Jesus death on the cross

There are any number of references to Jesus' death both before, at, and subsequently. They believed Jesus died. Indeed, Jesus knew He would die.

Post Resurrection re His Death

Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Jesus Comments on His Death

Jhn 18:32-33 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.

Luk 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

Others Knowing He Died

Jhn 19:33 But when they [Romans] came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

Mat 28:13 [Jewish leaders] Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

Believers that He Died

Jhn 19:38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

All of these parties as recorded in the Bible believed He had died.

Perhaps the most convincing direct evidence is the water and the blood coming out of his body when it was pierced: "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and immediately there came out blood and water" John 19:34.

In other words, the blood has already started to separate, which is what happens upon death.

But I just want to stress that the Old Testament always prophesied that the Messiah/Saviour would suffer and die:-

Isaiah 53:6-10, written about 700 years before Christ (and there still exists a copy of it found amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls which is dated to about 100 years before the birth of Christ:-

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand."

And this from the book of Daniel chapter 9:26 :-

And after three score and two weeks shall the Messiah be cut off, but not for himself.

There are several records that Jesus' death would happen.

• Matt 16:21 - and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
• Matt 17:23 - They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.
• Matt 20:19 - and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!
• Mark 9:31 - They will kill him, but on the third day he will come back to life.
• Mark 10:34 - who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.
• Luke 18:33 - they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.
• Luke 9:22 - The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

The eye-witness accounts of Jesus' death:

• Matt 27:50 - "... Jesus … yielded up the/his spirit", or, he "breathed his last". That is, he stopped breathing and died. The guarding centurion also observed the death, v51.
• Mark 15:37 - " … Jesus … expired". That is, He stopped breathing and died. The guarding centurion also observed the death, v38.
• Mark 15:44 - When Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, Pilate was surprised he was already dead, so he asked a centurion to check that Jesus was dead. The centurion confirmed it so Pilate released the body to Joseph. A Roman centurion is a trained killer and an expert in telling if someone is dead.
• Luke 23:46 - " … expired". That is, He stopped breathing and died. The guarding centurion also observed the death, v47.
• John 19:30 - "He [Jesus] said, 'It is finished!' And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." That is, He stopped breathing and died.
• John 19:33 - the soldiers did not break Jesus' legs because he was already dead. (Roman soldiers were trained killers and knew how to tell if someone was alive or dead!)
• John 19:34 - just to be absolutely sure, one Roman soldier took a spear and pierced his side - this would have been a trust of the spear up under the rub cage into the heart. If Jesus were not dead before he would certainly have been dead afterward. As a result, a mixture of blood and water emerged suggesting that he really was dead indeed!
• John 19:35 - the apostle John says he witnessed these things personally and testifies that these facts are correct.

Some have suggested that there were no disciples and very few people who actually saw the death of Jesus but that is not true. All Roman crucifixions were done to achieve two objectives - to completely humiliate the victim and to provide some cheap ghoulish entertainment for the masses - thus all crucifixions were attended by crowds (Luke 23:48).

It is also said that all the disciples deserted him in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:56) but Peter (and some others) followed at a distance to observe the trials ((Matt 26:58). Specifically, we know that the following named people observed the death of Jesus:

• Simon of Cyrene, another disciple, who carried the cross Matt 27:32, Luke 23:26.
• Joseph of Arimathea who asked Pilate for the body Luke 23:50-53.
• Nicodemus who visited Jesus by night John 19:39
• Cleopas and his friend Luke 24:13-21 who were travelling to Emmaus on Sunday.
• Many women and others associated with Jesus (Luke 23:49) such as Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary's sister Martha, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, Salome, Mary the wife of Cleopas, Matt 27:55, 56, Mark 15:40, John 19:25. This also included (at least) John as recorded in John 19:26, 27.
• It is also recorded that many of these same people accompanied the dead body to the tomb to see where it was laid so that could embalm the body on Sunday morning. Matt 27:61, 28:1, Mark 15:47, 16:1, Luke 23:55, 24:10, John 20:1.
• One of the soldiers, specifically a centurion observed Jesus' death and was so moved that he gave praise to the Jewish God of heaven Matt 27:54, Luke 23:47. Another pierced him with a spear to ensure His death and a soldier also witnessed the fact to Pilate Mark 15:44, 45.
• Many of the Jewish leaders, including the chief priests, observed the crucifixion and death to ensure that Jesus died and that their troublesome citizen was finally disposed of. Matt 27:41-43, Mark 15:31

There are numerous other passages that discuss the death of Jesus.

• Luke 24:46 - This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
• 1 Cor 15:3, 4 - … that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
• Acts 10:40 - God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.
• Acts 13:30 - But God raised him up from the dead the third day

There is much evidence that Jesus actually died, not only from his friends the disciples but from Roman soldiers as well; that is, both sympathetic and antagonistic witnesses. This is very compelling and voluminous evidence.

There is also some important indirect evidence that Jesus was known by everyone in Jerusalem, including the chief priests and Roman authorities, to have died.

• The chief priests were worried that the disciples would come to try and steal the dead body so they posed a Roman guard to protect it, and on the Sabbath as well!! Matt 27:62-66.
• The Roman soldiers guarding the tomb witness the resurrection but the chief priests were so embarrassed by this that bribed the soldiers to say (in spite of dire consequences for soldiers sleeping on duty) that the (dead) body of Jesus was stolen while they slept!! Matt 28:11-15. This possibly even involved some bribes for Pilate (v14).
• Despite the report of some, many of the disciples could not believe that Jesus was raised for the dead and were very frightened; Luke 24:36-43, John 20:11, 19, 20, 24-29.