Jesus asked the Father for help. (Lk 22:44).
Paul says, that his asking was heard (Heb 5:7).
What does "God heard" his prayers
mean? It means, that God accepted his prayers. God is not deaf He hears
everything. He accepted the prayer of Jesus as he had accepted the prayer of
Abraham. Abraham was very old when he prayed for a son. And Ismael was born. The
words of Abraham became flesh. Ismael means in Hebrew "God heard".
Zacharias, in his old age prayed for a son, and John the Baptist was born. Now
Jesus prayed and his prayers were heard by God (=accepted). (Lk 22:43) Jesus'
believe was strengthened in this, that God will save him. That is what Jesus
wanted. How and when laid only in God´s hand. His ways are not the ours.
Just count the blessings which there have been
until now:
a) A promise from Heaven b) Pilate finds him
innocent c) Pilate's wife dreams, that no harm should be done on him. d) Jesus'
legs are not broken e) He was quickly taken from the cross
With the verse "and the did not broke his
legs" a prophecy is fulfilled:
"He kept all his bones: not one of them is
broken." (Ps 34:20)
lf the bones of a victim are protected of
damages, then it is only useful, lf the person was LIVING and a resurrected
body does not care lf his bones are broken or not. But for a living person (for
example on the cross) broken or unbroken bones mean the difference between
death and life. The roman men did not wanted to fulfil a prophecy. They only
saw, "that he was dead". (Joh 19:33)
SEEING is a simple word. We now may ask, what
have they seen? Could it be the prophecy of Jesus' word? (Mt 13:14) lf John
says, that the soldiers only "saw", then he means they suggested.
There was no modem stethoscope, with which the body was examined. There was
nobody who had checked his pulse, before it was declared that "he was
dead". In my eyes the word "see" is a step of God's plan to
rescue him.
Daily resurrections
With all the inventions in the medical section,
since Jesus, with all the medical instruments for our help, still hundreds of
persons are daily declared for being "dead". While 1 write it down,
my attention is on the nearly‑murderer on Mr. Barnabas, who was carried
to the mortuary, after he was declared to be "clinically dead". Not
by ancient Romans but by scientific doctors. The news is once more repeated. In
1984 it was a shock.
The Dally News: January 3, 1984 Shaken and
stirred
Nairobi: Mr. Bamabas suddenly stirred while
being carried to a mortuary after he was declared clinically dead 'From too
much Christmas liquor". Returned to hospital Doctors advised him to go
easy on strong drink.
‑Sapa‑Ap
How would you call that:
Resurrected or
resuscitated?
1 LITTLE GIRL WHO DIED TELLS HOW SHE CAME BACK
TO LIFE (after 4 days) ‑ ("Daily news" 15/11/55)
2. MAN DIED FOR TWO HOURS: STILL LIVES ‑
"Miracle" amazes doctors ("Sundays Express" 27/3/60)
3. He died for 4 minutes ‑ Man's heart
stops but he lives on ‑("Sunday Express" 23/7/61)
4. He does not know that he died for 90 seconds
(Carpe Argus 16/3/61)
5. DR. HITGE RETURNED FROM THE DEAD ‑("Carpe
Argus" 4/5/61)
6. THE COFFIN MOVED ‑ Young man narrowly
escaped being buried alive ‑ ("Sunday Tribune" 13/5/62)
7. BACK FROM THE DEAD ‑ after being
thought dead for 2 days ‑("Post" 25/7/65)
8. "CORPSE WINKS AT UNDERTAKER" ‑
Doctor wrote out a death certificate ‑ ("Daily News" 25/3/75)
9. CLINICALLY DEAD" ‑ Toddler alive
after hour‑long revival battle ‑ ("Natal Mercy"
5/12/82)
10. WAS HE DEAD OR ALIVE? ‑ The dilemma
facing transplant Doctors ‑ ("Sunday Tribune" 17/7/83)
11. SHAKEN AND STIRRED ‑ declared
clinically dead from too much Christmas liquor" ‑ ("Daily
News" 3/1/84)
This list would be uncompleted, lf a special
club would not be mentioned, which only membership condition is to: HAVE DIED
AND LIFE AGAIN! lf according to the scriptures, Jesus had died, then he would
today be the head‑ and honour member of that club.
Sympathy for Jesus
God works on mysterious ways. He convinces the
soldiers, so that they think, that their victim is already "dead", so
that his legs are not broken. but at the same time he convinees another to
pierce in the side of Jesus with his spear, and ...
"...immediately water and blood
flew..." (Joh 19:34)
It is the blessing of God, that the human body
cannot suffer Pain and Suffer for eternal times. lf it is too much for him, then
he becomes unconscious. The impossibility to move, the weakness and the
unnatural attitude on the cross has have slowed down the blood‑circulation
in a strong way. The piercing in the side was his safety. Through the lost of
some blood , his blood‑circulation could generate again. In the
"Encyclopaedia Biblica" under the article
Cross", column 960, it
is said, that Jesus was alive, when the spear pierced him.
The gospels
differentiate
The authors (Matthew, Mark and Luke) of the
gospels are not sure at which time Jesus was crucified. But John writes that
Jesus was at 12 a.m. still at Pilate. "And it was the preparation of the
Passover, and about the sixth hour (Hebrew time):" (Joh 19:14) After many
trials, Jesus was taken to his crucifixion. Image the crowd of people, the
heavy cross, which had to be carried by Jesus himself, the way to Golgotha,
which was not a short way and the time which was needed to crucify him. The
authors of the gospel of John have also not mentioned, at which time Jesus has
died. But the Synoptist are sure, that it had to be at the ninth hour. That
means at 15 o'clock.
Dean Farrar writes in his book "life of
Christ" on page 421, that "JESUS WAS ONLY THREE HOURS ON THE CROSS,
BEFORE HE WAS TAKEN OFF.
Pilate is surprised
In the gospels it is written, that between the
3rd and the 9th hour, there was a thundering, a darkening and an earthquake.
Without a reason? No, but to distribute the crowd, after the had enjoyed the
roman party, the crucifixion: Joseph of Arimathaea went with the sympathetic
men, who had declared "Truly this man was the son of God" (Mk 15:39)
to Pilate and demanded the corps of Jesus. "And Pilate marvelled if he
were already dead." (Mk 15:44)
What was the reason for his surprise? Why was
he marvelled? Because he knew from his experience, that normally no man dies
within three hours.
Reason for is surprise
lf a man is being shot and he dies, then there
is nothing to be surprised about. lf a man is being hanged and he dies then
there is also nothing to be surprised about. But lf they survive, after thought
of being dead, then there are enough reasons to be surprise about.
Pilate thought that Jesus was still living. He
did not believed the reports, that Jesus was already dead. That was why he was
surprised. He had no reason to proof, if he was really dead or not. lf he was
alive? Who cares. He personally thought that Jesus was innocent. His wife had
warned him, that nothing should be done to Jesus. So lf Jesus was alive, it was
his luck. The Jews had blackmailed Pilate, that they would complain to Caesar
about him, if he would not judge Jesus being guilty. Now this was Pilate's
chance to get his revenge on the Jews. That is why he had nothing against the
delivery of Jesus' corpse to Joseph of Arimathaea.
He had secret
disciples
To end the religious doubts of the Jews, they
performed on Jesus the rituals of the funeral. The bath, the massage etc.. This
would have taken at least more than two hours. lf there were any life signs in
the corpse of Jesus, than no one of the "secret disciples" (Joseph of
Arimathaea, Nicomedus, Mary Magdalena and the other Mary) would have cried out:
"HE LIVES! HE LIVES!" The Jews would have crucified him immediately
for a second time. But then they would have waited until he was really dead.
Up to now the final
summarise looks like that.‑
a) The grave was easy to reach
b) The "secret disciples" had their helping hand to support
c) The ones who were crucified with him were still alive
d) The legs of Jesus were not broken, but the legs of the other crucified ones
e)
The quick and easy
permission of Pilate enabled it for the "secret disciples" to get
Jesus' corpse before the Jews.
The Jews recognised that they were tricked.
they knew that Jesus was alive. That is why they went to Pilate. But it was
useless, because they came too late.