Witnessing to Muslims

Did Jesus really die on the cross?

Does the Koran refute Christ's crucifixion?

Muslims do not believe that Jesus died on the cross. There is a verse in the Koran which says, "They killed Him not, they crucified Him not, but it was likened unto them. They killed Him not knowingly, but God raised Him and God is the most merciful of merciful. " 90% of the time, the Muslim will tell me immediately, "But they killed Him not, they crucified Him not!" In the Muslim's mind, this verse is saying that God was so merciful that He could never allow a wonderful prophet such as Jesus to be crucified by His enemies. They believe God saved Him, and lifted Him up to heaven. God then punished Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Him the night before, by changing him into the likeness of Christ. Muslims believe it was Judas, not Christ, who was crucified and they say this in defense of a prophet whom they consider to be great and wonderful. They say this out of zeal and respect for Jesus.

In explaining the second part of the Koranic verse, which says, "They killed Him not knowingly", you can remind the person you're sharing with of the attitude the Jews held toward Christ. When Jesus was taken to the Roman governor, they did not believe He was the Messiah. They wanted to get rid of Him. So by saying, "They killed Him not knowingly", the Koranic verse is simply saying they killed Him without knowing He was the Messiah.

B. The Biblical prophecy and necessity of Christ's crucifixion.

The issue of Christ's death on the cross also brings us back to the verses in Genesis 4, we see how God accepted Abel's sacrifice, the lamb, but rejected Cain's sacrifice, which was the fruit of his labor. Explain to the person with whom you are sharing that the lamb is a substitute for man and represents the coming of Christ. The fruit of Cain's labor was representative simply of good works, and was not sufficient to meet God's requirement.

In Genesis 22, Abraham takes his son as a sacrifice in obedience to God's command: "And He said, 'Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Issac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you" (Genesis 22:2). What does this mean? Why would God have asked such a thing? Discuss the passage together, focusing especially on the picture of God providing a ram miraculously as a substitute for Abraham's son. Abraham had lifted his knife and was ready to kill his son, but what happened instead? He heard a voice saying, "Abraham! ... Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me" (Genesis 22:12). What would have happened had Abraham not listened? His son would have been killed. But Abraham believed and took instead the ram, which he sacrificed in the place of his son. You can explain that the ram represents Jesus Christ, and we can look back 2000 years ago and see Him on the cross for you and me. Turn to John 1:29, where John the Baptist proclaims, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes the sins of the world!" Jesus is the Lamb of God.

In addressing the issue of Christ's death further, I strongly suggest you read through Isaiah 53, which very clearly speaks about the coming of Christ and the redemption of mankind - Jesus Himself bearing our sins on the cross, Himself being the sacrifice. The entire chapter talks about Jesus, but you should focus especially on verses 4 through 12. Take time to underline all the prophecies regarding Him. If possible, let the person you're sharing with read the passage for himself, out loud. I have had dozens and dozens of Muslims read that chapter aloud and every time I ask them, "Who do you think the prophet Isaiah is talking about here?" No one has ever given a wrong answer. They say, "It is Jesus, son of Mary. Christians Arabs call him "Yassoua," which is taken from "Yashoua," the Hebrew name for Jesus, while Muslims call Him "Issa," taken from "Yssus," the Greek name for Jesus. Take this opportunity to show him that what was prophesied in Isaiah was fulfilled in the person of Christ nearly 600 years later.

Another important thing to point out here is that "the Lord was pleased" (verse 10) to offer Christ as a sacrifice for man's sin. God is just; He said in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death," which is eternal separation from God. However, God is also merciful. He would not allow the whole world to go to hell. From the moment man fell, the death of Christ was planned as the solution for sin.

Now there are those who would question the necessity of Christ's death on the cross, citing good works as a means of atonement for one's sin. But suppose I stole your watch, and you caught me, brought me to the police and turned me in. Suppose further that because of this, the police sentenced me to five days in jail. Could I get out by saying "Wait a minute. I bought him lunch yesterday, paid for his subway and everything!" Would the police accept it? Of course not! It's not logical. Good works alone are not sufficient payment for one's crimes.

I will often use the illustration of the just judge: A judge is sitting in the courtroom, wearing his judicial robe, and a young girl stand before him. She has been charged with driving without a license and speeding down the highway, for which the penalty is ten thousand francs. HE points his finger at her and asks, "Are you guilty or not?" To which she answers," Yes, Your Honor: But I cannot afford to pay the penalty." The judge, however, tells her, "You must pay!" An with that dismisses the court. He then steps down from the bench, takes off his robe and gives the girl ten thousand francs. Why? Because he is her father, and while he could not dishonor his name by letting her go free, he is also merciful and loving and could not bear to see her put in jail because of her inability to pay. The only solution, therefore, is for him to pay the penalty himself.

In the same way, we can see how Christ has paid the penalty for OUR sin in Philippians 2, verses 5 through 11: Christ, being equal with God, nevertheless emptied Himself, taking off the robe of heavenly glory and coming down as a man to bear the cross. At the cross, the justice and the mercy of God met together, and both were satisfied. Ask the person with whom you are sharing, "What would you think of God if for thousands of years He promised that Jesus would come and die for the sins of the world, and at the last moment, when Jesus was about to be put on the cross, He took him alive and changed Judas into the image of Christ? Does this description fit the God we know?" Not only would this make God out to be a liar, but also there would have been no provision for man's sin! Jesus was the only sacrifice sufficient for man's salvation.

C. If Jesus died on the cross, and if Jesus is God, does that mean that God died on the cross also?

In the Gospel of John, chapter 4, we are told that God is Spirit. In the original Hebrew language, Spirit is "roh." from this word, the word "roh" is taken, which is also the air in the atmosphere. Air is everywhere. Though you cannot see it, you know it is present: you can feel it, you breathe it, even though it has no color or shape. The same thing is true with the Spirit of God - He is present everywhere.

If you take an empty bottle, you know that it is empty of any liquid, yet it is filled with air. The air that's inside the bottle, furthermore, has taken the shape of the bottle, even though the air has no shape. The characteristics of the air inside the bottle are identical to the air outside the bottle. The fact that there is air inside the bottle does not mean there is none outside the bottle, because air exists everywhere in the atmosphere. Now, if you were to take the bottle today, and smash it against the wall, it would break into hundreds of little pieces. It would be shattered. Can we say that the air inside the bottle would also be shattered? No. Only the vessel that contained the air has been shattered.

The same thing took place when God, who is Spirit, dwelt among us in the body of Jesus Christ. God took the likeness of man. That does not mean that HE no longer existed. Rather, like the air when it filled the bottle, God still exists everywhere. Furthermore, Jesus' crucifixion on the cross does not mean that God was killed, but rather that the body, which contained the Spirit of God, was killed. God has always existed, even during the third day sin which Jesus was dead in the tomb. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul has written in his epistle to the Philippians, chapter 2, verses 5-11:

"Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knew should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord,