Could the Crucifixion Have Been Staged?
Could it be possible that Pontius Pilate, while not wanting to crucify Jesus, but also needing to appease the hostile Jewish crowd, could have fabricated Jesus’ death on the cross? Some of the more compelling points:
Pilate and his wife (Mt 27:19) argued at length with the Jews against executing Jesus. Clearly Pilate had no desire to carry this out.
Jesus was on the cross for such a short period of time, when it often took days to die on the cross.
In Luke, Pilate sends Jesus to Herod for judgment. I find it curious that Herod was excited to meet Jesus, and even more curious that Herod and Pilate possibly went from being enemies to being friends after that. (Lk 23:12)
Pilate did not seem to get along with the Jewish establishment, and he had motive to make it look like they were wrong about Jesus. If Jesus “rose” from the crucifixion, the Jewish leaders, who condemned him, would have lost much of their credibility. And to have the crowds follow the peaceful teachings of Jesus would be preferable to the rebellious teachings of the Jewish establishment.
The flogging, crown of thorns, spitting on, etc. seems a bit extreme on the part of the Romans given that Jesus was a non-threatening peasant in their view. (And Pilate didn’t want to crucify Jesus in the first place.) Perhaps Pilate wanted to put on a good show in order to make this "fake crucifixion" more believable.
The gospel of John is the only one to mention that a Roman soldier put a spear in Jesus’ side to make sure he was dead. Could this have been added by the author as a response to rumors that Jesus was alive when he was removed from the cross?
Right before Jesus breathed his last, he was given “wine vinegar” (Mt. 27:49). Could this have been some sort of drug that rendered Jesus unconscious?
After Jesus “died”, those that knew him stood at a distance and watched (Lk. 23:49). So if Jesus was still moving, breathing, groaning, etc. they would have been too far away to detect it.
Joseph of Arimathea: Pilate’s accomplice? Why would a rich man put the body of a condemned “criminal” in his own expensive rock tomb? Why would Pilate let him?
This would also explain all of the sightings of Jesus after his crucifixion.
A couple of side notes: For this to be possible, I don’t think that Jesus could have had his feet nailed because he wouldn’t have been able to walk with only three days of healing. Also, if Pilate did do this, I don’t think he would have ever dreamt that it would turn into a world religion. Finally, Jesus would had to have left Palestine for the rest of his life. Thoughts?