Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 166
166 place confirms the fact that Jesus would enter the tomb alive, would stay in the tomb alive and come out of the tomb alive or it establishes the fact that he entered the tomb dead, remained in the tomb dead and rose out of it resurrected. I would mention here some basic facts pertaining to this end which make it clear that the Messiah did not die on the. Cross. . The foremost point is the fact that the officer before whom the Messiah was hauled up was a well-wisher of Jesus and a friend of some of his followers. Of the Messiah's followers. who had not yet become his disciples openly but believed in him at heart, one was Joseph Arimathides. According to the New Testament, being a respectable and wealthy person among the Jews, he was a friend of Pilate and when Messiah appeared before Pilate, he tried quite a number of times that the Messiah may be let off on one ground or the other. . Of the devices he resorted to in this behalf, one was this: It was on Friday when the Messiah appeared before him and the Sabbath Day, the holy festival day of Jews, fell on the morrow. The same day was a special holiday when the Roman. State used to set at liberty a prisoner to please the Jews so that they should feel that the State held religion in esteem and thought particularly well of their religion. Considering that on account of this festival, one or the other prisoner must be set free,. Pilate tried to set the Messiah free. But the Jews refused to agree to the proposal and would rather get a thief to be set at liberty insisting that the Messiah should not be freed (Matthew, ch. 27:21-22). There occur many disparities in the New. Testament in this regard and there is no use going into these at the moment. In any case, they would not let the Messiah be set at liberty. While Pilate was yet pursuing his endeavours