Crucifixion Or Cruci-Fiction

JESUS NO PHANTOM

 

ARITHMETICAL CONUNDRUM

 

The two from Emmaus,

"rose ... and returned to Jerusalem, and
found the ELEVEN gathered together, and those who were with them"

(HOLY BIBLE) Luke 24.33

Which "eleven?" They "found the
eleven." Did they include themselves in the number they FOUND? Even
then the disciples there (of the elected twelve of Jesus) could never
be more than 10 altogether. Because on this first visit of Jesus to
that upper-room. Judas and Thomas were definitely not present. But Luke
was not an eyewitness to this scene. He is simply copying verbatim from
Mark 16:14 who said. "he
(Jesus) appeared unto the ELEVEN as they sat eating."

Now listen to Paul,. the thirteenth
self-appointed apostle of Jesus. He says that after three days of
hibernation. "(Jesus) was seen of Cephas (meaning Simon
Peter), then to the TWELVE" — (1
Corinthians 15:5).
Which "twelve?" The word "THEN" here, excludes Peter! But if you
add him on, and with all good luck, you can still never get the "CHOSEN
TWELVE" together to see Jesus, because the traitor Judas had committed
suicide by hanging — (Matthew 27:5),
long before Jesus¹ alleged resurrection."

We are dealing here with a strange mentality,
where "Eleven" does not mean ELEVEN — (Luke 24:33)."Twelve" does not mean TWELVE, and "Three and three"
means TWO AND ONE!' Jesus would truly sympathise with us:

"it is hard for you to kick against the
pricks" —

(HOLY BIBLE) Acts 9:5 ²

1.
This conundrum is discussed further on, under the heading: <!a href="http://www.jamaat.net/jonah/SignOfJonah.html">"What was the Sign
of Jonah?"<!/a>

2.Paul
says that these words were spoken to him by Jesus, originally in the
Hebrew tongue — (Acts 26:14).

ENTER JESUS

Whilst the two are telling their sceptical
audience about their encounter with a physical, living Jesus
(one who was eating food with them), "IN WALKS JESUS" (these are my
words) ¹ the doors being shut for fear of the Jews. The Christian
controversialist says: "No! our records state that Jesus simply 'STOOD
IN THEIR MIDST²; he did not WALK in!" It was a question of disappearance
from Emmaus and a reappearance in Jerusalem — like the "Invisible
Man", like the "Indian Rope Trick", like "Star Trek"
( a science-fiction fantasy where people are "beamed" from Space Ships
to planets and back again). You acutally "see" people disappearing in
your very sight and materialising in another place. People who believe
this to be real are victims of their own delusions. They have seen too
many films and viewed too many TV programmes.

1.
"Came Jesus and stood in their midst" — (John 20:19).

2.
In John 20:79, 24. 26, the word "CAME", "CAME", "CAME", contradict
the notion that he simply appeared, meaning that he materialised out of
thin air.

THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE

But why did it take Jesus (pbuh) so long to
reach the upper-room? He had "vanished" before the "two"
made a beeline for Jerusalem, and yet Jesus had not preceded them. He
was late in coming. It reminds one of the story of the hare and
tortoise. Could it be that he was nursing his wounds on the way?

The cultists imagine that Jesus was floating
around from place to place, appearing and disappearing at will. Jeffrey
Hunter, the handsome young actor, playing the role of Jesus Christ in
the film, "King of Kings", made a very sensible observation
after climbing Mount Zion for the scene of the "temptation" of
Jesus by the Devil. After heaving and hoving, sweating and panting for
breath while climbing the hill, he remarked, "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY
LIFE I REALISED HOW HUMAN JESUS WAS!"

Neither Luke nor John, who record this episode
of Jesus' visit to the upper-room, venture to tell us that he simply
o-o-z-e-d through the key hole, or that he oozed through
crevices in the wall. O! But why did they deprive us of this vital
information? Because no oozing happened! But the problem remains — how
did he get in when the "doors where shut'? — (John
20:19). Amazingly, Luke 24:36, who also records this incident word for word did not think
fit to add," the doors were shut." It was unimportant to him! Why?
Because it was irrelevant! Claiming an "orderliness" and judiciousness
for his writing, he would not confuse the issues – (Holy
Bible, Luke 1:3)

 

THE UPPER-ROOM

 

This abode in question, is alternatively
described as a "guest chamber" and as a "large upper-room" —
(Mark 14:14-15). It is not the
whole residence. It is part of a mansion. Do I have to prove this to
you? Could this be the only room upstairs? Taking into account that
this particular room contained a table big enough to seat at least 14
people on 14 clumsy chairs — Jesus and his 12 disciples making the
"unlucky thirteen", and John the "diciple whom Jesus loved"
being the owner of the house and "leaning on Jesus’ bosom" (John
13:23) making fourteen in all.

Can you imagine the size of this "guest
room"? — With pantry, and kitchen, and other facilities; and
downstairs, where the owner's family and servants resided. It was like
a small palace! Jesus was familiar with this mansion. He had visited
Jerusalem often for the feast of the Passover. Remember how he directed
his disciples to find the place? — (Luke 22:10).

My own humble abode has four entrances.
Perhaps John's "GUEST CHAMBER" had only one main-entrance with 2 doors.
But was there a need to seal it off from the rest of the house? For the
visitor, the front doors were sufficient for all their needs — entry
and exit. And Eastern guests do not pry into passages, attics and
apartments of their hosts! They are easily gratified with every little
hospitality bestowed. But Jesus was no stranger to the house. He was
like a member of the family of the disciple Jesus loved. He had no need
to knock at bolted doors to terrify his timid flock. There were more
ways than one of getting in. If there was any misgiving on the part of
the disciples for his sudden appearance in their midst, he was quick in
dispelling it.

"Peace be unto
you", he cried;
but his little lambs "were terrified!"

(HOLY BIBLE) Luke 24:36-37

 

OPPOSITE REACTIONS ON RECOGNISING JESUS

 

Remember at the break of dawn that very
morning, a lone woman, Mary Magdalene, was mad with glee on recognising
him around the tomb. And she had to be stopped in her stride from
embracing him. But these ten heroes who were rattling sabres in this
very room were now petrified on recognising their Master. Why was there
opposite reactions between the men and the woman? — Men terrified,
woman not afraid? The reason is that the woman was an eye-witness to
all the happenings around calvary, whereas the men were nowhere in
sight. Therefore the woman went to the tomb with the intention of
meeting a LIVE Jesus, and her joy on meeting him. But the ten were not
witnesses to the happenings, hence their supposition about seeing a
ghost. They were physically and emotionally on the verge of breaking
down. Luke succinctly describes their condition:

"But they were terrified and
affrighted and supposed that they had seen a spirit."

(HOLY BIBLE) Luke 24:37

 

REASON FOR FEAR

 

The reason for their terror was that
they thought that the man they saw standing in their midst was not
Jesus himself but his ghost. Ask your "BORN-AGAIN" friends who
want to share heaven with you, the reason for the disciples thinking
that Jesus was a spirit. Ask them, "Did he look like a spirit?" And
though misguided as they may be, you will hear their answer — "No!"
Then why did the disciples of Jesus think that Jesus was a spirit, when
he did not look like one? There is no answer! They are speechless.
Please help them. Free them from their infatuation. If you don't, they
will harass us and our people till kingdom come. They will steal our
children (as they are doing now in Muslim lands), in the guise of
feeding hungry children, and at times with our own money: Have you
heard of "World Vision" and the like? Crusades once more but
with arms invisible.

The reason the disciples of Jesus were
afraid was that they had learned by hearsay
that their Master was killed by being fastened to the cross — that he
was crucified. ¹ They had learned by
hearsay that he had "given up the ghost": that he had died. They
had learned by Hearsay that now he was –"DEAD AND BURIED" for
three days. A man with such a reputation, would be expected to be
decomposing in his tomb. FOR ALL THEIR KNOWLEDGE WAS FROM HEARSAY!
— What they had heard! Because none of them was there to witness what
was really going on with Jesus at Golgotha. In the most critical
juncture in the life of Jesus:

". . . THEY ALL FORSOOK HIM AND
FLED." ²

(HOLY BIBLE) Mark 14:50

1. "Crucified": Later on, '"CRUCIFIED OR
CRUCIPLAYED" is discussed. The Gospel writers had not known the
use of inverted commas to imply, that this is what other, say, or this
is the ''so-called".

2. Even more explicit, is Mathew "...Then all the
disciples forsook him and fled." Mathew 26:65

THE GENUINE
DISCIPLES

Mark is talking about the chosen
"twelve". Not about Jesus' "secret" devoted ones like the other
John who took Mary the mother of Jesus home, and Nicodemus¹ and Joseph
of Arimathe'a and the like. In view of the dastardly desertion by the
other "twelve", I am loathe to call these "men" disciples. Or is Mark
lying? When he said all, did he not mean "All"? There was no come-back
with these heroes. The author of the fourth Gospel lists a number of
women from Jesus' entourage. Among them three Marys, "and the
disciple whom Jesus loved". He repeats this phrase a number of
times without actually identifying him as JOHN their benefactor in
Jerusalem. Why? If that John is the author himself of the fourth
gospel, then why does he not say so. Why is he so shy? He was not very
bashful when asking Jesus to make him and his brother sit: "One on
thy right hand, and the other on thy Jeft hand in thy Kingdom" - (Mark
10:37). The reason for his reticence is that the
"beloved disciple" is his namesake, i.e. his name is also lohn! The
rest of the disciples were nowhere to be found when he (Jesus) was most
in need. They all had, as Mark says, "forsaken him and fled!" — (Mark
14:50).

1. Nicodemus: A selfless soul, who, having risked his
all in associating with a man (Jesus) condemned by a Roman Court for
treason, is deliberately blotted out of the 26 Books of the N.T. "It
is difficult to avoid concluding that the omission in the synoptic
tradition of the mysterious disciple was intentional," says Dr.
Hugh J. Schonfield, one of the world's leading, one of the
world’s leading Biblical scholars.

WHAT WOULD YOU CALL
THIS - "CRUCIFIXION or CRUCI – FICTION ? "