Jesus In India — Page 38
38 J e s u s i n I n d i a Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. (Matthew 23:35-36) Now, if you think over these verses you will find that Jesus clearly says that the killing of prophets by the Jews ceased with the prophet Zacharias, and that after that, the Jews had no power to kill any prophet. This is a major prophecy which clearly points out that Jesus was not killed as a result of crucifixion; he was rather saved from the cross, dying ultimately a natural death. For if Jesus was also to suffer death at the hands of the Jews, like Zacharias, he would have hinted at it in these verses. If it is argued that Jesus was killed by the Jews but this was not a sin on the Jews’ part, for Jesus’ death was in the nature of an atonement, the contention is hardly tenable, for in John 19:11 Jesus says that the Jews have been guilty of a great sin for having resolved to kill him; and likewise in many other places there is the unmistakable hint that as a penalty for the crime of which they had been guilty against Jesus, they deserved punishment in the sight of God. See the Gospel 14 26:24. Among the testimonies of the Gospels which have reached us, is this verse in Matthew: Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:28) And this verse from John: Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he (the disciple John) tarry (in Jerusalem) till I come. (John 21:22) 14 Gospel of Matthew. [Translator]