Jesus never died??

<h2 class=”objection”>Matthew 12:40—(Question #2): “Since Jonah was in the belly of a fish alive, Jesus must have been alive in the tomb also, so Jesus never actually died on the cross.”</h2>
<p><a href=”https://www.unchangingword.com/3-days-or-2-days/”>[see here for the related question of duration; 3 days &amp; 3 nights]</a></p>
<p>Deedat only made this argument credible by selectively presenting certain parts of the verse and concealing others. So here is the full verse Jesus said: </p>
<blockquote> “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40)</blockquote>

Deedat cuts this down to “As Jonah was … so shall the Son of man be” to cut out the real focus of this verse, which is clearly 1) the duration <i>three days and three nights, </i>and 2) being in an <i>enclosed area </i> for that time. There is simply no mention of whether Jesus or Jonah was alive or not, as this wasn’t the point of the passage. If we accept Deedat’s logic, let’s see how it applies to another similar prophecy of Jesus about his death:

<blockquote>And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:14,15)</blockquote>

Here the parallel is drawn between the bronze serpent Moses made (see Numbers 21:9) and Jesus, both of whom were lifted up as a means of salvation for others. So if we follow Deedat’s logic, this verse proves that like a bronze serpent, Jesus was lifeless before, during and after he was put on the cross!<p>

Trying to argue from the Injīl that Jesus never died on the cross is as ludicrous as trying to argue from the Qur’ān that Muhammad never considered himself a prophet of God. It is quite simply the central message of the Injīl. For a more detailed analysis of the crucifixion, see <a href=”https://www.unchangingword.com/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross/”>Did Jesus Die on the Cross</a>?