Why was stoning used as an execution method?
Question:
I'm just wondering if there's a significance in stoning as a means of execution in the Bible. Christ was on the cross because that was the worst way to die and it was a prophecy fulfilled. How about stoning? Why not drowning or burning instead for example?
Answer:
If you are asking why Jesus died on a cross instead of another way, I can only make a few observations. In prophesying the Messiah's death, crucifixion was not something practiced in Israel until the Romans came. Even then, it wasn't a widespread form of execution. It was mostly used between 500 BC to 340 AD. Yet, Psalms 22 describes the crucifixion in detail but it was written by David about 1000 BC. Other passages also give hints to a crucifixion, yet they were written before such was practiced.
Stoning was used for a number of crimes in the Old Testament. Perhaps one reason is the same motivation of the firing squad, no one knows which stone actually killed a person. It was a form of execution that required the participation of the community, thus everyone had a hand in upholding the law (Numbers 15:35-36). An interesting provision was that the witnesses to the crime had to cast the first stones (Deuteronomy 17:7). Such made the seriousness of telling the truth in court more serious when you realize that a person could die because of your testimony and you would have a hand in it.
