The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
.png)
[Quotes are from the ESV]
"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." – The Apostle Paul
Christ's resurrection is central not only in the gospels, but equally in the sermons and letters of the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 15 the Apostle Paul explains why the resurrection is indispensable to the gospel message and to the faith of the Church. Paul tells the Corinthians that the resurrection is of “first importance” for if Christ did not rise from the dead, then our faith is “vain” and we are still “dead in our sins” (Chapter 15:1-19). Paul's argument is simple. If there is no resurrection, then Christ was not raised from the dead. If Christ was not raised from the dead, then we are still in our sins. Without the resurrection there is no gospel message and no Christian faith. This is why Christ resurrection is of “first importance” and central in the apostle's teaching and preaching.
We see the centrality of the resurrection message in all the sermons in the book of Acts. In the first recorded sermon, preached on the day of Pentecost, Peter, one of the twelve apostles, argues that Christ's resurrection proves that Christ is the promised Messiah:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.’
Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified”(Acts 2:14-36).
In Acts 3, Peter again preaches to a crowd:
“And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all” (vs. 12-16).
Peter proclaimed to to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and to those gathered together at his house:
“Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:34-43 ).
The apostle Paul also proclaimed Christ's resurrection thoughout the book of Acts. When addressing the crowd in the synagogue at Antioch he preached:
“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people" (Acts 13:26-31).
When in the city Athens, Paul was mocked by some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection:
“Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18).
At his trial before King Agrippa Paul proclaimed:
“To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23).
The death and resurrection of Christ, along with their implications for both the Christian life and Church, are mentioned too many times in the New Testament to recount here. A simple on-line search or concordance will suffice to show the centrality of the resurrection in the apostle's preaching and teachings. But throughout the history of the Church Christ's resurrection has either been denied out rightly or dismissed as not important. Did Jesus rise from the dead? Does it even matter?
Evidences of Christ's Resurrection
Evidences for Christ's resurrection is often considered in a two-fold manner: the empty tomb, and the post resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ.
The Empty Tomb
"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen"
The gospels, Acts, and letters, of the New Testament explicitly affirm an empty tomb. Any explanation for the empty tomb must take into consideration this foundational proclamation made by the apostles and other eyewitnesses. Unsurprisingly, many attempts to explain the empty tomb have been made in the past and persist till the present; some of these “theories” are as old as the New Testament itself, yet reemerge year after year in some form or other.
Over the course of history a number of theories attempting to explain or explain away Christ's death and resurrection have been suggested, but they all die by the same sword of the evidence. Note that the refutation of but a few of these views will serve well in answering them all.
The Swoon Theory
Basic to the swoon theory is the idea that Christ did not die on the cross but merely “swoon” into unconsciousness giving the impression that He died. After Jesus was entombed in the cave, the coolness of the tomb revived Him and He made His way out and returned to His disciples as if He did rise from the dead. Some obvious problems with the Swoon Theory are:
First, the Roman guards knew how to execute people and knew when someone was dead; it was their job. Roman crucifixion was normally carried out by a Centurion commander and four soldiers who were trained to carry out the executions. The guards made sure the task was finish by thrusting a spear into Christ's side. The apostle John records, “But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” (19:34-35).
In The Journal of the American Medical Association (March 21, 1986, 255:1455-1463) Dr. William D. Edwards, concludes the published article “On the Physical Death of Jesus” with the following:
“Thus, it remains unsettled whether Jesus died of cardiac rupture or of cardiorespiratory failure. However, the important feature may be not how he died but rather whether he died. Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear, thrust between his right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death. Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.”
Let us assume, however, that Christ miraculously survived His crucifixion. How did he move the stone with spike holes in his hands and feet? How did he over power the Roman soldiers and walk to town and convince his disciples that this pathetic, emancipated looking person was the risen Lord (John 20:24-27)?
How is possible that Jesus Christ, in this dreadful condition, convince his disciples that he rose victorious over death? How could such an image of Jesus embolden the disciples to spread the gospel across the known world and suffer martyrdom? Lee Strobel, in his excellent work The Case for Christ writes:,
“'Do you see what I am saying? After suffering that horrible abuse, with all the catastrophic blood loss and trauma, he would have looked so pitiful that the disciples would never have hailed him as a victorious conqueror of death; they would have felt sorry for him and tried to nurse him back to health.
“' So it's preposterous to think that if he had appeared to them in that awful state, his followers would have been prompted to start a worldwide movement based on the hope that someday they too would have a resurrection body like his. There's just no way'” (The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel p. 202).
Noted church Historian Philip Schaff writes: “A brief sickly existence of Jesus in need of medical care, and terminating in his natural death and final burial, without even the glory of martyrdom which attended the crucifixion, far from restoring the faith of the apostles, would have only in the end deepened their gloom and driven them to utter despair” (Schaff).
The Stolen Body Theory
Another theory is that the disciples stole the body of Jesus. But after the crucifixion the disciples were crush beyond despair. They gave over three years of their life following Jesus Christ, believing he was the promised Messiah, and were anticipating the setting up of His Kingdom. Yet before their very eyes He is gruesomely killed as a criminal, and cursed by being hanged on the cross (Gal. 3:13). As Jesus was arrested, the disciples cowardly scatter and forsake Him. Afterwards the disciples are hiding behind locked doors fearing for their own safety (John 20:19). Now imagine, if you will, one disciple gets this idea, “Hey I know, lets go to the tomb, steal the Lord's body and we will just tell everyone He has risen from the dead!” “What about the Roman guards?” another disciple asks. “Oh, we can take those guys out, there is 12 of us, besides, maybe they will be sleeping.” Sound ridiculous? The reason it sounds ridiculous is because it is ridiculous.
Nevertheless, the Jewish authorities did tell such a story. They paid the Roman guards off to say that while they were sleeping the disciples came and stole the body of Jesus (Matt. 28:11-13). But the obvious problem here is, if they were sleeping how do they know the disciples stole the body? And why did not the authorities round-up the disciples and arrest them for committing a criminal act, and recover the body of Jesus?
Then there is the question of the linen wrappings (Jn. 20:5-7). It was the custom to wrap the decease in linen wrappings, much like a mummy. After the disciples supposedly over powered the Roman guards in order to steal Jesus' body, why would they unwrap the linen wrappings? Would it not be more expedient to grab the body and run? But notice too John's description of the placement of the grave linens. They were lying there exactly the way they were when Jesus was laid in the tomb only minus the body of Jesus. When John saw this the scriptures says “and he believed” (Jn. 20:8).
Finally, this view would also mean that the Apostles willing suffered martyrdom for what they knew was a lie. Alister Begg has rightly observed, “Men may die for conviction, but not for a concoction” (audio 1783). The stolen body and swoon theories (as well as the others) takes far more faith (and less reason) then to take the resurrection account given by competent and reliable eyewitnesses as given.
Another theory suggested is the woman and disciples simple went to the wrong tomb. But this is just another silly example by those who know the tomb is empty and are forced to explain it some way. But if the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb, why was Christ's grave clothes there (Jn. 20:5-8)? Why did not the Jewish or Roman authorities, who are trying to bring an end to the spread of this “new” sect, go to the right tomb and point out the disciple's error? If Christ did not rise from the dead and is still in the tomb, the authorities could walk there and open the right tomb and show the decomposing corpse of Jesus to the confused disciples; they did not. Moreover, scripture clearly states that “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus saw where he was laid” and would know where the tomb was (Mk. 15:47 ).
Post-Crucifixion Appearances:
"He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3 )."
“And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (1 Cor. 15:5-8 )
The resurrected Christ appeared to many eyewitnesses creating a problem for those wishing to deny the fact that Christ rose from the grave. The most common explanation is that the disciples and other eyewitnesses hallucinated or were merely seeing a vision sent by God.
The disciples, woman, the disciples on the road to Emmaus, James the Lords brother, the 500, (see 1 Cor. 15; Lk. 24) and others, it is alleged, all hallucinated, and all had the same hallucination. This really deserves no answer except to say it does not even explain the empty tomb or Why the authorities did not show the disciples Jesus body as mention earlier? Furthermore, this theory is beset with difficulties such as: What accounts for these hallucinations in the disciples and others who were not expecting Christ to rise from the dead? What accounts for all the disciples having the same vision or hallucination?
Gary Collins writes, “Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They certainly aren't something which can be seen by a group of people. Neither is it possible that one person could somehow induce an hallucination in somebody else. Since an hallucination exists only in this subjective, personal sense, it is obvious that others cannot witness it” (Cited by Strobel p. 238-239).
As to the idea that the eyewitnesses received a vision from God, this requires a belief in the supernatural, yet that is the very reason why the resurrection is denied. Christ's resurrection is not rejected because there is no evidence, it is rejected because supernaturalism is rejected and no amount of evidence will be believed. Yet the vision theory requires a belief in God and therefore a belief in supernaturalism. If the literal bodily resurrection of Christ and the so-called vision theory both require belief in supernaturalism, then is it not more reasonable to accept the account given by reliable eyewitnesses?
All these attempts to explain away the empty tomb and Christ's appearances to many eyewitnesses, fail to account for one or more of the following:
The Sudden and Dramatic Change in the Disciples
When Jesus is arrested all the disciples flee in fear (Matt. 26:56). As Jesus was being wrongly tried, Peter, fearing for his life, denies he even knows Jesus (John 18:25-27; Matt. 26:75). At Jesus' crucifixion, His disciples, also out of fear, abandon Christ leaving Him to suffer alone with only John and the women looking on (John 19:25-27). Afterwards, the disciples are hiding behind locked doors in fear of the Jewish authorities (John 20:19).
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus illustrates well the despondency and disillusionment of the disciples at Christ's death (Luke 24:13-25). While Cleopas and another disciple walk along the road, apparently leaving Jerusalem after Christ's death, the resurrected Christ comes along side of them. But “their eyes were kept from recognizing Him” (vs. 16) and Jesus begins a conversation with them:
“And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened” (Luke 24:17-22).
At the death of Jesus the disciple of Jesus were shocked, depressed and disillusioned, and fearful of suffering the same fate as Jesus. But all this changed in the disciples. They went from being fearful, despondent, and disillusion, to returning to Jerusalem with great joy and turning the world upside down. Luke ends his gospel saying: “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God”.
In the book of Acts, we see Peter and John fearlessly preaching Christ and His resurrection, despite suffering violent persecution from the Jewish authorities. What accounts for this dramatic change in the disciples? What best explains the disciples striking and sudden change? Can the so-called swoon theory? Or the stolen body idea? Or that Jesus Christ did truly rise from the grave as the disciples proclaimed. Which sufficiently explain the available data? The sudden and dramatic change in the disciples is the single best proof that only the literal bodily resurrection of Christ from death, and accompanying appearances to His disciples, and many others, best explains the historical data.
The Conversion of Paul and Jesus' Brothers
The conversion of Paul and Jesus' brothers is also not possible to explain apart from Christ's resurrection. Paul, also named Saul (his Jewish name), was a devoted member of the strict Jewish sect known as the Pharisees and persecuted with great gusto the new believers in Christ (Acts 26:5). We first meet Saul after the disciple Stephen gave testimony before the Jewish authorities. Stephen was falsely accused of blasphemy and brought before the authorities. After his lengthy defense the authorities became enrage at him and “then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul and Saul approved of his execution” (7:54-8:1). Later we read “Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (8:3). In Acts Chapter 9 Saul is still persecuting the Church and receives permission from the high priest to go to Damascus and hunt down and bring back as his prisoners those believers who fled there. But there was a sudden and dramatic change in Saul and throughout the rest of Acts Saul is no longer a persecutor of the Church but a devoted follower of Christ, and became the greatest missionary of the gospel, preaching Christ to all of the known world as Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ. During one of these missionary journeys Paul is accused along with Silas by the Jews and city authorities of being the men “who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). The question that must be ask in any honest inquiry is, what accounts for this change in Paul? What explains this sudden and dramatic change? The answer is not hard to find. Paul tells us that he too became an eyewitness to Christ's resurrection as he journey to Damascus (Acts 9; 1 Cor. 15).
During Jesus' life and ministry we are told that His family did not believe that He was the Messiah (John 7:5; Matt. 13:57). For example, when Jesus named His twelve disciples His family went to get Him saying, “He is out of His mind” (Mark 3:21). His family would have seen His death on a cross as a common criminal as an utter disgrace and dishonoring to the family and explains why none of His family was with when He died except His mother Mary.
But then in Acts Chapter one, His brothers are present with the apostles and Mary in the upper room waiting the promise of the Holy Spirit. Later, Jesus' brother James becomes the leader of the Church in Jerusalem and writes part of the New Testament. Sometime afterwards James died for his faith in His Brother (as did all the apostles except John). Again we must ask, why this change? What changed for James was he seen the risen Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-7).
The Martyrdom of the Disciples
How is it possible that the disciples willing suffered martyrdom for what they knew was false? While it is possible for one to give up their life for what was false--believing it to be true--but a rational minded person will not willing die for what one knows is false. But history and church tradition tell us all the apostles except for John suffered violent deaths for believing and preaching that Jesus Christ did rise from the dead. The historian Schaff rightly observed that “...a self-invented falsehood could not give them the courage and constancy of faith for the proclamation of the resurrection at the peril of their lives. The whole theory is a wicked absurdity, an insult to the common sense and honor of mankind.”
I close this section with two insightful quotes. Charles Hodge, a Princeton Theologian, writes:
“We are so constituted that we cannot refuse assent to the testimony of good men to a fact fairly within their knowledge. To render such testimony irresistible it is necessary, 1. That the fact to be proved should be of a nature to admit of being certainly known. 2. That adequate opportunity be afforded to the witnesses to ascertain its nature, and to be satisfied of its verity. 3. That the witnesses be of sound mind and discretion. 4. That they be men of integrity. If these conditions be fulfilled, human testimony establishes the truth of a fact beyond reasonable doubt. If, however, in addition to these grounds of confidence, the witnesses give their testimony at the expense of great personal sacrifice, or confirm it with their blood; if, moreover, the occurrence of the fact in question had been predicted centuries before it came to pass; if it had produced effects not otherwise to be accounted for, effects extending to all ages and nations; if the system of doctrine with which that fact is connected so as to be implied in it, commends itself as true to the reason and conscience of men; and if God confirms not only the testimony of the original witnesses to the fact, but also the truth of the doctrines of which that fact is the necessary basis, by the demonstration of his Spirit, then it is insanity and wickedness to doubt it.”
And Simon Greenleaf writes:
“All that Christianity asks of men on this subject, is, that they would be consistent with themselves; that they would treat its evidences as they treat the evidence of other things; and that they would try and judge its actors and witnesses, as they deal with their fellow men, when testifying to human affairs and actions, in human tribunals. Let the witnesses be compared with themselves, with each other, and with the surrounding facts and circumstances; and let their testimony be sifted, as if it were given in a court of justice, on the side of the adverse party, the witnesses being subjected to a rigorous cross-examination. The result, it is confidently believed, will be an undoubting conviction of their integrity, ability and truth ... Either the men of Galilee were men of superlative wisdom, and extensive knowledge and experience, and of deeper skill in the arts of deception, than any and all others, before or after them, or they have truly stated the astonishing things which they saw and heard."
Some Implications of the Resurrection of Christ:
(1) “Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me” (John 10:25). In raising Jesus from the dead, God vindicates Jesus Christ who was executed as a criminal. Keep in mind Jesus made many claims concerning Himself, but the two most startling claims, especially to those who saw and heard him, are, first, His claim to be “one with the father” (John 10) and, second, the startling claim that He, and HE ALONE, was the only way to God. He boldly said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ). Christ's resurrection is proof that there is one true religion and one true people of God. Christ's resurrection validates and proves all of His claims. It is frightening to consider that millions upon millions of people will celebrate Christ’s resurrection out of mere religiosity, not because they are a child of the King, but because it is “Easter.” Yet in doing so they give unknowing testimony that all that Jesus said is true. The gospel is true and Jesus is who He claimed to be. And He promised to be the judge of both the living and the dead.
(2) Christ' Resurrection gives assurance to all who trust in Him that because He lives, so will all those who trust in Him. He said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:27). The apostle Paul proclaimed: “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” If the Vine lives, so will the branches. Death and sin are defeated (1 Cor. 15:20; John 14:19; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
“Death is swallowed up in victory.O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:55-57).
(3) To deny the literal and bodily resurrection as a historical fact is to deny the truthfulness of Scripture, and cast doubt on the doctrine of the authority and inspiration of Scripture. The writers of the New Testament wrote about the death, burial and bodily resurrection of Jesus as a fact of history, and often as eyewitnesses of these events.
(4) Without belief in Christ's physical resurrection we cannot be saved. “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-11). Paul makes this clearer in 1 Cor. 15:14-17: “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins”.
(5) The resurrection is proof that God will judge the world. Acts 17:31 tell us “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." As certain as Christ's resurrection is, so is His coming judgment on the world. Christ promised “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). Christ's resurrection is proof we all will be judged. Where do you stand?
(6) Christ's resurrection is proof of the satisfaction He made in redeeming sinners. "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit" (1 Pet. 3.18).
Up from the grave He arose
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes;
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives for ever with His saints to reign;
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Christ Arose — Robert Lowry
Soli Deo Gloria!
© 2011
Top of page
[Jesus Christ][Home]