How does Jesus death give evidence for the Resurrection?

If it can be established that Jesus did die on the cross, then if He was seen alive after His death by many credible witnesses, no one can logically doubt He was resurrected from the dead. The evidence may be ignored, but it cannot be denied. As difficult as it may be for some people to fathom, no other logical choice exists. The noted philosopher David Hume once remarked, "That a dead man should come to life has never been observed in any age or country." So, if Jesus Christ provided evidence which has convinced over a billion people throughout history that He actually did rise from the dead, it is clearly the most momentous event ever. But before we can examine the Resurrection appearances, we must first prove beyond all doubt that Jesus really had died on the cross.

That Jesus really died is doubted by no objective observer familiar with the evidence. In his Ancient Evidence For the Life of Jesus Dr. Gary Habermas points out that historical evidence exists for the death of Christ even from non-Christian sources, including Cornelius Tacitus (55-120 AD) whom some acknowledge as the greatest historian of ancient Rome; the noted Jewish historian Josephus (37-97 AD); the early (Tannaitic) Talmud and other accounts. "Of all the events in Jesus' life, more ancient sources specifically mention His death than any other single occurrence. Of the thirty-nine ancient sources, twenty-two relate this fact, often with details. Eleven of these sources are non-Christian, which exhibits an incredible amount of interest in this event."

If we examine the details surrounding the crucifixion we can better understand why no one can logically doubt that Jesus really died:

Detail 6: Because it was unusual, if not rare, for a man to die this quickly, to be doubly sure Jesus was dead, emphatic steps were taken. A soldier pierced Jesus' side with a spear "and immediately there came out blood and water" (John 19:34). This is medical confirmation that the sword had pierced Jesus' heart and that Jesus was dead.

Detail 7: Pilate had the centurion confirm that Jesus had died. The only basis upon which Pilate could, by law, release the body to Joseph of Arimathea for burial was to verify the death of Jesus: "[He]...went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph" (Mark 15:43c-45). (The Centurion had personally heard Jesus' death cry and also seen the spear thrust into His side (Mark 15:39; John 19:34).

Detail 8: Jesus' death was directly observed by the Apostle John who recorded the entire series of events, including the spear thrust, the death cry and the rest. John wrote of Jesus' death, "And he who had seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe" (John 19:35). In other words, John wanted to be absolutely sure that his readers understood Jesus had died on the cross. Because Jesus had died, there was simply no way to account for the subsequent Resurrection appearances than the Resurrection itself.

Now consider all that Jesus went through in the events surrounding His crucifixion. He underwent six trials which included horrible beatings and scourging. This alone killed some men. He carried the heavy beam of the cross, or part of it, to His crucifixion site. He underwent all the unspeakable tortures of the crucifixion itself as in part, we note below. He had a Roman sword thrust through His side, piercing His heart. His death was then confirmed by Roman soldiers. It was confirmed again by the centurion himself to one no less than Pilate.

TO THINK JESUS NEVER DIED IS LUDICROUS.

Consider one description of a typical crucifixion:

The condemned man was invariably scourged, and men were known to die under that punishment alone, so severe were the wounds inflicted by this cruel cat-o'-nine-tails inset with pieces of metal. It is possible that Jesus suffered this punishment both from the Jewish and from the Roman authorities (Matthew 26:67f; John 19:1). Thereafter, he had to carry the patibulum of his cross, and was led out under armed guard to die.

There was a variety of ways of fixing the condemned man on the cross....Commonly the cross was put together on the ground, the condemned man bound or nailed to it, and the whole thing then erected and dropped into a pit that had been prepared to receive it. The degradation of the criminal was completed by his very clothes being taken from him. He was exposed naked on the cross. The cause of his being there was written above his head and fixed to the cross; and he was left there to die slowly in intense agony from exhaustion, thirst, and wounds.

The criminal had, of course, no recourse but to curse, spit and urinate on his tormenters. Often the kindlier execution squads would offer a draught of drugged wine before nailing the man up. This went some small way towards dulling the pain....Heart and lungs...were put under immense strain by the position of the crucifixion. When the torture was deemed to have gone on long enough, or in order to ensure that the man was dead, the soldiers would perform the crurifragium, or breaking of the legs. This meant that the man, if still alive, could not longer hoist himself [in order to breathe] and would soon expire.

The physical effects of crucifixion were appalling. Of all death it is the most lingering and agonizing. The unnatural position of the body made every movement a pain. The suspension of the whole body on jagged iron nails (one dating from A.D. 50 has recently been discovered in Jerusalem) driven through the most sensitive nerve centers of the wrists and ankles, insured constant exquisite torture. The wounds of the nails and the weals from the lash soon became inflamed and even gangrenous. The body's position hindered circulation and caused indescribable pain in the chest. A raging thirst set in, brought on by the burning sun. The flies were thick around the victim. The agony of crucifixion was terrible beyond words.

Indeed, survival from crucifixions was unknown; just as today, men simply do not survive the firing squad, electric chair, lethal injection or gas chamber. Because the law has decreed the prisoner's death, even if a first attempt did fail, procedures would be repeated until death occurred. But death from crucifixion was just as certain as any modern method of execution; there was no escape. "I know of only one instance in ancient literature which is remotely comparable. Josephus (Vita, 75) tells of a time when he saw a number of captives being crucified; and, noticing three of his friends among them, he asked Titus, the Roman commander, for a reprieve. This was granted, and the men were taken down at once. It seems that they had only just been crucified, but despite being given every care by the most expert physicians available, two of the three died....There can be no doubt that Jesus was dead."

Further, those who removed the body and buried it would certainly have noticed any life on Jesus' part. Had He been alive, they certainly would not have proceeded to bury Him; they would have done all in their power to save Him. But the historical accounts agree that Jesus was buried according to Jewish custom the body wrapped with 75 pounds of spices and linen (John 19:39).

All four evangelists say the same: Mark says that Jesus died (Mark 15:37). Matthew says Jesus died (Matthew 27:50). Luke says Jesus died (Luke 23:46). John says Jesus died (John 19:30). The fact is repeated a dozen times in the Acts and the Epistles that "Christ died."

In conclusion, there is absolutely no doubt that Jesus Christ died on the cross. But there is also no doubt He was later seen alive by dozens of eyewitness in many different locations over a period of 40 days. The question for the skeptic is this: Can this logically be explained apart from the Resurrection?