Moses Ali

C.S. Lewis, a prominent intellectual figure of the twentieth century, stands as one of the most influential writers of his era. Among his notable works, “The Chronicles of Narnia” holds a special place as a personal favourite. Currently boasting over 100 million copies sold and adaptation into three major motion pictures, this series contains a powerful scene depicting Aslan’s sacrifice and subsequent return. Allegorically, Aslan’s sacrifice mirrors Christ’s crucifixion, representing the profound act through which Jesus purportedly assumes the sins of the world. The Deeper Magic in the narrative symbolizes the grace, mercy, and sacrifice emphasized in the New Testament. Parallels between Aslan and Jesus are evident in their awareness of their impending sacrifices, the torment and humiliation they endure before death, and their initial appearances post-resurrection to faithful female followers.

Quid est veritas (What is truth)?

Pontius Pilate’s renowned question remains challenging to answer for many. To address the question of “what is truth,” one must first inquire about the means of discerning truth. Jesus, in response to his disciples, proclaimed himself as the Way, the Life, and the Truth. However, the resurrection of Jesus, a cornerstone of Christian faith, necessitates extraordinary evidence due to its extraordinary nature. With no historical precedent of individuals returning from the dead among the approximately 100 billion people who have lived, the claim of Jesus’ resurrection is considered exceptionally extraordinary.

N.T. Wright, an Anglican Bishop and New Testament scholar, encapsulates the significance of Jesus’ resurrection in Christian faith by stating, “The resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s kingdom,” affirming that Easter heralds the unveiling of God’s new world through Jesus Christ.

“The resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s kingdom. It is the decisive event demonstrating that God’s kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven. The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you are now invited to belong to it.”

– N. T. Wright

The Bible employs the Greek term a·naʹsta·sis, meaning “raising up” or “standing up again,” to convey the concept of resurrection. Both the Old and New Testaments affirm the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, with Jesus testifying to it before his crucifixion, and his disciples witnessing his post-resurrection body. Notably, the First Epistle to the Corinthians contains an early Christian creed referencing post-mortem appearances of Jesus.

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remains to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”

– 1 Corinthians 15:3-9

When Jesus was on the earth, he raised four people from the dead. He raised the widow’s son in the village of Nain (Luke 7:15). He raised the 12-year-old daughter of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue (Mark 5:42). He raised Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha in Bethany after he had been dead four days (John 11:44). Finally, he raised himself from the dead after he had been crucified. In the New Testament, we see that God the Father (Romans 6:4; Acts 2:32-33) and God the Spirit (Romans 8:11, 1 Peter 3:18) raised Jesus from the dead. But it is also true that Jesus himself was acting to bring about his own resurrection (John 2:18-19).

The sacrifice and resurrection of the Messiah are throughout in the Old Testament. Psalm 22, written by King David a millennium before Christ, gives us the very perspective of the Lord hanging on the cross. It describes how the people mocked Christ (Psalm 22:7-8; Mat 27:41-43), how they cast lots to divide up his clothes (Psalm 22:18;Mat 27:35), how his bones were out of joint (Psalm 22:14), how the wicked had surrounded him and pierced his hands and feet (Psalm 22:16) – the scars of which Thomas later got to touch and feel (John 20:27). Psalm 22 ends by saying God’s righteousness would be declared to “a people that shall be born” (Psalm 22:31).

Lee Strobel, a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and a Yale Law School graduate, authored “The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus.” Over a two-year period, he embarked on an extensive journey traversing borders and coastlines. His ultimate conviction was that the evidence supporting Jesus’s identity as the Son of God is unequivocally robust. Strobel conducted thorough interviews with prominent national religious scholars during this investigative process. Dr. Craig Bloomberg, a Denver-based professor, compellingly argued that the Gospel accounts were composed within the lifetimes of those who witnessed Christ’s life. In stark contrast, the earliest biographies of Alexander the Great were authored over four centuries after the Greek ruler’s demise, yet they are deemed reliable.

During an interview with Dr. Bruce Metzger, an eighty-four-year-old scholar from Princeton Seminary, Strobel highlighted the wealth of manuscript data affirming the authenticity of New Testament documents. In comparison, the writings of Tacitus and Josephus, for instance, were described as anthills. Edwin Yamauchi, a professor in Oxford, Ohio, presented compelling evidence affirming the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth. Dr. John McRay, a Chicago-based archaeologist and author of a substantial textbook on the subject, underscored the lack of archaeological findings contradicting the Bible, leaving Strobel deeply impressed by the discipline’s compatibility with biblical narratives.

Josh McDowell, once an atheist and skeptic, dedicated over seven hundred hours to researching evidence for the resurrection. In his work “The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict,” he contends, “I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, or it is the most fantastic fact of history.” Convinced by the evidence, McDowell’s research led him to firmly assert that Jesus’s resurrection stands as “the most fantastic fact of history.

Conversely, the Islamic perspective on Jesus’ death and resurrection differs significantly. While Muslims reject the crucifixion account, they believe in Jesus’ ascension and anticipate his return before the end of time. For those with a Muslim background, understanding Jesus’ death and resurrection, along with grappling with whether he is just a prophet or the Son of God, poses challenges in their faith journey.

The Quran’s treatment of Jesus’ death and resurrection, particularly in Surah 4:157-158, has been a focal point of contention. Examining the Arabic text reveals that the Quran does not explicitly deny the possibility of Jesus’ death but implies that he could die a ‘normal biological death.’ The interpretation of crucifixion as the cause is debated among scholars.

The locus classicus of the debate is Surah 4:157. This notoriously difficult verse is the only reference to the crucifixion in the Qur’an. There are several obvious errors in this passage. For instance, non-Christian Jews would never call Jesus “Christ” (i.e. “Messiah”), for they reject Jesus as the Messiah. Similarly, very few non-Christian Jews would call Jesus “the Messenger of Allah.” Moreover, no Jew who believes that Jesus is the Messiah would boast about crucifying him.

That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”—but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not—nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.”

– Qur’an, 4:157-158, Yusuf Ali

The irony is that Muslims who read these words seem to have absolutely no clue what happened to Jesus. Some confidently proclaim that God disguised Judas and made him look like Jesus, then allowed Judas to be crucified. Other Muslims claim that Jesus was replaced by someone other than Judas. A critical verse in understanding Jesus’ fate in Islam is Surat Al Imran 3:55, where the Arabic word “Mutawafik” suggests that Jesus experienced death for a short period before being raised again. This linguistic analysis challenges the prevailing view within Islam that categorically denies Jesus’ death on the cross:

Behold! Allah said: O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.

– Surat Al Imran 3:55

The key Arabic word here is Mutawafik, which has many Arabic meanings:

1. It means receive you after death, that is why in Arabic when you say someone is dead you say he is Mutawafi, from the verb Tawafa
   
2. It also means receive completely, that is why in Arabic when someone receives a payback for a debt it is said ‘Tawfa AlDayn‘, Tawafa means receives completely, and AlDayn means the debt
   
3. Also the verb Tawafa was used at the time of Muhammad, as to sleep, so when you say he is mutawafy kaleelan, mutawafy means sleeping, and kaleelan means for a short period.

But this verb is not used at all in modern Arabic with reference to the third meaning, only in classic Arabic it is used. However, when checking Quran’s meaning, we have to return to classic Arabic. If we read the verse 55 again, you will actually see that Quran accepts that Jesus died for a short period of time and then he was raised again.

In conclusion, the divergence in beliefs surrounding Jesus’s death and resurrection underscores the theological complexities between Christianity and Islam. While evidence and historical accounts form the basis for Christian conviction, Islamic perspectives navigate a nuanced interpretation of Quranic verses. The quest for truth, as exemplified by Pontius Pilate’s question, continues to be a profound exploration in religious discourse.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
How can we ever thank You enough. You endured more pain, more shame, more sorrow, more grief than we can possibly fathom. Help us remember why You gave Your life.
Thank you Lord, that you make all things new. Thank you for the victory and power in Your Name. Thank you that You hold the keys over death, You rose from the grave, paving the way for us to have new life with you.
Thanks be to you Lord, for your indescribable gift.
To you be all glory and honour.
Amen