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Who were some of the unbelievers who witnessed Jesus’ death on Calvary? Of what value is their testimony of what happened after Jesus’ death?
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11 Replies
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There were priests, townspeople, soldiers and the criminals on either side whose dialogue is written in scripture. Even the fact that the two criminals had their legs broken and Jesus did not testify to scripture.
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Chruch leaders, Roman soldiers, random town people who may not have heard or follwed Jesus but just showed up to witness the crucifixion. Their testimony is valuable, because they had no real vested interested in what happened. They had an unbiased view point.
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The Roman soldiers at the foot of the cross; the Centurion who attested to the fact that “truly this man was the Son of God”; the Sanhedrin members, scribes, Sadducees and general public who were disappointed with the Messiah they saw compared to what they were hoping for. The Centurion’s testimony is powerful. The soldiers would have experienced the nearby earthquakes, and must have realized that this was no ordinary death.
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There were numerous crowds of people in Jerusalem during the Passover. They would have observed Jesus coming into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, watched His actions in the Temple, and seen how He had been placed on trial, and then crucified. (As I have thought through this, it would be like those who were first-hand viewers of what happened on 9/11. They may not have all seen the specific details, but they were a part of it and heard it from other witnesses. While I realize we are still in the time frame of people living to tell about it, it will be no different 100 years from now when all witnesses are gone, but the accounts remain.)
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The crowd in Jerusalem who had called for his crucifixion or were in the streets when he passed by and went to Golgotha to see the crucifixion. The guards who cast lots for his garment and were standing there while he died, witnessing the events and the earthquake. The guards who pierced his side and broke the legs of others. The religious leaders who had called for Jesus’ death. They would all certainly be able to speak to the fact that Jesus did die and was taken off the cross because he was dead to dispute any notion that he hadn’t really died. They had no reason to lie that Jesus hadn’t died…they wanted him dead.