Islam - The Summit of Religious Evolution — Page 89
89 practice, order was given to break the legs of those who were hung upon the cross but were still alive. When the soldiers came to Jesus, it seemed to them that he was dead already and they did not break his legs, but one of them pierced his side with a spear and forthwith came there out blood and water, which was an indication that blood had not stopped circulating. The spear had not touched the heart but had injured the lung. The strain under which Jesus had labored during the day, his agony upon the cross, his drinking of the vinegar and the thrust of the spear in his side, which injured the lung, all combined to bring about a condition in which his breathing stopped but the circulation of the blood continued. To all appearance he had died, but in truth, despite the semblance of death, he was alive. If he had continued in that state for some time, the circulation of blood would also have stopped, but it was God's plan that the process of his resuscitation should now come into operation. This scenario has been independently corroborated by many researchers 46, 47 the recent one being a former physician of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. 48 Joseph of Arimathaea, Jesus' secret disciple, and Nicodemus, an expert physician, now came and took charge of Jesus' body. It was brought down from the cross, wrapped in a linen cloth, which was impregnated with spices, and laid in a sepulcher, which had been recently hewn out of a rock. There can be no doubt that Joseph and Nicodemus must have continued to minister unto Jesus in the strong hope of reviving him as nothing had happened that day which could persuade them to believe that Jesus had truly died. He was a young man of thirty-three, of good physique, enjoying good health right up to the moment of his apprehension and condemnation. It is true that a crown of thorns was placed over his head, 49 which, though irritating and painful and causing him to bleed, could not have brought about his death. He was put upon the cross in the afternoon of Friday and had to be taken down from the cross before sunset, in accordance with the Law of Moses. The Jews were anxious to observe Moses' law, as failure to do so would bring upon them God's displeasure. Hence, according to the Bible, Jesus and the two thieves remained on the cross for no more than two to three hours. In such circumstances the device adopted of compassing the death of those who were still hanging upon the cross at the approach of sunset was to break their legs. However Jesus' legs were not broken; consequently, when he was taken down from the cross all his limbs were in good condition. The omission to break Jesus' legs was obviously a part of the divine plan to rescue Jesus from the accursed death, which his enemies were anxious to bring about. Jesus himself referred to this divine plan when he alluded to the sign of Jonah as the only proof of his truthfulness. Jonah was alive throughout his ordeal in the belly of the fish and came out alive. Likewise, Jesus was alive throughout his ordeal on the cross and came down alive from it. It should also be remembered that though the word burial has been applied to Jesus, there was no actual burial involved. He was placed in a sepulcher, which was like a chamber hewn out of the rock. 50 The grave in which his body would be buried in case of death was not yet dug. The chamber in which he was placed was wide enough to permit people to enter into and move about in. Thus, nothing whatever had happened from which an inference of death could reasonably be drawn. That is why Pilate, who must have possessed a good deal of knowledge of these things, when told that Jesus had died, marveled if he were already dead. As, however, he had been favorably inclined towards Jesus throughout, in consequence of the dream of his wife, he professed himself satisfied