The fact that Jesus died should not be glossed over to quickly – the greatest evidence that Jesus’ humanity was His death and the records spend a great deal of time providing evidence for Jesus’ death. Here is a sample.

1. He was the most important in the sense that Jesus death and resurrection to eternal life enabled the same for others
2. Jesus actually died as documented above.

The fact that Jesus died should not be glossed over to quickly – the greatest evidence of Jesus’ humanity was His death and the records spend a great deal of time providing evidence for Jesus’ death. Here is a sample.

1. He was the most important in the sense that Jesus death and resurrection to eternal life enabled the same for others, see 1 Cor 15:8-22.
2. Jesus actually died as documented above.

Jesus’ Death

The fact that Jesus died should not be glossed over to quickly – the greatest evidence that Jesus’ humanity was His death and the records spend a great deal of time providing evidence for Jesus’ death. Here is a sample.

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 posted a Roman guard to protect it, and on the Sabbath as well!! Matt 27:62-66.
• The Roman soldiers guarding the tomb witnessed the resurrection but the chief priests were so embarrassed by this they 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.

The fact that Jesus said to be the "firstborn" from the dead means two things:

1. He was the most important in the sense that Jesus death and resurrection to eternal life enabled the same for others
2. Jesus actually died as documented above.