of the key verses.

Here are just some of the many major disagreements surrounding the events connected with the Crucifixion and Resurrection:

On The Cross

At The Tomb

Jesus seems to have forgotten his own prophesy in Matthew 12:40 when he said: 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.

Post Resurrection

Two sets of accounts, claimed by Christians to either written by eyewitnesses, or at least based upon the testimony of eyewitness accounts.

If the bible accounts are directly inspired by God, as claimed by Christians, should they not be perfect in all details. Why does an event of such magnitude have such a blatant error regarding the location?

The Two Thieves

For once, at least on one thing, all four gospels agree that Jesus was not crucified alone:

• Matthew 27:38
  
• Mark 15:27
  
• Luke 23:32
  
• John 19:18

John merely reports that Jesus was crucified between the other two. Both Mark and Matthew mentions that these two criminals joined with the crowds in hurling insults at Jesus:

Mark 15:27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

15:29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,

15:31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save himself.

15:32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
Matthew 27:38 27:38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

27:39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

27:44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

Luke, however, contradicts the other gospel accounts by inserting an uplifting tale about one of the robbers who was to received by the crucified Jesus into heaven:

Luke 23:32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Why is there such a glaringly obvious difference between the tales?

Luke's story cannot be possibly be reconciled with the accounts in Mark and Matthew, both of which show that both the criminals were hurling insults at Jesus.

Crucified Or Hung?

Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

Acts 10:39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree

Acts 13:29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Why should the Resurrection be of such significance? There are plenty of examples of it happening both before and after Jesus:

• Elijah raised a child from the dead ~ 1Kings 17:17, 21-22
• Elisha raised the dead son of a Shunammite ~ 2 Kings 4:32, 34-35
• A dead man being lowered into a grave revived when he touched the bones of Elisha ~ 2 Kings 13:21
• Moses and Elijah revived at the time of the Transfiguration ~ Luke 9:28
• The saints arose at the time of Jesus' death ~ Matthew 27:52-53
• Jairus' daughter rose from the dead Matthew 9:18,23-25
• The widow of Nain's son rose from the dead ~ Luke 7:11-15
• Lazarus rose from the dead ~ John 11:43-44
• If the bible can be considered as a reliable, truthful source then these people were resurrected after death, and all did so before Jesus. Why attach so much importance to the event? By the time Jesus rose from the dead, this was a rather common-place event.
  
  Moreover, people arose not only before Jesus, but after as well. Peter raised Tabitha in Acts 9:36-43
  
  Even if Jesus had risen, nobody is going to follow his example:
  
  Ecclesiastes

  3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
  
  3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
  
  3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
  
  3:22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

  Isaiah 26:14
  They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

  Job 7:9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
  
  7:10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

  1 Timothy 6:15
  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
  
  6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen

  You would think that if Jesus really was God's son He would be able to devise something extra-special and unique for his lad. Instead, all He seems to be able to come up with is to use the same tired cliches used by so many other god-men before.

  Just remember tha words of Paul about the very foundation of Christianity resting on Christ's resurrection...