Conversation
with Muslims about Christ
How can we bring the
redemption of Jesus Christ
to Muslims?
Abd al-Masih
GRACE-AND-TRUTH
All Rights Reserved
Order Number:
FPB 8007 ENG
2nd Edition
2003
English
Title: The Stumbling Block of the Cross Explained to Muslims
Grace-and-Truth
l P.O.Box 2904
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Internet:
www.grace-and-truth.org
e-mail:
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Anyone who talks to a Muslim about Jesus and the
salvation he accomplished can reach a point in his conversation where the
Muslim no longer answers, but silently smiles. Asked about the reason for his
humor, he may answer:
● You Christians follow a mirage! You are
already deluded! (Sura al-Fatiha 1:7) The Son of Mary was neither killed nor
did He die on a cross (Sura al-Nisa' 4:157), on the contrary, Allah lifted Him
up to himself (Suras Āl 'Imran 3:55; al-Nisa' 4:158). His crucifixion
never took place.
● Other Muslims claim that Allah is just.
He therefore saved the innocent Christ from the tortures of the cross. Instead
he let Judas, the betrayer, be crucified (Sura al-Nisa' 4:157). Even today
Muslims are still convinced of the truth of this position.
● Whoever deepens his knowledge of the
reasons for the rejection of Christ's crucifixion in the Qur'an, will find a
third argument out of the bag of tricks of the father of lies: No human being,
according to the Qur'an, is entitled to carry the sins of another before the
judgement of Allah (Suras al-An'am 6:164; al-Isra' 17:15; al-Fatir 35:18;
al-Zumar 39:3; al-Najm 53:38), for everybody has to ask for his own forgiveness
from the Holy One. According to Islam, any substitutionary sacrifice is
impossible.
● The fourth argument against the
possibility of the crucifixion of Christ, according to the Qur'an, is: Allah
does not need a mediator, nor bloody sacrifices, lambs and substitutes to
forgive sins. He is sovereign, he forgives whomever he wants and misleads whomever
he wants (Suras al-An'am 6:39; al-Ra'd 13:27; Ibrahim 14:4; al-Nahl 16:93;
al-Fatir 35:8; al-Muddathir 74:31). If Allah seduces someone, no one can ever
help him anymore (Suras al-Nisa' 4:88,143; al-A'raf 7:178,186; al-Ra'd 13:33;
al-Isra' 17:97; al-Kahf 18:7; al-Zumar 39:23,36; Ghafir 40:33; al-Shura
42:44,46).
● The fifth argument, out of inventions
from the underworld, against the necessity of the atoning death of Jesus is the
most persistent one. Many Muslims consider themselves good enough to achieve
justification by their own efforts. They believe that their good deeds expel
their bad deeds (Sura Hud 11:114). They hope to be saved, if they fulfill all
duties commanded by their law (Shari'a). Therefore, they think that they do not
need a redeemer or a cross. This Islamic belief is an indirect inheritance from
Jewish Pharisaism.
● Religious jurists among Muslims claim
that Allah has determined the destiny of every human being in advance, when
each individual was still in the mother's womb, and that it would be impossible
to reverse Allah's determination. They believe that nothing happens in a man's
life except what has been written about him in the original book in heaven.
They see no need for someone on the cross and his sacrificial death for others.
● Most Muslims are not aware of these
different arguments. However, as a summary of these points, there is a cultural
consensus in Islamic society, in that the cross of Christ is taboo to
all Muslims. They think that the cross is a cover for all kinds of political
and religious crusaders who want to destroy the power and culture of Islamic
states.
The hatred towards the cross of our redeemer has
its roots deep in a collective bondage, which cannot be overcome by logic
alone. It will not help much to prove the fact or the meaning of the cross of
Christ intellectually. We should pray for them, that they realize the truth and
believe it. This anti-Christian spirit has to be overcome and driven out in the
name of Jesus and the love of God!
If we consider the rejection of the crucifixion
and the complex twists and lies including the collective hatred against the
Savior Jesus, one may easily despair of bringing the salvation accomplished by
Christ to the Muslims. However, if anyone recognizes the promises in the Old
Testament as a divine preparation for salvation, and if he does not depart
from the realities in the New Testament, and if he takes secular
sources or contradicting verses in the Qur'an pointing to
Christ's crucifixion – he can testify to anyone with confidence and assurance
as the Apostle Paul saying:
"Since
we have been justified through faith,
we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Romans 5:1)
These five sources of truth are stronger than the seven denials
of the Muslims. Let us prayerfully proclaim the victory of Christ on the cross
even over worldwide Islam.
Many Muslims believe in the predestination
of all things. Anyone who can show them the detailed prophecies in the Torah,
the Psalms and the Prophets that the promised redeemer (Jesus the Messiah) was
predestined to die on the cross in our place, can help Muslims to believe in
Jesus' atoning death on the cross. We should study the 333 promises in the Old
Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament in order to adjust
ourselves to the Muslims' belief in predetermination. Jesus Himself overcame
Satan and the doubts of His disciples several times with the words: "It
is written!" (Matthew 4:4,6-7; Luke 18:31; 21:22; 24:46; John 5:46 et
al.).
Jesus explained the unavoidable necessity and
the purpose of His dying on the cross to Nicodemus, a God-fearing member of the
Jewish religious court (Sanhedrin), by pointing to a report in the Torah: Just
as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be
lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. (John
3:15)
With this example Jesus referred to the iron
snake that Moses had to set up according to God's order and which he then put
up on a pole. Every one of the horrified people who looked at this "symbol
of evil" was healed immediately even though bitten by a snake.
Why did Jesus compare Himself with the snake,
which has always been considered the epitome of all evil (Genesis 3:1-15)? In
His love, Jesus absorbed the sins of all sinners, so that He appeared to be
like the Evil One yet remaining holy, as Paul wrote in his letter to the
Corinthians: God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him
we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Jesus emphasized that there is no other
possibility of salvation for those who were led astray by the Evil One, except
His dying in their place. He wanted to and had to suffer for the sins of all
sinners on the cross as our substitute.
Our Lord exercised the traditional Passover
celebrations with his disciples to reveal that He Himself was the God-given
Passover lamb. He extended the liturgy of the meal and explained to His
followers that the promises of the Passover will be fulfilled by His imminent
death (Matthew 26:26).
● Just as the blood of the first Passover
lamb was painted on the doorframe of every Israelite home in Egypt so that
God's wrath and judgement would pass them by – every man who puts himself and
his family under the protection of the blood of Christ will be saved from God's
wrath and judgement. Muslims have a vague grasp of this secret; they believe
that the blood of slaughtered animals can protect them (Exodus 12:7,13,22-23;
Act 16:31).
● Just as Jacob's children had to eat the
roasted meat of the Passover lamb as a family in their homes in order to get
strength for their exodus from slavery – Jesus Christ, the true Passover lamb,
wants to abide in those who follow Him, strengthening them to flee from the
slavery of sin and Satan (Exodus 12:3-6, 8-11, 43-48; Matthew 26:26; John 6:35,
48-59).
● Just as there is no forgiveness of sin
without bloodshed (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22) – the eternal Passover Lamb,
Jesus, is the God-given atonement for the sins of all who seek purification
through the blood of Christ, trusting in His sacrifice and thanking him for the
power of His blood (Hebrews 10:14).
● Jesus called the blood He shed the blood
of the covenant (Genesis 24:4-8; Matthew 26:27-28), in which He bound
himself to His church forever. Whoever enters into this blood-sealed
relationship in faith should be holy, as God is holy (Leviticus 11:44). He
should love as Jesus loved (John 13:34) and forgive everyone as God forgave him
(Matthew 6:12, 14-15).
We should help the Muslims understand that the
Lord's Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover meal in the Old Testament.
Whoever believes in the Lamb of God will be purified from all his sins and can
experience Jesus living in him.
Psalm 22 is a detailed prophecy describing the
suffering of Christ on the cross. These verses were inspired to David about
1000 BC. Its predictions and their precise fulfilling show that there is a
divine purpose and an inevitable necessity behind the crucifixion of Jesus.
There are more than ten prophecies about
the suffering of Christ on the cross in this psalm. Anyone who is willing can
find guidance to understand and believe by comparing these verses and their
fulfillment in the death of Jesus on the cross:
Ps 22:6 I am scorned by men and
despised by the people
Mt 27:30
spit upon him…and smote him on the head
Mt 27:44 the
robbers…were casting the same insult
Mk 15:32
they…reviled him
Lk 23:35 the
people…the rulers…derided him
Ps 22:7a all who see me mock me
Mt 27:27-29
soldiers…mocked him
Mt 27:41
priests…scribes and elders…mocking Him
Mk 15:31
chief priests mocking…with the scribes
Lk 23:36 the
soldiers also mocked him
Ps 22:7b they
hurl insults, shaking their heads
Mt 27:39
they…reviled him, wagging their heads
Mt 27:44 the
robbers…were casting the same insult
Mk 15:29
railed on him, wagging their heads
Lk 23:39
criminal…railed on him
Ps 22:8 He
trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue Him, let Him deliver Him, since He
delights in Him
Mt 27:43 He
trusted in God; let him deliver him now
Ps 22:11 there
is no one to help
Mt 27:42 He
saved others; Himself He cannot save
Mk 15:31 He
saved others; Himself He cannot save
Lk 23:37
saying…save thyself
Ps 22:15 my
tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth
Jn 19:28
Jesus…said, I thirst.
Ps 22:16a a
band of evil men has encircled me
Mt 27:27
gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers
Mt 27:41
chief priests…scribes and elders
Mk 15:31
chief priests…with the scribes
Ps 22:16b they have pierced my hands and my feet
Mk 15:24
they had crucified him
Lk 23:33
they crucified him
Jn 19:18
they crucified him
Jn 20:20 he
showed unto them his hands and his side
Ps 22:17
people stare and gloat over me
Lk 23:35 And
the people stood beholding
Ps 22:18a they
divide my garments among them
Mt 27:35
they…parted his garments
Mk 15:24
they parted his garments
Lk 23:34
they parted his raiment
Jn 19:23
soldiers…took his garments...made four parts
Ps 22:18b and
cast lots for my clothing
Mt 27:35 his
garments, casting lots
Mk 15:24 his
garments, casting lots upon them
Lk 23:34 his
raiment, and cast lots
Jn 19:24
cast lots for it
Ps 22:1 My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Mt 27:46 Jesus cried…My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?
Mk 15:34 Jesus cried…My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?
Whoever considers these Old Testament prophecies
of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross will understand:
● How must the loving and sensitive soul
of Jesus have suffered when His own people did not recognize Him, but despised
Him and mocked Him! In the Middle East being despised is often considered to be
worse than death!
● How must His body have almost been torn
to pieces in the agony of pain, but he did not wail.
● How must His Spirit have suffered when
God His Father left Him for our sins' sake! We cannot fathom the depths of His
cry: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:2)
It seems unthinkable to some commentators that
God truly left His only beloved son! But Jesus does not lie. He said: "You
have forsaken me!"
Human logic protests: If God left Him, this
would be a sign that Jesus had sinned!
The Bible counters: He who was without sin
carried our sins. The sin of the whole world was weighing down on Him. Because
of our sins God left Him.
Some try to compromise and say, the father only
hid His face from the Son and appeared as a judge to Him because of our sins.
However the Bible says He really left Him! The
Unity of the Holy Trinity was divided and broken. This means hell! It is the
beginning of the end and an entering into darkness. Matthew and Mark report only
this one of the seven words of Jesus on the cross. This cry remains a stumbling
block to the church. However, this word expresses, more than any other words of
Jesus, that our salvation has been completed!
Jesus confessed first: "My
God! My God!" Jacob struggled with the Lord at the Jabbok
River, and the Lord wanted to leave him. But Jacob did not let the Lord go
despite the fact that he was extremely guilty. He shouted, "I will not let
you go unless you bless me!" Through His faith Jacob overcame
the judging Lord and received His blessing (Genesis 32:23-32). On a higher
level, Jesus did not let the God who judges go. He clung to His Father,
although His Father had already left Him. But by faith He did not let
His Father go. He shouted and prayed, "My God! You remain my God, even
though I can no longer see you. I will not let you go - unless you save my
followers!" The faith of the Son in His Father's love and faithfulness
overcame the judging God. His faith is the victory that overcame the
world (1 John 5:4). Through His faith we have been saved (John
16:33)!
After His struggle with the almighty Lord, Jacob
received a new name: Israel! This name says he has struggled with God
and has overcome. Jesus is the true and real Israel! He struggled with God for
the salvation of mankind and won through His faith! He held fast to His Father,
even in despair when He was far away from Him. He prayed in the minute before
His death: "Father, into your hands, I commit my Spirit!"
(Luke 23:46), although He could no longer see the Father.
If you ponder these promises in the Old
Testament and see their fulfillment in the New Testament, you can realize that
the Old Testament already includes the New Testament.
The probably most important promise regarding
the substitutionary death of Jesus in the Old Testament was revealed to Isaiah,
the prophet of redemption. We suggest to all readers of this booklet to
memorize the unique text of this revelation. From it you can gain great
strength for your soul, an everlasting comfort and find a perfect answer to the
Islamic rejection of the cross.
Surely He
took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we
considered Him stricken by God,
smitten by Him, and afflicted.
But He was
pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the
punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
and by His wounds we were healed.
We all, like
sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord
has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
These three verses are the core of the whole
chapter. A Muslim student in Casablanca was encouraged to read this passage
before his fellows and then was asked what he thought about the person about
whom this passage speaks. He answered, after a thoughtful pause: "If this
story is true, then this man must have had great love!" The young Muslim
grasped the secret of the gospel!
Why did this Muslim not reject this distilled description
of the suffering of Jesus and his death? The reason is that he did not stumble
over the words "cross" and "son of God"! They are not
written in this text. That is why he could understand what actually happened on
the cross. Isaiah 53 speaks of Yahweh's slave who suffered and died in the
judgment of God as a substitute for His sinful people. Philippians 2:7 confirms
this testimony, reflecting to the confession of Jesus, who called Himself the
servant of all (Matthew 10:28; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Hebrews 2:14,17).
Jesus deeply humbled Himself and took on Him our
sickness, misdeeds, sins, crimes, our egoism, and endured our punishment in the
judgement of God. The Lord Himself cast all our sins on Him. Because of our
sins, He was beaten, tortured, wounded, and finally crushed and killed.
In return, we were granted peace with God and
the healing of all our wounds because He took them all on Himself. His
substitutionary self-sacrifice is completed, guaranteed, secure and valid
forever.
The tortured Lamb of God will have many
descendants and will complete God's plan of salvation - also among Muslims and
Jews. He will save many of them from their sins and can overwhelm even the
strong ones.
If you memorize the whole 53rd chapter of
Isaiah, from verse one to twelve, you will have a strong tool to proclaim the
victory of Jesus over Islam! This text should be distributed, neatly presented
and printed as a poster (without a cross and without the phrase "Son of
God"). In this way it can outflank, from within, the denial of Christ's
crucifixion.
Looking for other promises and prophecies about
the death of Jesus in the Torah, the psalms and the prophetic books, you can
find several verses and their fulfillment in the New Testament:
God slew animals and shed their blood in
paradise to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21).
The son of Eve will crush the head of the snake
with his bare foot and will be poisoned by it (Genesis 3:21, Revelation
12:4,5,15-17).
The one hung on a tree is under God's curse
(Deuteronomy 21:22, 23; Acts 5:30)!
They gave Him vinegar to drink (Psalms 69:22;
Matthew 27:33; John 19:29).
Into your hands I commit my Spirit (Psalms 31:6;
Luke 23:46).
The curtain of the temple was torn (Exodus
26:31-33; Matthew 27:51).
No single one of His bones was broken (Exodus
12:46; John 19:33-34).
They will look on me, the one they have pierced
(Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37; Revelation 1:7).
In the last prophetic book, there is a peculiar
description of the thirty silver coins that Judas accepted when he betrayed his
Lord (Matthew 26:14-16).
I told them, "If you think it
best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces
of silver. And the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the potter" - the
handsome price at which they priced Me!
(Zechariah 11:12-13)
In this text, Yahweh, the Lord of the covenant,
says, "The thirty silver coins are the price at which they priced Me!"
Is Jesus Yahweh? Did the Lord of the covenant become a man in Jesus Christ
(Isaiah 40:3-5; 60:1-2; Luke 2:11 et al.)?! His betrayal through Judas for
thirty coins of silver was revealed to Zechariah long before it happened!
An everlasting truth is hidden in the texts of
the Old Testament and in the corresponding verses in the New Testament, which
witness to the death of Jesus on the cross. Anyone who really wants to learn
will be able to understand. The special call in the last book of the Bible is
also directed to Muslims and Jews: "He who has an ear to hear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the church!" (Revelation 2:7 et al.)
II. The
Crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the New Testament
Unfortunately many Muslims hesitate to accept
the reports of the suffering Christ and His death on the cross as historical
truth. They smile and think, poor Christians! They mean well, but they are lost
in the desert of their imaginations and in their delusions. They see three Gods
instead of one and imagine that one of them was crucified! Most Muslims are
convinced that Christ was not crucified.
However, not all Muslims think so
radically. Some are ready to listen to the reports of the crucifixion of Jesus
or to watch them enacted in a movie. Two Muslims saw the Campus Crusade film on
the life of Jesus. Afterwards one said to the other: "Why do our sheiks
always claim that Christ has not been crucified? With my own eyes I saw Him
hanging on the cross and dying!" Whenever possible, we should open one of
the four accounts of the crucifixion of Christ and put the book in the hands of
the interested Muslim, so that he may read it himself out loud and meet Jesus
in these words.
The Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew
18:11; 20:28; 26:63-64) About 80 times in the four gospels Jesus called Himself
the "Son of Man." Although He, by this expression, appeared as Lord
and judge of the world according to Daniel 7:13-14, He emphasized His humanity
and His incarnation as a humble servant at the same time. By doing so He turned
the standards of all cultures upside down: The first should consider himself
last and the last is promised to be first. The greatest shall bow down and be
the lowest and the sufferer will be lifted up by God's love (Matthew 20:26-27;
23:11-12; Mark 9:35; 10:44; Luke 22:26-27).
Anyone who follows Jesus will become a servant,
not a master! This is a new avenue of thought, the complete opposite of Islamic
thinking. Our God is a humble God, but Allah is proud (Sura al-Hashr
59:23). The Islamic line continually exalts itself; the line of Christ and of
His followers constantly abases itself. The cross of Christ requires a change
in our attitude; otherwise it will make us stumble.
In Islam, a terrorist who is ready to sacrifice
his life to liberate his country often calls himself a "redeemer" (fida'i).
Christ is the true redeemer (faadi), who sacrificed His life to free all
who follow Him from God's judgement, from the power of sin, from Satan's
cunning tricks, and from eternal death. Jesus bought our freedom from all
negative powers that bind us. He is a servant of the despised and the redeemer
of the slaves of Satan. Christ's love and humility are the key to understanding
His death on the cross.
Some passages in the gospel that reflect a
criticism of the cross can be a help to critical Muslims!
After the testimony of Peter (Matthew 16:16)
Jesus honored the spokesman of His disciples but wanted to deepen his view of a
reigning Messiah to the reality of the suffering servant of God. He revealed to
him that He had to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer, and to die there in order to
be raised on the third day (Matthew 16:21).
Peter, however, was horrified. He thought Jesus
was suffering from depression, and encouraged Him: "May God protect you
from such evil! This shall never happen to you!" (Matthew 16:22). Jesus
looked at him sternly and calling him Satan said, "Get behind me
Satan! You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God,
but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23).
How could it come to this sudden change in the
conversation between Jesus and the spokesman of His disciples? Peter tried to
thwart the crucifixion of Jesus, the goal and purpose for which He had become a
man. Jesus at once distinguished the voice of Satan in the obviously well meant
words of the apostle, because Satan hates nothing more than the cross of the
Son of God, the place of his complete defeat.
The same revealing words of rebuke could also be
directed at Muhammad, who let Allah do anything to save the Son of Mary from His
crucifixion.
Jesus explained three times to His disciples
that the reason for His coming was to carry out His unavoidable suffering and
death (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-18): We are going up to Jerusalem, and
the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the
law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to Gentiles to be
mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life
(Matthew 20:18-19)!
The further Jesus approached Jerusalem, the more
He became aware of the details of His suffering and death, including His
resurrection. He was more than a prophet; He was the word of God in person. He
always talked to His Father in heaven, who revealed to Him future events
precisely.
A normal, thinking man may object: "If
Jesus knew all this, why did He not flee abroad or emigrate, like Muhammad from
did Mecca to Medina? Why did not Jesus hide or disguise Himself?" A divine
necessity drove Him! He knew that there would be no salvation for
mankind without His vicarious death. He obeyed the will of His Father in heaven
to the very death! This necessity appears strange and repulsive to Muslims!
Jesus hesitated, mourned bitterly and was deeply
troubled by His coming death, when He prayed in the olive garden under the
walls of Jerusalem. His disciples slept, and could not help Him with their
supplications. He, however, prayed: "My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew
26:39)
The man Jesus with His soul and body shrank from
the judgement of God that was to take place in His death. But the Son of God in
Him overcame the will of the flesh and yielded faithfully to the will of the
One, who loved Him. The cross of Jesus was not a picnic, nor a management ploy,
but a fight of heaven versus hell. Jesus accepted the infinite will of His
Father and prayed a second and third time: "My father, if it is not possible
for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (Matthew
26:42)
True "Islam" or total surrender became
visible in this prayer-fight of Jesus. Nobody forced Him to surrender to the
will of His Father; He was impelled by unwavering love trusting in the perfect
spiritual guidance of His Father.
The disciples had passed through the best Bible
college in the world with practical training in the presence of the best
teacher ever. When the test came, as Jesus was arrested, they all failed the
final examination. They fled into the darkness of the night! Peter struck the
ear of a soldier with His sword, and denied knowing His Master and Lord even
with an oath (Matthew 26:56,69-75).
How did Jesus react? How did He remedy the
failure of His beloved ones? He prayed for them while hanging on the cross: "Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
He completed the salvation of the world alone and cried at the end of His
agony: "It is finished!" (John 19:30)
At this moment He also settled the justification
of His fallen disciples without them knowing it. He saved the whole world,
including all Jews and all Muslims, with His salvation. Jesus does not have to
die again for Muslims or for Jews! He loved and loves all, including those who hate
Him. He waits for them to.
The responsible Roman officer wanted to be sure
that the "King of the Jews" was definitely dead and struck a lance
under the ribs right into His heart. This lance thrust would have been enough
to kill Jesus. However the torture of the cross had already accomplished its
aim. The lance thrust served as proof of the true death of Jesus. How can
Muhammad then say, "They did not kill him! They did not crucify him! He
only appeared so to them" (Sura al-Nisa' 4:157)?
When Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared
in His spiritual body to His hidden and fearful disciples behind locked doors,
He did not rebuke them for their flight, but greeted them, "Peace be
with you!" (John 20:19) When they did not grasp that it was really
Him, He showed them the wounds in His pierced hands and feet, and the wound in
His side (John 20:20). Then they recognized that the crucified and buried Jesus
was really alive, standing in their midst!
Afterwards the risen Lord again started to teach
them the plan of salvation in the Old Testament. During these 40 days, He
showed them from the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets that Christ had to
suffer in order to enter His glory (Luke 24:26-27). He opened their minds, so
that they could understand the Scripture and assured them, "This is
what is written: The Christ must suffer and rise from the dead on the
third day." (Luke 24:46)
Jesus Himself guides us to the right method for
serving Him among Muslims. Just as the first disciples of Jesus, Muslim
seekers, after a time of real interest in the message about Christ, may run
away not resting in their faith. Our task is to gather them again and
start the Bible lessons anew, just as Jesus did with His disciples!
After Jesus had prepared His Apostles to be
anointed with the Holy Spirit as the result of His sacrificial death on the
cross, the disciples asked Him, "Lord, will you establish the kingdom of
God as the Messiah of Israel in the next days?" They were still aiming at
a religio-political kingdom! They had not understood the message of Jesus about
a spiritual kingdom. After 40 days of special training by the risen Lord
Himself, they failed the exam again! They were still thinking in worldly terms,
politically and humanly. However, the moment they received the power of the
Holy Spirit, their vision and their preaching changed radically. They gained
the courage to express the truth in love. They declared to the horrified
audience that they all were killers, that with the help of the occupying Roman
soldiers they had nailed Jesus, the Messiah, to the cross (Act 2:23).
What did the shocked crowd of Jews answer? Nothing!
Not a single word! No one out of the crowd shouted: "Shut up! Be quiet! We
did not kill Him, we did not crucify Him!" rather they were silent. The
silence of the Jews is a proof for the historical fact that Jesus was
crucified. If they had the slightest chance to deny the guilt of this
crucifixion, they would have cried out and protested loudly. Yet, they remained
silent. Days earlier they themselves had shouted, "Crucify, crucify
Him!" (Matthew 27:22-26; John 19:15).
Peter and the Apostles repeated their call for
repentance on several occasions and witnessed to the striking truth of the
crucified Messiah before the crowd in the temple, after the healing of a lame
man, and before the Sanhedrin. None of the high priests and teachers of the law
could disprove their testimony, for they had all participated in the
crucifixion of Jesus as active eyewitnesses (Acts 2:36; 3:13-15; 4:10; 5:30;
7:52 et al.).
Whoever understands the consequences of the
Apostles' testimony in these seven verses of Acts and grasps the
dumbfoundedness of these Jews can find strong evidence there for the reality of
the crucifixion of Jesus. Muslims understand that no man will let himself be
called a murderer unless he is clearly convicted of murder! These seven verses
thus prove the fact of the crucifixion of Christ.
We should also recognize that the apostles were
not able to testify to the crucifixion of Jesus and to His resurrection as the
great victory of God except after the Holy Spirit had entered their hearts.
They would have remained silent, unable to understand what had happened, for a
long time.
When witnessing to Muslims our explaining and
teaching will be of little use until the Holy Spirit enlightens their minds,
just as Dr. Martin Luther wrote, "I believe that I cannot believe in
Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him by my own logic or willpower, but the
Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with His gifts,
purified me, and kept me in the right faith, just as He calls and gathers all
Christian believers on earth and keeps them in the right united faith."
Prayer for the preparation and opening of the
minds of the Muslims and the renewing of their hearts through the Holy Spirit
is as important as a wise testimony about the risen Savior, especially prepared
to meet the Muslim context.
Many Muslims are unwilling to listen to the
testimony of the Bible because they were taught that the Bible has been
falsified. For such misguided friends, especially if they are intellectuals, we
should do our best to find hints on the crucifixion of Christ in secular sources,
which have nothing or little to do with Christian teaching.
Two famous ancient historians reported the death
of Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth. One of them is Tacitus in his
book, Annals, and the other is Flavius Josephus in his book, The
Jewish War. Josephus reports in detail about Jesus and his crucifixion
under Pilate in volume VIII, chapter 3:3. Both historical works are
internationally recognized and can help upright Muslims to rethink the reality
of the death of Jesus.
The same is true for the Belgian Talmud. Jews
lived for some time in Belgium among Christians and had to give answers when
blamed on the crucifixion of Jesus. They wrote down that Jesus, the son of
Joseph, just died. This note in the Talmud stands in contrast to the rejection of
Jesus by orthodox fanatics who decided that "His name shall be forgotten
and deleted from all memories. Never again may his name be mentioned among our
people!"
A derisive note on Jesus was found inscribed in
the basement of the Palladium in Rome. A big cross was engraved on a wall and a
man with the head of a donkey hanging on it. Under the cross a Roman soldier
can be seen kneeling and worshipping the crucified one while other Roman
soldiers make fun of Him. This picture of Jesus clearly shows that the crucifixion
of Jesus was already known among secular Romans and discussed publicly, since
Roman soldiers has started to believe in the Savior they had executed.
There are further indications to the historical
fact of the crucifixion of Jesus that can make every Muslim think. During the
reign of Jamal Abd al-Nasser in Egypt the late Pope John XXIII tried to clear
the Jews living today from the blame of having murdered Jesus. The Egyptian
president, however, reacted furiously, and answered the Pope on TV and other
media: "We have understood your plan! You want to justify all Jews and
Israel! We will never permit this! We know who killed Christ: The Jews
crucified Him and nobody else!" Muslim leaders, Christian bishops,
priests, pastors and other responsible persons smiled. It was obvious that, in
order to condemn Israel, Jamal Abd al-Nasser was ready to admit that the Qur'an
was mistaken!
According to the law of the Shari'a the
theological jurists of the al-Azhar University in Cairo or of other Islamic
centers should have protested and corrected Nasser's statement within one
month, otherwise it would receive general validity. However, the scholars
feared the dictator or, maybe, they did not want Israel to be justified. The
important point is that the Islamic dignitaries remained silent, and thus, by
the principles of the Shari'a, indirectly admitted that they knew that Christ
was indeed crucified. Yet, they could not admit this frankly, because it would
contradict the well-known verse in the Qur'an. Anyway, in order to condemn
Israel, they accepted the lesser evil!
Today liberal and moderate Jews, who dissociate
themselves from the fanaticism of the orthodox Jews, live in the state of
Israel. Many of them tried to explore the Jesus phenomenon in order to bring
back this great, lost brother to His people. They confirmed the birth of Jesus
in "Nazareth," wondered, however, if it might be a case of rape by a
soldier of the occupying Roman power. They discussed His teachings and
miracles. But what did they write about His death? Did they deny His
crucifixion like Muhammad? What was their answer to this awkward question? They
describe the execution of Jesus as a legal error! They do not
question the fact of his crucifixion. All Jews with one voice would deny the
crucifixion of Jesus to free themselves of the 2000-year burden in their
history, if there was only the slightest possibility. But they know that
historical facts cannot be changed and will speak for themselves.
IV.
Helpful verses in the Qur'an which make the death of Jesus imaginable
If you study the different statements of
Muhammad about the death of 'Isa in the Qur'an, you can find contradictions and
a progressive hardening in his attitude towards the cross. It starts with a
tolerating acceptance of his death and goes to an ambivalent but consequent
denial of Jesus' death. However there are certain weaknesses in these verses as
well as possible hints to the cross of Jesus, which we present here for your
witness to Muslims.
The execution of prophets by the sons of Israel
is presented and condemned ten times in the Qur'an (Suras al-Baqara 2:61,87,91;
Āl 'Imran 3:21,112,181,183; al-Nisa' 4:155,157; al-Ma'ida 5:70). One of
these references says:
"We gave 'Isa, the Son of Mary the clear signs and strengthened him
with the Spirit of holiness. Will you then, every time a messenger comes to you
with something you don't like, proudly call some of them liars and others you
kill?" (Sura al-Baqara 2:87)
Such verses were written during Muhammad's time in Medina. He did not deny the repeated execution of prophets in the Old Testament, but presented them as charges against the Jews. Yet, he could not imagine that the Son of Mary was stoned as well, although he linked Him to the executed prophets directly (Suras al-Baqara 2:87; al-Nisa' 4:157). The logic of the Qur'an thus seems to require the death of Jesus as well.
There is a peculiar verse in Sura Maryam that
could almost be understood to be a Christian testimony in the Qur'an. In this
verse 'Isa introduces himself in the Qur'an and summarizes his life in one
sentence:
"Peace is upon me the day I was born, the day I will die and the
day I will be sent alive." (Sura Maryam 19:33)
Muhammad revealed this admission of 'Isa in
order to justify his mother Mary and to show that her son was not an
illegitimate child. His birth was under Allah's favor and his peace. Here, the
incarnation of the Word of God and His Spirit in Christ shines through in the
Qur'an (Suras Āl 'Imran 3:45; al-Nisa' 4:171; Maryam 19:20; al-Anbiya'
21:91; al-Tahrim 66:12 et al.). It is also an echo of the angels' song in the
fields of Bethlehem (Luke 2:14).
Christ appears in the Qur'an as a man of
peace. He did not sin (Sura Maryam 19:19), He was not a violent evildoer
(Sura Maryam 19:32). He did not take part in wars, murder or hostile speeches.
Christ was a peacemaker, which is the literal meaning of the word Muslim.
He is the only true Muslim, the Prince of peace.
This verse (Sura Maryam 19:33) also reveals a
clear and definite statement about the death of Christ. These words have always
proved a stumbling block to Muslim commentators. They twisted its meaning
asserting, no doubt, 'Isa would have to die, but not in His first earthly life,
but only after His Second Coming. He would return to destroy first the
Antichrist, then kill all pigs and eliminate all crosses. Afterwards He would
marry, have children and would convert all men (including all Christians) to
Islam. Only then would He die! His death would be the "knowledge of the
final hour" (Sura al-Hujurat 49:61). After His burial next to Muhammad
in Medina, Allah himself would appear on the day of judgement, raise Muhammad
and Christ from the dead and put them on thrones so that they should participate
in the judgement of the world.
A grammatical insight can help you to overcome
this cunning twist. Sura 19:33 does not contain the word "saufa"
which alone would transfer 'Isa's death into the far future, but instead it
speaks of his near, natural death, in a natural sequence of birth, death and
resurrection. All other interpretations are dreams or lies to veil the reality
of Jesus' death.
There is a similar verse in Sura Maryam about
John the Baptist (Yahya), which should degrade 'Isa to Yahya's level.
Here, Jibril, Allah's messenger says,
"Peace will be on him the day he will be born and the day he will
die and the day he will be sent forth alive." (Sura
Maryam 19:15)
John is known to have been beheaded and buried.
This fact was described in the same context of events as 'Isa's: firstly birth,
then death, and finally resurrection. However, in 'Isa's case the commentators
purposely twisted this order to erase the possibility of a death on the cross.
Maybe Muhammad presented 'Isa and Yahya together
in order to show that 'Isa would not be of divine nature. But in spite of this
he let 'Isa introduce himself as if he was giving a heavenly
"revelation," whereas Yahya was only introduced by Jibril. In the
Qur'an 'Isa stands higher than Yahya. The Son of Mary appears as a spirit of
Allah in the flesh and as his word, that has become incarnate, whereas Yahya
was only a child normally born from parents who were known.
According to the Qur'an 'Isa lived without sin
(Suras Āl 'Imran 3:45; al-Nisa' 4:171; Maryam 19:19 et al.). Therefore He
did not have to die for his own guilt. This allows the interpretation that he
took the sins of all people on himself and died in their place, reconciling the
Creator and the world through His atoning death. In the Qur'an 'Isa confirms
that the peace of Allah will rest on him even at the day of his death!
The most deceiving one
Another verse that shows the development of the
attitude of Muhammad towards the death of Christ can be found in Sura Āl
'Imran:
"They deceived, and Allah deceived, and Allah is the best of all
deceivers, because he said: O 'Isa, I will let you pass away (die) and lift you
up to me." (Sura Āl 'Imran 3:54-55)
According to the Qur'an the cunning people were
the Jews. They tried secretly to kill 'Isa, but Allah saw through their plan of
murder in advance. However Allah was more cunning than all of them. He let 'Isa
pass away peacefully and then lifted him up to heaven into his presence.
What was this "greatest of all tricks"
that is here attributed to Allah by the Qur'an itself? He saved Christ from a
violent death by stoning or crucifixion! In this way Muhammad stealthily tried
to abolish the cross of Christ by simply not mentioning it. Three expressions
related to this "philanthropic trick" stand out from the rest of the
words in this verse.
To abolish the cross of Christ Muhammad called
Allah the craftiest of all! The Bible uses this horrible phrase
only for "the snake" in paradise (Genesis 3:1)! Faced with the cross,
the spirit of Islam had to confess who he really was and is! Allah had to
reveal himself before the cross as "the best of all deceivers" (khair-ul-maakirin)!
We should grasp the far-reaching consequences of this Qur'anic statement for
our friends and ourselves. In Ephesians 6:11-20, Paul commands all servants of
Christ not to try to break collective demonic bindings by their own power and
wisdom, but to pray, believe and serve solely in the name of Jesus Christ and
in the power of His Spirit. Where the cross of Christ is cunningly denied, we
leave the sphere of logic and enter into the area of spirits and demons. The
blood of Christ remains our only protection (1 John 1:5-2:2), and His Spirit is
our only power (Act 1:8).
The other word in this text is "mutawaffika."
Allah says, "I will let you pass". This word has several meanings. It
also expresses the sense of "falling asleep gently" or of
"finishing one's life successfully." Muhammad used this complex word
to satisfy Christians as well as Muslims. For the Christians He had died, to
Muslims He had not. In their opinion 'Isa had been raptured into heaven without
pain. Muhammad was clever. He spoke not only in two, but, if necessary, in
three senses, using only one word!
The Turkish and Indonesian translations use for
this word of the Qur'an the equivalent of "I will let you die in
peace", because that is the meaning closest to the root of this word. Some
other translators, however, struggle with this expression, to please Islamic
commentators.
Muhammad used to say, "War is
deception!" Holy War, which includes arguing with Christians and Jews, is
therefore full of deceit and tricks. We should change our approach and become
wise! Not everything they say in Islam is meant as it is said!
After Muhammad had stated that the cross of
Christ had been avoided and eradicated through the "wiliest trick" of
Allah, he breathed a sigh of relief and tried to satisfy the delegation of
Christians from northern Yemen. They had come to discuss matters of faith with
him in Medina, according to the biography of Muhammad by Ibn Hisham. Muhammad
made Allah to have lifted 'Isa up to himself! This is a sensational
statement in the Qur'an. Christ is alive! Muhammad is dead! According to
the Qur'an 'Isa today lives with Allah and talks to him (Suras Āl 'Imran
3:55; al-Nisa' 4:158; al-Ma'ida 5:110-111,116-118; al-Anbiya' 21:28 et al.).
Muhammad, however, waits in an intermediate stage (Barzakh) for the
resurrection of the dead and the day of judgement. This is why all Muslims have
to pray for him, that he may have peace, every time they pronounce Muhammad's
name (Sura al-Ahzab 33:56).
The spirit behind Islam can tolerate a living
and returning Christ, and integrate it into its Muslim system of faith, but it
can never accept His cross and His deity! Thus, the warnings of Paul and John
apply to Islam, too (Galatians 1:8-9; 1 John 2:21-27; 4:1-5). Every missionary
among Muslims should, therefore, not only make friends, but also include
prayers for their release from their collective bondage. Muhammad knew why he
warned his followers of any kind of friendship with people of other faiths,
especially Christians (Suras Āl 'Imran 3:28; al-Nisa' 4:89; al-Anfal 8:73;
al-Mumtahana 60:1,9). We should not fear contacts with Muslims, because the
blessing of Christ is stronger than the curse of Muhammad (Matthew 5:44-45;
Suras Āl 'Imran 3:61; al-Tawba 9:29 et al.)!
The specific word that includes the meaning
"falling asleep gently" is used for the death of Christ a second time
in the Qur'an (Sura al-Ma'ida 5:117). There, the Son of Mary speaks to Allah
personally in direct conversation, after His ascension and confirms that the
Almighty had let Him pass away and had taken over the responsibility for His
disciples in His place. Christ's gentle death is presented in the Qur'an in two
ways – once as still approaching in the near future tense and once as completed
in the past perfect tense. This assures every reader of the Qur'an that Christ
was never crucified, but was painlessly transported to Allah himself!
The only verse in the Qur'an that denies the
crucifixion of 'Isa directly (Sura al-Nisa' 4:157) represents the end of
Muhammad’s development in his attitude to the death of Christ. This verse
abrogates and nullifies all previous "revelations," if these
permitted the possibility of the crucifixion of the Son of Mary. This rejection
of a painful execution of Christ was expressed in an ambiguous way, though, so
that it leaves space for doubts and contrary interpretations. In Sura al-Nisa'
we read:
"The Jews said, 'We have killed the Messiah, 'Isa, the son of Mary,
the Messenger of Allah!' – They have not killed him, they have not crucified
him, he only was made to appear so to them! Truly those who are in disagreement
about him, are in doubt about him. They do not know (the reality) about him,
but follow assumptions. They have not crucified him for sure, but Allah lifted
him up to himself. Allah is mighty and wise." (Sura
al-Nisa' 4:157-158)
This text contains several traps:
● It is unlikely that the Jews in Medina
confessed in public that the Son of Mary was the true Messiah and Allah's
messenger! They neither believed in the virgin birth of Jesus, nor in His
incarnation. They rejected Him completely as Messiah and called Him Beelzebub's
ally, the highest of the devils (Matthew 12:22; Mark 3:22-27; Luke 11:14-23).
This statement in the Qur'an could not have originated with the Jews, because
they did not recognize Jesus as the messenger of God, but concealed and dropped
His name completely.
It is however conceivable that the Jews wanted
to warn Muhammad that he should no longer bother and threaten them, otherwise
they would kill him, just as they had killed his "Qur’anic" Messiah
'Isa. It is possible that they ironically used the title of the Messiah as a
derisive threat.
● Muhammad was threatened several times by
the Jews in Medina, and also by the merchants of Mecca. But he calmed himself
down by saying, "Allah is faithful. It is impossible that he would give
the faithful 'Isa into the hands of the Jews. Otherwise it would be conceivable
that I, too, could fall into their hands." For the sake of Allah's
faithfulness and his own security, he rejected their threat and furiously
replied, "They did not kill him! They did not crucify Him!"
● Muhammad nowhere said that Jesus was not
at all killed and crucified. He only stressed that it was not the Jews who
executed the Christ! Maybe he had heard that the Jews usually did to crucify
their enemies, but that they stoned them. Under the occupying Roman power they
did not even have the right to sentence anybody to death or execute him.
Therefore Muhammad in a sense is right! The Jews did not kill or
crucify Jesus! This statement of the Qur'an, in this sense, is right and
our agreement to it can decrease the tension between Christians and Muslims.
All over the world it is known that the Romans
crucified thousands of rebellious slaves and foreign criminals. Thus, this
verse in the Qur'an grants the possibility that it was the Romans who
actually crucified Jesus. Today liberal Muslims, who want to build a bridge
to Christianity, frankly confess this syncretistic possibility of interpreting
the Qur'an.
● Muhammad used a rare passive form to
explain that Christ was made "similar" to a crucified one in the eyes
of the Jews (shubbiha lahum). He denied the crucifixion of Christ as a
historical fact, but claimed instead that he only was made to appear as a
"crucified one," just like a phantom.
Muhammad may have heard of a Christian sect in
the Nile valley that believed it was unthinkable for the great God to become
human and fulfill all human needs. They believed that God only appeared
as a man, but was never really incarnate. They also taught that Christ, as true
God, could not have died or have been crucified, but only appeared to have
been! When Muhammad heard this heresy he immediately saw his chance and said,
"Poor Christians! They think and believe that Christ died for them on the
cross, but it only appeared to them as such. He was never crucified!"
Muhammad several times was influenced or mislead by Christian sects.
Muslim commentators have put a great deal of
fantasy into interpreting this passive form "he was made to appear so to
them". The following unrealistic stories still circulate in certain
countries among Muslims today:
● Some say: Simon of Cyrene was forced by
the Roman soldiers to carry the cross for the flogged and weakened Jesus. When
they reached the place for the crucifixion, they mistakenly crucified Simon
instead of Christ. The Son of Mary walked away freely.
● Others say, Allah is just! He put the
likeness of Jesus onto the face of Judas, so that Judas was crucified. 'Isa,
however, who was made to look like Judas, went away unharmed. When an orthodox
Christian heard this story, he objected to the Muslims saying: "Do you
think that Mary, the mother of Jesus, standing under the cross of Jesus, was
not able to distinguish her son from Judas hanging above her? Or do you think
that Allah would fool the best of all women in this world and the next (Sura Al
'Imran 3:42) and deceive her so that she would mourn for hours for the dying
traitor, while her own son had already escaped? Both theories are
unthinkable."
● Others claim: Christ was truly
crucified. Then an eclipse brought darkness over the land, and most people hid
out of fear of demons. Then the strong earthquake followed and shook them all;
even the Roman soldiers looked for shelter. When everybody had left, Christ
hung on the cross on Golgotha all alone, so he climbed down from His cross and
- as the Ahmadiyya Muslims say - walked to Kashmir, and there died a natural
death. Yet, at the mausoleum for 'Isa in Srinagar, we saw with our own eyes
that not Christ, the Son of Mary, was buried, but the grandfather of a noble
Kashmiri family. The Ahmadiyya sect wrongly attributed the grave of a Muslim
sheikh named 'Isa to 'Isa, the Christ.
Trying to convince Muslims about the crucifixion
of Jesus as a historical fact is of little use as long as they themselves do
not ask for explanation. The biggest problem in the ministry among Muslims is
their conviction that they do not need a redeemer, mediator or an atoning
sacrifice. They are not conscious of their deep sinfulness. They think that
they can balance their bad deeds with good ones (Suras Hud 11:114; al-'Ankabut
29:7; al-Fatir 35:29-30). It is of no help to explain the crucifixion of Christ
to them, as long as they think that they do not need a substitute or savior.
They are convinced that they are good enough in themselves!
Making them realize how lost and condemned they
are, like all mankind, is sometimes even more important than their
understanding of an available justification by the death of Christ on the
cross. They should first learn that without God's intervention they will all go
to hell!
The psalms of repentance offer much help in
underlining this reality (Psalms 6:2-10, 32:1-11, 38:2-32, 51:3-19 et al.). We
recommend letting Muslims memorize Psalm 51, so that their whole
subconscious would be filled with the spirit of repentance. The faith of a
Muslim often does not penetrate from head to heart, but in the opposite way,
from the heart into the head. This is a hidden reality.
When a former Islamic sheikh was asked to recite
Psalm 51 for a radio program, in a similar way to the recitation of the Qur'an,
tears suddenly rolled down his cheeks. He had not only read the text carefully,
but had prayed it and recognized himself as a sinner. Psalm 51 is a school
of repentance to all of us. It shows us who we are. These verses contain
profound guidance to all self-satisfied people:
Ps 51:3 The sinner
in Psalm 51 asks for mercy and grace. David understood that he has no right to
expect forgiveness. He asks that the Lord would wipe out all his sins, not only
some of his mistakes, and that according to the unlimited mercy of God.
Ps 51:4 He felt
dirty in his body, soul and spirit, and asked for a complete cleansing from his
disgusting sins.
Ps 51:5 He
painfully realized his great sin. It raged in him. The Holy Spirit did not give
him rest. He could neither think normally nor sleep peacefully!
Ps 51:6 He
understood: Sin means rebellion against God, the creator and judge. He acknowledged
that a sin is not only a mistake or a wrong action, but also an offense on the
dignity and holiness of God. He confessed: "You are right, no matter how
you judge me. I have become incredibly guilty and lost my rights."
Ps 51:7 I am
completely polluted. Already when my mother conceived me, I inherited the
sinful flesh and spirit of my ancestors. I have been spoilt from my youth on.
My flesh, my spirit, my heart, my will, everything is very evil.
Ps 51:8 Lord, you
want to hear the truth. I confess all my hidden sins. You have shown me who I
really am.
Ps 51:9 If hyssop,
a plant used for disinfecting in the past, would be of help, then wash me
inside and outside with it. Wash me completely from my sins, then I shall
become whiter than snow.
Ps 51:10 Give me
back my joy, for despair is not the final solution with you. You have destroyed
my pride, but you can, as well, comfort me in my deepest inner being.
Ps 51:11 Do not hide
from me, speak only one word to me. Forgive, delete and erase all my
misdeeds!
Ps 51:12 I am a
hopeless case! Only a new re-creation can save me:
12 Create
in me a clean heat, oh God,
and
renew a steadfast Spirit within me.
13 Do
not cast me from your presence.
Do
not take your Holy Spirit from me.
14 Restore
to me again the joy of Your salvation,
and
make me willing to obey You.
We should ask for the grace of God to help the
Muslims realize their sinfulness in this or any other way, just as we for
ourselves need to repent with them. This psalm can lead every praying person to
repentance, until he or she finally realizes that only a broken spirit and a
contrite heart can please God.
Other servants of Christ use the Ten
Commandments, the Fall of Adam (Genesis 3:1-4,16) and especially the vision of
Isaiah 6:1-8 for breaking the pride of self-satisfied Muslims. When Isaiah
realized the holiness of God, the noble priest and prophet exclaimed in horror:
"Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips and I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the king,
the Lord of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5)
We should ask Jesus to reveal Himself to
self-centered Muslims, so that they break down and understand the great love
and holiness of the Lord to beg for mercy. Without acknowledging sin there will
hardly be repentance or forgiveness. That is why we should explain the meaning
of sinfulness to a Muslim, before we speak about the cross. This realization,
however, remains a gift of grace from our Savior (Romans 2:4). We should pray
for it.
There is a cruel verse in the Qur'an that claims
that all Muslims must go to hell! The fire is their inevitable
destination. In Sura Maryam Muhammad shocks all Muslims:
There is no one of you who will not
enter it (hell).
This is a predestined decree upon your Lord.
Afterwards we will save (let escape out of it) the god-fearing and keep the
unjust in it on their knees. (Sura Maryam 19:71-72)
Some servants of the Lord discovered that these
verses brought several Muslims to their senses as a kind of shock therapy. The
Islamic hope for redemption from the inevitable fire is, however, based on
fulfilling the Shari'a, the Islamic law. Only Jesus went through the hell of
the wrath of God in our place, so that we may not be judged and condemned (John
3:18-23; 5:24 et al.). His love reveals our egoism, pride and sin, so that we
may gratefully accept His completed salvation and his everlasting life.
VI. The Lamb of God
As soon as Jesus grants a Muslim the grace to
realize his own sin and condemnation, we should point him to the Lamb of God as
the only cure, because He carried away the sin of the world, including the
guilt of all Muslims (John 1:29-34; 1 John 2:1-2 et al.).
On their Feast of Adha, at the end of their
pilgrimage to Mecca, and simultaneously in all Islamic countries, Muslims
slaughter lambs, sheep, rams or camels, one for each family, to make sure that
the blessing of Allah will remain on them. However, they do not know the
meaning of the blood offerings in the Old Testament. They do not understand
substitution for our sins or reconciliation through shed blood. Therefore it
can be helpful to some Muslims to teach them the laws for sin offerings and
burnt offerings in the Old Testament (Leviticus 4:4,14,24,33 et al.), or
about the scapegoat on the great day of reconciliation (Leviticus
16:6-10). Thus they can draw closer to the true and holy God, and understand
the purpose of previous animal sacrifices in the Old Testament much better.
A meditation on the Passover lamb as
Jesus enacted it with His disciples in introducing the Lord's Supper may
lead to the realization of the completed reconciliation with God through the
self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The most important passage for recognizing and
believing in the Lamb of God remains the Old Testament revelation of the "Servant
of the Lord": Isaiah 53:4-12. This gospel in the Old Testament has
become an everlasting comfort and helped many seekers to grasp justification by
grace, when tortured by their consciences. The instant faith of the treasurer of
Queen Candace from Ethiopia is a clear sign of this (Act 8:26-39).
In addition you can use the Qur'anic echo to the
command of God to Abraham not to sacrifice his own son Isaac. There Allah says
to him:
"And we have redeemed him with a great (slaughtered)
sacrifice." (Sura al-Saffat 37:107)
This decisive sentence negates all efforts of
Muhammad in the Qur'an to do away with any reconciliation with Allah. This
so-called "revelation" admits the possibility of a divine
reconciliation through a slain offering! The completed redemption of Isaac was
not accomplished by his faith or his good works, but only by grace! We need to
make the Muslims aware of this important verse in the Qur'an, as it speaks of a
"tremendous" sacrifice, that had already been achieved before the
slaying of the vicarious ram. Still today Muslims try to find out who or what
is this over-dimensional divine sacrifice of reconciliation for the salvation
of Isaac. We know this secret: Jesus Christ is the true Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world. He also saved all of the children of Abraham.
Some Muslims may object that Abraham tried to
sacrifice Ishmael, and not Isaac, in order to transfer the blessings
from this act onto the Arabs and Muslims (Sura al-Saffat 37:102-107). Yet, the
Qur'an does not mention the name of Abraham's son who was to be slain. Until
the time of al-Tabari, Islamic interpreters named Isaac as the one to be
sacrificed. Only later did they alter their interpretation to Ishmael.
Obstinate Muslims will, further, object that the
Qur'an records five times a critical statement (Suras al-An'am 6:164; al-Isra'
17:15; Fatir 35:18 al-Zumar 39:7; al-Najm 53:38):
"There is no one burdened (with sin) who can carry the burden (of
sin) of another." (Sura al-An'am 6:164)
This verse claims indirectly that no substitute,
who is burdened with sin himself, can intervene and bear another man's sins. To
answer this we must notice that the Qur'an several times witnesses that Christ
remained without sin; this was finally confirmed in His ascension (Suras
Āl 'Imran 3:44,45; al-Nisa' 4:158,171; Maryam 19:19; al-Anbiya' 21:91;
al-Tahrim 66:12 et al.). Owing to the holiness of Christ all five Qur'anic
verses that speak against the possibility of a substitute can be used to prove
the opposite: "The substitute who is without sin, can bear other
people's burden of guilt!"
Jesus and His self-sacrifice out of love for all
sinners are the only helpful answers to hopeless Islam. The name of Jesus
remains His program: "He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew
1:21) His substitutionary death established the privilege of mercy for us all.
Christ's promise is definite: "Cheer up, son, daughter! Your sins are
forgiven!" (Matthew 9:2; Luke 7:50 et al.)
Muhammad could not utter such a sentence. He
never thought of dying in the place of Muslims. His death would also have been
in vain, because Allah commanded him several times to ask for the forgiveness
of his own sins (Suras Ghafir 40:55; Muhammad 47:19; al-Fath 48:2; al-Masad
110:3).
After the Holy Spirit had been poured out, as
the outcome of Christ's atoning sacrifice, the Apostles grasped and spoke of
their redemption through the death of Jesus with fervent love. The apostle
Peter confessed: "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like
silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your
fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19)
The apostle John confirms this message: "If
we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9)
The apostle Paul writes: "The message of
the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God.... We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a
stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1
Corinthians 1:18, 23-24)
Rev. Iskandar Jadeed confessed, "As a young
man I suffered from the four wives my father had and the vicious arguments
between our four families living under one roof. In a comforting, striking
moment I suddenly understood what John writes: "God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
In India a mother who was neither able to write
or read and had given birth to a dozen children asked for baptism, after her
Muslim husband had become a Christian. The pastor was skeptical about baptizing
her, as he thought she only wanted to do it to please her husband. When he
asked her why she as a Muslim woman constantly asked for baptism, she answered
wide-eyed, "Jesus Christ forgave all my sins on the cross and put eternal
life right into my heart."
Which Bible verse expresses your faith most
clearly? What can you share about the One who died on the cross for you? We
should take time to think and pray about our testimony to Muslims in our home
countries. Their number is constantly growing. Is there no impulse in your
hearts to bring the message of salvation that has been accomplished for them
clearly so that they can understand?
Dear reader!
If you have studied this booklet carefully, you can easily answer the
following questions. Whoever answers 90% of all questions in the eight booklets
of this series correctly, can obtain a certificate from our center on
Advanced
Studies
in helpful
ways for conducting conversations with
Muslims about Jesus Christ
as an encouragement for your future services for Christ.
1. Why
do the majority of Muslims think that the crucifixion of Christ is an illusion?
2. Why
do some Muslims imagine that Judas was crucified instead of Christ?
3. How
often does the Qur'an repeat that "No one can carry the sin of someone
else"?
4. Why
do Muslims claim that Allah can forgive whomever he wants, whenever he wants
and that he does not need sacrifices or a substitute?
5. Why
do Muslims hope (in vain) that their good deeds will drive away their bad
deeds?
6. To
what extent does the Islamic belief in predestination oppose faith in salvation
through Christ?
7. Why
does the cross remain a "taboo" for all Muslims, even if they are
ignorant of the Qur'an and the Shari'a?
8. What
is the spiritual implication of the fact that Muslims are collectively bound by
a spirit that opposes the cross?
9. Why
did Jesus refer to the metal snake lifted up by Moses in the desert to explain
that there will be no salvation except if he be lifted up on the cross? Did the
crucified Jesus symbolize all evil like the snake?
10. What
did the Passover lamb bring the Hebrew slaves in Egypt and why is Jesus
our Passover lamb? From which great danger will He protect us and why should we
eat His flesh?
11. How
many prophecies can you find in Psalm 22 fulfilled by Jesus according to
the Gospels? Which of these prophecies could in your opinion convince Muslims
that Christ was truly crucified?
12. Why
did Jesus pray, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"
Did His Father really leave Him? Was the Unity of the Holy Trinity divided by
Christ's crucifixion? What does this prayer mean?
13. Why
do the words of Isaiah 53:4-7 contain the most convincing promise in the
Old Testament explaining in detail that Jesus is our substitute? Have you
learned this text by heart?
14. What
did the 30 pieces of silver mean in the revelation to the prophet
Zechariah and how was his prophecy fulfilled in the New Testament? Is Jesus
Yahweh, the LORD?
15. Why
is the message in Matthew 20:28 extremely important and able to change all
cultures and customs in every society?
16. Why
did Jesus not hide or escape or emigrate to Lebanon or Syria knowing in
detail what was waiting for Him in Jerusalem?
17. What
is the essential difference between the first and the second prayer of Jesus in
the Garden of Gethsemane?
18. Why
did Jesus after His resurrection again gather His disciples that had deserted
Him to teach them the inevitable necessity of His vicarious death from
the Old Testament?
19. After
they had received the power of the Holy Spirit how did Peter and the other
apostles challenge the Jews? What does the "silence" of the Jews
to the repeated accusation of the apostles mean?
20. Why
is it nearly impossible for Muslims out of themselves to believe in the
historical fact of the cross of Jesus and in the salvation completed for them?
What should we earnestly ask our heavenly Father for them?
21. Why
are the historical reports of Tacitus and Flavius about Jesus and His
death on the cross important for Muslims?
22. What
proof comes from the graffiti (graphical depictions on a wall) of a
person hanging on the cross with the head of a donkey in the basement of the
Palladium in Rome?
23. Why
did Jamal Abd al-Nasser confirm through various media channels that
Muslims know who really crucified Christ? What is the legal consequence of his
confession?
24. How
do modern Jewish books relate the crucifixion of Christ?
25. How
often does the Qur'an report the killing of prophets by Jews? Why then
did Muhammad, contrary to his own logic, refuse the death of Christ?
26. According
to the fake testimony in Sura Maryam 19:33 what does Christ state about
His birth and death? Which biblical meanings can we put into this important
Qur'anic verse?
27. What
similarities and differences can you find between the testimony of Christ
(Sura Maryam 19:33) and the report by Jibril about Yahya (Sura Maryam 19:15)?
28. Why
is Allah called "the greatest of all deceivers" in the context of the
gentle passing away of Christ? How does the Bible comment this
expression?
29. What
was the greatest deception of Allah in relation to the Jews and Christ?
30. How
was Muhammad able to please Christians and Muslims simultaneously using
only one phrase to describe the death of Christ? What are the three possible
meanings of this word?
31. Why
does the Qur'an confirm the ascension of Christ to Allah but at the same
time deny His brutal execution?
32. What,
according to Islam, does it mean that Christ is alive but Muhammad is dead?
33. Why
is the statement of the Jews in Sura al-Nisa' 4:157 questionable and
actually wrong?
34. Why
does the stern denial of Muhammad that "they did not kill him (and) they
did not crucify him" give us a unique chance to prove that the Son of Mary
was actually crucified?
35. How
do Muslim commentators explain the statement of the Qur'an that Christ
was not crucified but only was made to appear as a crucified one?
36. Why
is it often useless to try to prove the historicity of the cross of Christ to a
Muslim if he himself does not demand such proof?
37. How
can we guide a Muslim to understand that he is a lost condemned sinner?
38. How
does the Qur'an state that all Muslims must enter hell?
39. In
the Qur'anic description of Abraham sacrificing his son to the Highest, why
does Allah's call to Abraham there give us a unique chance to explain to
Muslims the vicarious nature of the death of Christ?
40. Why
can we prove to Muslims the exact opposite of the Qur'anic statement that
"No one burdened (with sin) can carry the burden (of sin) of another
person"?
41. Did
Christ the Lamb of God also atone for all sins of all Muslims when he died on
the cross, or must Jesus die for Muslims again in a special way? If their
atonement by God has been completed, why then do Christians not inform Muslims
of their heavenly rights?
42. According
to your experience, which Gospel report about the suffering and death of Christ
do Muslims accept most often?
Every
participant in this quiz is allowed to use any book at his disposition and to
ask any trustworthy person known to him/her when answering these questions. We
wait for your written answers including your full address on the papers
or in your e-mail. We pray for you to Jesus, the living Lord, that He will
enlighten, send, guide, strengthen, protect and be with you every day of your
life!
Yours in His service,
Abd al-Masih and his brothers in the Lord
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