What if Jesus had been executed by lethal injection?

cloudyday2 said:

Imagine if all the cruelty was removed from the passion narrative in the gospels. Let's say the Temple authorities apprehended Jesus and allowed him a lawyer and a fair trial and then turned him over to the Romans for a painless execution by lethal injection. Afterwards Jesus walks from the tomb and appears to select followers before ascending to sit at the right hand of the Father.

Would that have worked theologically?

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Not at all. How He died and the circumstances surrounding the event were prophesied in the Old Testament. This is how many Jews, in particular the Bereans, came to know their Messiah through fulfillment.
Blessings

cloudyday2 said:

Isaiah 53:5 mentions "pierced", "crushed", and "scourging". There is no crushing in the gospel narratives apparent to me, so it missed one of the three already. In the hypothetical we could say the needle pierced Jesus. (Some translations have "bruised" instead of "crushed".)

How about if the hypothetical included a single bruise and a single whip mark and the needle piercing?

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How about all the prophecies leading to the crucifiction? Afterall, you are putting a modern spin on the way He is put to death.

cloudyday2 said:

Isaiah 53:5 mentions "pierced", "crushed", and "scourging". There is no crushing in the gospel narratives apparent to me, so it missed one of the three already. In the hypothetical we could say the needle pierced Jesus. (Some translations have "bruised" instead of "crushed".)

How about if the hypothetical included a single bruise and a single whip mark and the needle piercing?

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The story tells he was pierced in his side with a spear.
He was already dead, blood and water ran out of the wound.

Torah is often symbolized as water.
But I think there are more holes in your version than a Swiss cheese.

Refreshing though after reading so many other threads
about corona virus. in other sections of this forum,

Pick up your syringe and follow me. Needles on the top of churches.

cloudyday2 said:

Which prophecies do you mean? The only prophecy that comes to mind is the suffering servant verses in Isaiah.

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Here you go...

cloudyday2 said:

Imagine if all the cruelty was removed from the passion narrative in the gospels. Let's say the Temple authorities apprehended Jesus and allowed him a lawyer and a fair trial and then turned him over to the Romans for a painless execution by lethal injection. Afterwards Jesus walks from the tomb and appears to select followers before ascending to sit at the right hand of the Father.

Would that have worked theologically?

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No. Prophecy says he was to be hung on a tree. But it doesn't make state ritual murder any more just or righteous.

No blood in lethal injection, just a IV stuck in a vein

timothyu said:

Pick up your syringe and follow me. Needles on the top of churches.

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That's crazy to think about. But it's true the symbol of Jesus could have been something entirely different had He died differently. Interesting thought...

d taylor said:

No blood in lethal injection, just a IV stuck in a vein

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Being covered/washed in the contents on an IV bag doesn't quite have the same impact as blood. Of course today it is claimed salvation comes in the form of a flu shot.

cloudyday2 said:

Imagine if all the cruelty was removed from the passion narrative in the gospels. Let's say the Temple authorities apprehended Jesus and allowed him a lawyer and a fair trial and then turned him over to the Romans for a painless execution by lethal injection. Afterwards Jesus walks from the tomb and appears to select followers before ascending to sit at the right hand of the Father.

Would that have worked theologically?

Click to expand...

No, He was the lamb of God.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)

So, I see from this, Jesus went through all He did, in this life, so that now He as our Groom can feel for us, and help us with the grace which had Him do so well in all things.

We see, by the way, how well grace made Jesus able to do things right while so suffering. So, among other things, possibly Jesus is demonstrating for our encouragement, showing how well grace can have us loving while we go through . . . anything.

That suffering is included in all Jesus went through, in order for Him to be able to know from actual experience how things are for us.

Going through things, in order to feel for others, then, is included in priesthood.

Now @cloudyday2 > you have an issue about how much suffering Jesus would need to go through. My opinion is He went through enough, for all purposes, including to be able to feel for us, from His own experience in a human body. Plus since Jesus is God's own Son, there was enough quality in how He suffered, so it was plenty to suffer for any and all people for whatever reason.

The quality of how He went through it all is what matters, more than the quantity. I offer Ephesians 5:2 >

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)

Jesus was sweet about it; this is what really matters.

I consider, then, that part of why He suffered so much was to show us how much He loves us and was ready to pray >

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (in Luke 23:34)

By forgiving like this, Jesus is magnifying how committed He is to forgiveness. This can encourage us, how Jesus does desire to forgive us in spite of how we have hurt ourselves and others; plus this is . . . . our example required also of us!!! And do it sweetly, pleasing our Father.

So, I would say Jesus was multitasking, by so suffering. And quite possibly He can speak for Himself and give you even better and more than I have offered.

cloudyday2 said:

Imagine if all the cruelty was removed from the passion narrative in the gospels. Let's say the Temple authorities apprehended Jesus and allowed him a lawyer and a fair trial and then turned him over to the Romans for a painless execution by lethal injection. Afterwards Jesus walks from the tomb and appears to select followers before ascending to sit at the right hand of the Father.

Would that have worked theologically?

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No. Lord Jesus needed to suffer the punishment due to mankind. if you want to know how much God hates sin, look at what happened to Lord Jesus. if you want to know how much God loves sinners, look at what happened to Lord Jesus.

If the trial was fair (it was not even legal), Lord Jesus would have been acquitted. Lord Jesus suffered according to God's will.

cloudyday2 said:

Imagine if all the cruelty was removed from the passion narrative in the gospels. Let's say the Temple authorities apprehended Jesus and allowed him a lawyer and a fair trial and then turned him over to the Romans for a painless execution by lethal injection. Afterwards Jesus walks from the tomb and appears to select followers before ascending to sit at the right hand of the Father.

Would that have worked theologically?

Click to expand...

Why argue over something that could not happen??? Pointless. Jesus died as was foretold in the scriptures. Had the Jewish nation accepted Him as the Messiah, He still would have had to die, that is what He came to do. Only He would have had to be executed by the High Priest just as he would have slain a sacrificial lamb for that is what He was. As Abraham was going to do to his son Isaac and was stopped. He would not have been beaten, either. But it is all a pointless argument for He died the way it was predicted. It's like asking, what if you had never been born? Point is, you were, so it's a pointless question.

cloudyday2 said:

Imagine if all the cruelty was removed from the passion narrative in the gospels. Let's say the Temple authorities apprehended Jesus and allowed him a lawyer and a fair trial and then turned him over to the Romans for a painless execution by lethal injection. Afterwards Jesus walks from the tomb and appears to select followers before ascending to sit at the right hand of the Father.

Would that have worked theologically?

Click to expand...

The crucifixion was necessary for the suffering, but it was not the suffering itself. You're looking at the passion narrative from a Mel Gibson perspective. It was not the crucifixion that saves sinners, there have been martyrs who suffered a more cruel death than that! The true suffering must measure up to the suffering that we deserve if we are to be forgiven of our sins. He was condemned by God as a sinner who yet had no sin! He suffered under the penalty of divine wrath that we, who properly deserve it, and believe, may escape it on account of him jumping in front of the bullet. That's why he cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!" He tasted eternal death, the hell yet to come, on the cross in three hours in darkness. It was a long three hours for him, not even a soul in hell would have experienced it the way he did, for he tasted it all in one moment.

The lethal injection would throw this whole gospel work out the window. He had to suffer in body and soul that he may save us in body and soul from hell!