Jesus On The Cross … Jesus In India

Judaism Christianity and Islam are the three monotheistic (Abrahamic) Faiths, and for centuries prior to the advent of Islam, Jews and Christians have been at variance with regard, both, to the birth as well as the death of Jesus Christ who was born among the Jews. Islam, being the youngest of the three Semitic faiths stands practically as the adjudicator guided by God. Unlike the Jews who totally rejects Jesus’ Divine Office, Islam confirms and teaches that Jesus, son of Mary (peace be upon him), was a true and beloved prophet of God just like the Old Testament prophets before him, and that he was the Messiah foretold for the Jewish people in their scriptures. In this respect, a commonality of Christians and Muslims is the belief in the Holy personage of Jesus – though they hold their respective teachings concerning his life and purpose.

Both Jews and Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross. However, contrary to Jewish belief concerning the reason for the crucifixion, Christians believe that Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) died on the cross so to save the world from sin. And this belief is the creed of Christianity. But is this really God’s or even Jesus’ idea? Was Jesus Christ destined by God to die on the cross for the sins of the world? The facts about what happened to Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) 2,000 years ago, have been shrouded in mystery for as long as Christianity has existed as a major world religion. The commonly held views of the events of the crucifixion and the life and purpose of Jesus are well known to virtually every Christian and most others who have come in contact with Western Christian nations. But is the Christianity view in fact truth; did Jesus really died on the cross so to save the world from sin? Did he really ascended bodily up into heaven and will one day return to earth bodily as the entire Christian World and Most of the Muslim World of today believe?

First, we will show from the Bible that Jesus’ mission was not to establish a new religion, nor was he sent to the whole of mankind as claimed by Christians. In stating his mission to his circumcised people, Jesus said:

“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel … It is not right {i.e. Genesis 17:14} to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs {i.e. uncircumcised people}” (Matthew 15:24-26).

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Matthew 10:34-35).

The irony is, the story about Jesus death through crucifixion did not start with Christians, but it started by Jesus’ Jewish people who did not believe his claim of fulfilling the prophecy of the awaited Israeli Messiah. They rejected his claim out right and plotted to have him killed by way of crucifixion so to justify charges of blaspheming brought against him. According to Israeli scriptures, there is no honor dying on a cross. In this connection the Jews quote their scripture:

"And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree" is "the accursed of God" (Deut. 21:22-23).

So according to the Jews, Jesus was an imposter, therefore he died on the cross as the accursed of God. The Christians also believe that Jesus was hanged on the cross and died an accursed death. Says Paul:

"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" (Galatians 3:13).

On the other hand, the Holy Book of Muslims, the Quran, declares that Christ did not die on the Cross. God saved him from the accursed death (more on this later).

The central influence for Jews rejecting Jesus’ claim of Messiahship is an Old Testament prophecy which states that before the coming of the Messiah the prophet Elijah must first return in a second coming (Malachi 4:5). This prophecy Jewish scholars embraced verbatim, because according to their scripture, the prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) who had appeared during the time of Ahab and Jezebel; at the end of his ministry was bodily raised up to heaven by a whirlwind in a “chariot of fire, and horses of fire” (2nd Kings 2:9-11).

To the Jewish scholars, these passages of their scriptures are clear and conclusive, and by that, unless and until the same Prophet Elijah of the time of Ahab and Jezebel descend bodily from the skies, there can be no Israeli Messiah. On the other hand, Jesus’ interpretation to these scriptures is in exact consonance with the laws of nature and is that, Elijah did not physically ascend to heaven nor will he ever descend physically from heaven. His argument is that, the term “second coming” and “ascend to heaven” is figure of speech, and by that, the Elijah whom the Jews awaits literally, came symbolically in the person of his cousin John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13). Such sensible reasoning infuriated Jewish scholars of all persuasions during Jesus’ time. With storms of protest, they jointly rejected Jesus venomously. In strong language, they abused him and his blessed Mother condemning her as unchaste having conceived Jesus out of wedlock. They spat on Jesus, called him a liar, charged him of heresy and blaspheming – condemning him a fabricator and an imposter worthy of death by way of their worst humiliating punishment. After three years of hatred and persecution, they pursued their evil scheme in attempt to bring about his death through crucifixion. But according to Islamic teachings, though Jesus was hanged on the cross, his opponents did not succeed in killing him.

Thus, it is the universal belief of all Muslims that Jesus did not die on the cross, because if he had, it would have proved his opponents true of their charges against him. Followers of Jesus such as Mark, Luke and Paul, none of which ever met Jesus or witnessed his crucifixion and its aftermath did not only embraced the Jesus died on the cross Jewish theory, but added their own fancies on which modern Christianity rests. If it is proved that Jesus did not die on the Cross nor did he rise from the dead, then the whole edifice of Christianity tumbles to the ground. Paul, who is the real founder of modern Christianity, himself says:

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

Certainly, if a Prophet and Messenger of God comes after the advent of Jesus, he too must either endorse or disprove the claim – Jesus died on the cross. And indeed, some six hundred years after the advent of Jesus, God send a Prophet and Messenger name Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) refuting the death of Jesus on the cross. In the Holy Qur’an God says:

“And their saying, ‘We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah;’ whereas they slew him not, nor crucified him, but he was made to appear to them like (one crucified); and those who differ therein are certainly in (a state of doubt) about it; they have no (definite) knowledge thereof, but only follow a conjecture; and they did not convert this (conjecture) into a certainty; On the contrary, Allah exalted him to Himself. And Allah is Mighty, Wise” (Qur’an 4:158 – 159).

This verse states for certain that Jesus did not die by way of being slewed or crucified. However, the Qur’an does not deny that Jesus (peace be upon him) was nailed on the cross; it only denies his death on it. According to Qur’anic Commentary concerning this verse, the matter was rendered confused, obscure or uncertain to the Jews. They did not convert their conjecture into certainty and by that their knowledge about the death of Jesus on the cross was not certain as to have left no doubt in their minds that they had really killed him.

Two different view prevail among the Jews regarding Jesus’ alleged death by Crucifixion. Some of them held that he was first killed and then his dead body was hung on the cross while others are of the view that he was put to death by being fixed to the cross. The former view is reflected in the book of Acts 5:30 where we read: “which ye slew and hanged on a tree.” The Qur’an however refute these views by saying, they slew him not, nor did they bring about his death on the cross. The Qur’an first rejects the slaying of Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) in any form, and then proceeds to deny the practical way of killing by hanging on the cross. Thus, the Holy Qur’an contain strong refutation of the charge; and clears Jesus of the insinuated blemish and speaks of his spiritual elevation and of his having been honored in the presence of God Almighty. To this the Qur’an states: “On the contrary, Allah exalted him to Himself”.

Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) died a natural death is clear from the Qur’an, sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) and the Bible itself. In the Bible, Jesus predicted that God would have favored him with a miraculous sign just like He did for the Prophet Jonah:

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights (alive) in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew. 12:40).

Jesus is saying in other words that God Almighty would save him miraculously from a seeming death situation in the same way Jonah was saved whiles in the belly of the whale. The similarity between Jesus and Jonah’s situation can be practical and sensible only if Jesus is taken down from the cross alive and remain alive three days and three nights in a burial chamber; for at no time was Jonah dead in the belly of the whale. Obviously, to remain alive in the gut of a fish three days and nights, Jonah had to have been in a state of swoon.

Jesus’ heart-rending passion was only to save his circumcised people from spiritual ruin for they had exceeded all limits set by their religion. Thus, his mission was to bring them back on the right path through the help of heavenly signs and wisdom. To attain this, what then should Jesus’ victory consist of; dying accurse like the guilty, or a miraculous escape? The Jews had in their support the Biblical verdict; “he that is hanged is accurse of God”. Jesus’ prediction in the example of Jonah had to come true in every practical and logical sense, because if it did not, death by way of crucifixion proves guilty and the Jewish scholars who sought to murder him would be considered successful. God therefore had to have saved His servant and delivered him from the blemishing death of crucifixion. Moreover, it is said that Jesus was the Great Messiah whose prayers never went unanswered. In Jesus estimation, he knew God answers his prayers “always” (John 11:42). Being in great agony, he prayed to God earnestly to take away the cup of death on the cross from him. It is said that, while praying in Gethsemane: “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:42-44). It stands to reason therefore, such a prayer had to have been answered, and indeed, it “was heard” (Hebrews 5:7).

The Gospel of Matthew 27:46 indicates that, during the final moments on the cross, when all chance for escape seemed impractical and unfavorable, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”. That is to say: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me” – I know my prayer was heard. But God answers prayers at decreed time. Contrast to Jonah’s state of unconsciousness in the belly of the whale, according to the Gospels, Jesus while on the cross at the final moment was administered some concoction which he drank (Matthew. 27: 48-50; Mark 15:36-37; John 19:30). It is reported that soon after drinking, Jesus “bowed his head, and gave up the ghost”— assuming he died by the onlookers. God’s destiny sometimes works just like this – what seems like a defeat is actually a divine means of success and escape from one’s enemies. So it is possible that Jesus could have fell unconscious under the influence of the mixture administered to him – God knows best.

When Jesus regained consciousness, he disguised himself while meeting his disciples in secret. During the time before his disappearance, he remained in hiding from his enemies in fear of another attack on his life. All of this leads inescapably to the conclusion that Jesus Christ never meant to die on the cross for the sins of anyone, nor did he in fact die, but was saved by the Hand of God to disprove the charges by the Jews that he was a false prophet and messiah. Such strong evidence and others narrated in the Gospels themselves, lends powerful support to the Qur’anic verdict – Jesus did not die on the cross; but was made to appear like one crucified.

Assuming Jesus was dead, the soldiers did not break his legs as they did to the other two crucified with him. When his wounds had been sufficiently healed, Jesus and his devotees traveled away from danger on foot to Bethany – a journey of almost two miles from Jerusalem. There, according to the Gospel of Luke 24: 51; he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. However, in Matthew 15:24 Jesus (peace be upon him) had explicitly explained his mission saying: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. At which time, only two out of the twelve tribes of Israel were present in Palestine. The remaining ten tribes were scattered in the Easton regions and had settled there after their escape from the bonds of Nebuchadnezzar, for this Jesus indicated that he would go to seek them out because it is for them he was sent (John 7:34-36 and 10:16).

 

Most Muslims today, however, believe as Christians do: that Jesus was taken up physically alive into heaven and that he will return to Earth again in the same body before the End of the World – although Jesus’ mission when he returns will not be to bring Christianity to the Muslims, but to bring Islam to the Christians and the rest of the world.



There is a Muslim Community known as Ahmadiyyat founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1889. This Muslim sect believe that the Founder of their community fulfilled the prophecy of Imam Mahdi foretold in Islam, as well as the prophecy of the second advent of Jesus. Thus, Ahmadi Muslims believe that Jesus has reappeared in the person of the Founder of their community in the same manner Elijah reappeared in the person of John the Baptist.

Ahmadi Muslims believe differently about a few key points relating to Jesus and the crucifixion. From revelations to the Founder of their Muslim community and through research done by him and his companions in the 1890s, Ahmadi Muslims claim to have conclusive evidence that Jesus did not only survived crucifixion – but unlike the rest of the Muslim world, they believe that Jesus survived so that he could complete his stated mission – which was to “gather and preach to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel”.

It is the Ahmadi Muslims belief that Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) travelled towards India to continue his ministry to the Israelites. As Jonah survived his ordeal and went on to successfully preach to his people, so too Jesus survive his and went on to preach to his people – not up in heaven, because there are no lost sheep in heaven. He therefore went in search of the remaining tribes of Israel which he found in Syria, Persia, Afghanistan and Kashmir. He travelled to those regions into the Punjab and settled in Kashmir. There he made his home and in time died a natural death at an elderly age.

It is a well-known fact that Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, went to India and his tomb is in Madras. But a discovery has been made by the Fonder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, which has exploded the theory that Jesus was lifted up to heaven. The tomb of Jesus Christ has been discovered and it has been conclusively established that the occupant of the tomb is Jesus, son of Mary (peace be upon him). The tomb lies in Khan Yar Street, Srinagar, Kashmir. This area was, and still is, inhabited by the lost tribe of Israel.