There are several issues I have with the Crucifixion story. Don't get me wrong, I'm not disputing it happened, it's just that certain key elements of the story don't add up, and any sort of minor investigation into the historical background of the event will quickly reveal what is wrong with the story, as it has come down to us.
The only problem in answering those key questions through a historical examination, is that those people who truly believe that Jesus died on the cross, to save us from our sins, don't want to know about anything other than what it says in the Bible. For them , the Bible is unassailable. They don't even care that most of it was probably concocted from fragments of stories more than a hundred years after the event, and that ever since it has been censored, edited, cut to ribbons and altered to suit various political and doctrinal agendas.
So, you ask, what problems do I have with the Crucifixion story, as a "rational" individaul capable of examining the story objectively. Well, if we rule out the suggestion that Jesus was the Son of God, and examine his situation as though he were a mere mortal man, then the issues become obvious:
Why did Jesus die so quickly on the cross, when usually it took days to die?
Why did Jesus appear to die immediately after having his lips soaked by the sponge containing vinegar, was it perhaps some sort of knock-out drug used instead?
Why did blood pour from the wound in Jesus side, inflicted by a Roman soldier? Had he really been dead, he would not have bled so easily!
Why was Jesus body taken down so quickly? Usually the body would have been left for a significant period of time, before removal from the cross.
The answers are not immediately apparent, but can be deduced quite easily. Firstly, crucifixions were public events, and the crucifxion of Jesus was no exception, only it took place in a private garden owned by Joseph of Arimathea, and any spectators were at some distance from the event.
Secondly, the Passover was used as a pretext for taking down the body of Jesus, and as such he had to appear to die quickly. The usual practice was to leave the condemned man on the cross until his chest began to collapse from supporting his own weight, at which point the knees would have been smashed, to bring a swift conclusion to the suffering. However, we can clearly see that it wasn't intended that Jesus should suffer such a fate, so his apparent death had to be brought on prematurely. Thus the application of the sponge. There were plenty drugs found naturally in Israel at that time, which when applied correctly could slow down someones heart-rate significantly enough to cause them to appear to be dead, and it seems that that is what happened. The bleeding from the spear wound suggests that he was quite alive as he was taken down and hurried to his tomb, where we can assume he was attended to throughout the night.
So why would such an event be orchestrated in the first place? Well, Jesus appeared to die a martyrs death and be resurrected. He's looking pretty good so far. He gets to leave all his trouble behind and head for pastures new, presumably India. The Romans didn't care about Jesus, but he had some powerful friends who were able to direct the full course of events. Presumably, Pontius Pilate was aware of what was to happen, his only dicatate being that Jesus disappears forever, and that everyone believes him to be dead. Perhaps Jesus wanted to appear before the people like an angel risen from the dead, but was so prohibited by the Romans that he was left with no choice but to leave, otherwise, next time it would be for real!
