Archive for category: Series The Resurrection

Let’s look at the similarities between Christ’s earthly body and His resurrected body.

Jesus was recognizable after His resurrection as we see In John 20:20 we see that the disciples rejoiced when they realised it was really Him after he showed them His hands and side. It was the same Jesus who had been crucified on the cross.

The resurrected Christ could talk as we see in Luke 24:36-38 and lots of other places.

The disciples were frightened by Jesus’ appearance since they assumed they had seen a spirit.

In Luke 24:39,40 we read, Therefore He invited them to touch His body to see if it were real. Scripture says And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.

This also shows that His body was real as people could touch it.

He had the capacity, though not the need, to eat. Luke writes, His followers were amazed and very, very happy to see that Jesus was alive. They still could not believe what they saw. He said to them, “Do you have any food here?”So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence. (Luke 24:41-43 Easy Read Version)

Simon Peter later told a group of Gentiles about how he and the other disciples ate and drank with Jesus after His resurrection from the dead in Acts 10:39: And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.

In eating food with them He showed that His resurrection was indeed bodily.

Jesus’ resurrection body was also different in some respects.

The Bible says He could enter closed rooms without opening the doors. John records the following episode: So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19 NASB)

Jesus had the supernatural ability to enter a room when the door was closed.

He was also able to disappear. It was as He reclined at the table with them that He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised Him; but He disappeared from their sight. (Luke 24:30-31)

This is another unique ability of His resurrected body.

As far as we can tell, Jesus’ resurrected body did not need any rest or food. Every account of Jesus after His resurrection has Him busy with ministry. We read, After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)

During the forty days after His resurrection, but before His ascension, Jesus was busy with ministry.

Jesus’ resurrected body was able to ascend into heaven. We read the following account in the Book of Acts: It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud.

As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!” (Acts 1:9-11 NLT)

Finally, Jesus left the earth by way of the ascension into heaven.

The most detailed description of the risen and ascended Christ is found in Revelation 1:12-16.

Here John records the vision of the glorified Christ.

He was like the Son of Man, which links Him to His former earthly appearance, but He also radiated glory from His eyes, feet, voice, and face. This is the way that believers will someday see Him.

From these accounts, we can see that Jesus’ resurrection was bodily.

1. He made it clear that He was not a disembodied spirit.
2. He did things only a person having a body can do: He walked, He showed them the prints of the crucifixion on His body, He breathed, and ate (Luke 24:41-43).

Now that we understand what did happen with Jesus’ resurrection body, we can also see what His body was not.

It is not a soul released from prison.

The Greeks thought the soul was in prison until the body died, the soul was then released from bondage and went into heaven. This idea is not the resurrection of the bible.

It is not reincarnation.

Reincarnation means a human comes back in the next life as another human being. Resurrection, however, means eternal life for that individual, not reincarnation.

It is not resuscitation.

The biblical idea of resurrection is the raising of a new body that will never die again. Paul wrote to the church in Rome; Because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, no longer dies. Death no longer rules over Him. (Romans 6:9 HCSB)

To the Corinthians, he wrote, It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:44 NKJV)

In the New Testament, there are several examples of resuscitations or reanimations.

Though they were brought back to life, they all died again. This is not the same as what happened to Jesus. He was raised immortal in a new body, not just a spirit, never to die again. It’s the same bodies that believers will someday have.

There’s also much indirect evidence for the Resurrection.

The changed lives of the disciples give indirect testimony to Christ’s resurrection. Something changed the disciples of Jesus from cowards to martyrs, from frightened individuals to bold proclaimers of the resurrection. It had to be something more powerful than a delusion or a lie. They said their lives were changed because they had seen the risen Christ.

We find the New Testament outlines the events that led to the changed lives of Jesus’ disciples.

When Jesus was betrayed, the Bible says that His disciples scattered:

But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled. Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. (Matthew 26:56 NRSV)

Simon Peter, who had promised to die for Jesus, denied that he ever knew Him. Matthew also writes:

Meanwhile, as Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, a servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”

But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said.

Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.

A little later some other bystanders came over to him and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”

Peter said, “I swear by God, I don’t know the man” And immediately the rooster crowed. (Matthew 26:69-74 NLT)

At Jesus’ crucifixion, His disciples were nowhere to be found. Matthew records the following: Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support were also there, watching from a distance. (Matthew 27:55)

The picture we get of the disciples at the time of Jesus’ trial and death is of a frightened band of individuals who denied their Lord and went into hiding.

Some fifty days later, however, we find these same disciples standing up bravely proclaiming, in the city of Jerusalem, that Christ has risen from the dead (Acts 2).

Something had immediately changed these cowards into bold preachers of Christ’s resurrection.

Soon thereafter the boldness of the disciples caused the religious leaders to arrest them. We read about this in the Book of Acts:

As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. (Acts 4:1-3 NASB)

The religious leaders then resorted to threats.

They said to one another, But perhaps we can stop them from spreading their propaganda. We’ll warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.

So they called the apostles back in and told them never again to speak or teach about Jesus.  But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard.” The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God. (Acts 4:17-21 NLT)

These former cowards were now fearlessly proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Obviously, something happened to change the lives of these men. The disciples attributed their bravery to seeing Christ risen.

If Christ had not risen, then there must be some other explanation for their changed lives. What could that possibly be?

More indirect evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul.

Saul of Tarsus, the greatest antagonist of the Christian faith, was converted and became the Apostle Paul—the greatest proclaimer of the faith.

According to his own testimony, Saul persecuted the believers in Christ mercilessly. He said, “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.” (Acts 26:9-11 NASB)

Saul had believers jailed and consented to their death sentence. In doing all of this, he believed he was serving God.

However, something happened to Saul to change his way of thinking. He explained it like this: “Under these circumstances, I was travelling to Damascus with authority and a commission from the chief priests.  At midday, while on the road, O king, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those travelling with me.  When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’  But I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord replied: ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet.  For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of things you have seen, and of things in which I will appear to you.’” (Acts 26:12-16 HCSB)

Saul obeyed the heavenly vision and became the Apostle Paul—the mighty defender of the faith. He wrote several books that became part of the New Testament.

The greatest enemy to the faith became its greatest champion. What was it that changed this man’s life? He said it was meeting the risen Christ.

Here we have an example of a man who was not a believer during Jesus’ earthly life, who became a believer after Christ had risen.

This is in contrast to Jesus’ disciples—who believed in Him during His earthly ministry. Saul’s testimony is yet more evidence that Christ rose from the dead.

Saul’s conversion must have some explanation. The only explanation that fits all the facts is the one which he himself gives; he met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus.

The New Testament church came into existence as a result of the faith of the believers in the resurrection.

In every sermon, the substance of the preaching of the apostles was that Christ had risen from the dead. Multitudes soon believed their message (Acts 2:41; 6:7).

It’s historical fact that Christianity spread faster than any other religion or philosophy in the ancient world. By the early part of the fourth century, the Roman Empire became “Christianised.” Something had to account for this unprecedented growth—something at least as compelling as a resurrected Christ.

The fact of Christianity’s rapid expansion gives a further witness to the truth of its resurrection message. People embraced Christianity because they were convinced that Jesus Christ has conquered death and could offer them eternal life.

More circumstantial evidence for the resurrection is found in the changing of the day of worship. The Jewish worship was on the Sabbath (from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown). However, the early Christians observed Sunday as their day of worship to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection. This was no small thing to the first believers who were Jews. The day of worship, the Sabbath, was something that no Jew would dare break or change.

Yet Jesus’ disciples preferred to worship on the first day of the week—the day He came back from the dead (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2; Revelation 1:10). Something monumental must have happened to make them change the day of worship—something like a resurrection.

The Letter of Barnabas, an early Christian document, stated the following: Therefore we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day on which Jesus rose from the dead.

The early Christians celebrated the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead.

According to the New Testament, the first person who saw the resurrected Christ was Mary Magdalene.

She thought Jesus was the gardener. Jesus then appeared to another group of women. If one were to make up the story of Christ’s resurrection, they certainly would not have Him first appearing to women. In that culture, at the time of Christ, the witness of a woman was not as readily accepted as a man’s. Their testimony would not have been admissible as legal proof except in a few specific situations.

If the story had been made up, then Jesus would have first appeared to a man—either one of His disciples or perhaps one of His enemies such as Herod, Pilate, or Caiaphas the High Priest. Yet the New Testament says that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene and then to other women. This is not what one would expect in a made up story. The special privilege of seeing the risen Christ would not have been given to women. Again, this is another indication the story is reliable.

Another piece of evidence concerns Christians burying their dead. Unbelievers cremated their dead. However, from the beginning, the Christians buried theirs in underground cemeteries and catacombs. Six hundred miles of catacombs stretch around Rome. In these catacombs, about four million Christians from the first three centuries are buried. Each one of these buried believers testifies to their faith in the resurrection of Jesus and faith in their own ultimate resurrection.

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit supernaturally fell upon the disciples of Jesus. They were able to speak in languages they had not previously learned. This caused amazement to those who heard. The Bible says, “What are we to do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable sign was done through them, and we cannot deny it.” (Acts 4:16)

What caused the supernatural ability of Jesus’ disciples to speak in languages they had not previously learned? Peter stood up and told them the reason for this miracle—the resurrection of Christ. Three thousand people converted to Christ on that day. The reason for their conversion, according to the Scripture, was the truth of the resurrection.

The miracles in the Book of Acts give further testimony to Jesus’ resurrection. The fact that the disciples of Jesus were able to perform similar miracles as He performed demonstrated that Jesus’ power was still working after His death, resurrection and ascension.

Peter and John performed a miracle—healing a lame man at the temple. They testified that the ability to perform this miracle was granted to them by the risen Christ. They emphasized again that they were eyewitnesses of His resurrection. The Scripture says, “But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:14, 15 NRSV)

They had seen the risen Christ.

When Peter spoke before the council he testified that it was the power of the risen Christ that healed this sick man. The Bible says, Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man—by what means he was healed—let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing here before you healthy.” (Acts 4:8-10 HCSB)

The enemies could not deny this healing. Scripture says, “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny they have done a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it.” (Acts 4:16 NLT)

This miracle was undeniable.

Therefore, the miracles of the apostles, as recorded in the Book of Acts, were all based on the power of resurrected Christ. The message of the early church was that Christ had risen from the dead and His disciples were witnesses to that event. Their testimony was evidenced by these miracles.

Another bit of evidence is the undisturbed and folded grave clothes. John reported, Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. (John 20:6, 7 NRSV)

If the body of Jesus had been taken from the tomb by Jesus’ disciples, they certainly would not have taken the time to remove and unwind the grave clothes and then fold them again. Thus, the position of the grave clothes at Jesus’ tomb is another circumstantial indication of His resurrection.

In 1930, a Frenchman named Franz Cumont published an inscription of a text from the city of Nazareth. Called the Nazareth Inscription or Nazareth decree is a marble tablet inscribed in Greek. It can be seen at the Louvre. The inscription records the decree of Emperor Claudius, who ruled from A.D. 41 to 54. This decree ordered the death penalty for anyone disturbing tombs.

Obviously, something led to this decree. Why would the Roman Emperor give his attention to body snatching in this remote part of the Roman Empire? Why did Claudius institute the death penalty for robbing tombs only in this one particular geographic area—the area where Jesus came from? The decree of Claudius seems to support the early Jewish contention that the body of Jesus was stolen—which is an admission that the tomb was empty.

The final testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that He is still in the business of changing lives.

Millions of people throughout history, as well as millions today, personally testify to a changed life. This power to live a new life is based on the belief in the resurrected Christ.

So, let’s summarise the circumstantial evidence.

1. The changed lives of the disciples can only be explained by the risen Christ.
2. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul makes no sense without the resurrection.
3. Some power had to have given rise to the Christian church.
4. According to the New Testament, women were the first to see the risen Jesus. This is not to be expected in a made up story.
5. The change of the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday had to have been occasioned by some great event.
6. The Christians buried their dead expecting them to eventually rise.
7. The miraculous events on the Day of Pentecost have to have some explanation.
8. The miracles in the Book of Acts testify to the resurrection power of Jesus.
9. The grave clothes were undisturbed in Jesus’ tomb.
10. The Nazareth Decree testifies that the first century Jews were concerned about empty tombs.
11. Jesus Christ has changed lives and can still change lives today.

The evidence testifies to the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead three days after He was crucified on Calvary’s cross.

If Jesus did not come back from the dead, as the New Testament plainly says He did, then some alternative explanation must be offered to explain what happened. The problem is that other explanations take as much faith to believe as the New Testament’s account. These alternative theories leave more questions unanswered than they explain.

First, let’s be clear. It is theoretically possible to falsify the resurrection account. It can be done in one of two ways. They are as follows:

1. Produce the body.
2. Have a reasonable theory that explains all the evidence.

Since the body has not been produced, we need to look at some of the major theories that attempt to explain away the New Testament account. These include:

1. The Real Story Was Suppressed
2. The Story about Jesus Became Embellished
3. Jesus Did Not Actually Die on the Cross
4. The Body Was Stolen
5. The Women Went to the Wrong Tomb on Easter Sunday
6. The Disciples Merely Had Hallucinations about Seeing the Risen Christ
7. Jesus Appeared to Believers Only – Those Expecting a Resurrection
8. The Reports about His Resurrection Are Hopelessly Contradictory
9. It Doesn’t Matter What Happened

Let’s take a look at each of these objections and evaluate them in light of all the evidence.

Objection 1 The real story was suppressed

Many people question the accuracy of the New Testament account of the resurrection. They contend that the true story was never told because the facts had been suppressed by those later in power. Any evidence to the contrary would have been burned or destroyed. The answer to this view is simple—there were unbelievers who gave alternative theories to the resurrection, and their writings were not suppressed. We do have writings from unbelievers who all argue that the body was stolen—they all admit the body was gone on the third day.

However, they had no better explanation than Jesus’ disciples stole His body. The Christians certainly did not suppress this popular theory. To the contrary, Matthew records this theory in his gospel as the official explanation given by unbelievers.

Objection 2 The story became embellished

One of the most popular explanations has been to say the stories about Jesus have been embellished. The problem with this theory is that there is not enough time for this to happen. The four Gospels, the Book of Acts and Paul’s earliest letter, First Thessalonians, refutes that. The fact that He was raised is stated in First Thessalonians 4:14. This was written, as were the Gospels, while many eyewitnesses were still alive.

Objection 3 Jesus did not die on the cross

A favorite objection is that Jesus did not die on the cross, but rather He fainted from exhaustion. When He appeared to His disciples, it was not as the resurrected Lord but rather as one who had been resuscitated. Therefore, what we have is resuscitation, not a resurrection. Like the other objections to the resurrection, there are many problems with this theory.

Crucifixion was common in Jesus’ time and the Roman soldiers had become experts at it. They had reduced it to a science with a set of rules to be followed. There is no possible way Jesus could have survived the crucifixion, scourging, and lance thrust.

Since the governor had personally condemned Jesus to death, it is highly unlikely the soldiers would make a mistake and not finish the job. Furthermore, we have Pilate cross-examining the centurion to make certain that Jesus had died. Mark records the following:

When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. (Mark 15:42-45 NASB)

Jesus was dead; there is no doubt about this.

The Breaking of Jesus’ Legs Was Not Necessary

Crucifixion was a slow, painful way to die, with the person usually dying of asphyxiation. The victim had to push his body up in order to breathe.

Therefore, breaking of the legs would hasten the death of the victim. The legs of the two robbers that were crucified next to Jesus were broken because the Passover was drawing near.

Passover began at sunset, and according to Jewish law, bodies could not be left on the cross on that Holy Day. Jesus’ legs were not broken because He was obviously dead. In addition, Pilate would not have given permission for Joseph to take Jesus’ body for burial if He were not already dead.

Blood And Water Came Out from His Side – A Sign of Death

We are told that at Jesus’ death, blood and water came out from His side when it was pierced with a spear. John writes,

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (John 19:34 NKJV)

The purpose of the spear thrust was to ensure that Jesus was dead. This is eyewitness detail—which shows that death did indeed occur. The blood and water coming out is an outward sign that someone has died.

How Did Jesus Get Out of the Tomb?

Another question that needs to be addressed is, “How did Jesus get out of the tomb in the first place?” He had been wrapped in grave clothes and the spices would have hardened around Him in a few hours. This would make His escape difficult, if not impossible—assuming He was still alive. There was also a large stone rolled in front of the tomb that is virtually impossible to move from the inside. In addition, the guards had to have been conveniently asleep for Jesus to get by them.

Jesus Would Have Been Perpetrating a Deliberate Hoax

If this theory is correct, then Jesus would have been guilty of perpetrating a deliberate hoax by passing Himself off as one who had risen from the dead. He did not tell His disciples that He narrowly escaped death, He told them He had risen. This would make Jesus a liar—contrary to everything we know about Him and His character.

Would This Convince the Disciples?

If Jesus had survived His crucifixion, He would have been in an extremely weak condition. It is not possible to believe that a half-dead man, crawling around weak, and needing immediate medical treatment, could have given His disciples the impression that He had just conquered death. This type of appearance of Jesus would not have changed their sorrow into enthusiasm and caused them to worship Him as risen from the dead.

When Did He Die?

If it were a mere resuscitation, then we are faced with the question of when did He die? Where, if anywhere, was He buried? Why wasn’t His other tomb venerated?

The evidence is clear—Jesus died on Calvary’s cross. Therefore, any theory that attempts to explain away the resurrection must take this fact into account.

Objection 4 The stolen body theory

Many argue the body of Jesus was removed from the tomb before Resurrection Sunday morning. Since the evidence proves the tomb was empty the question is, “What caused it to be empty?” The empty tomb means two possibilities: the body of Jesus was removed by either: (1) human hands or (2) supernatural power.

Did Human Hands Steal Jesus’ Body?

If the body of Jesus was removed by human hands, then we have four basic possibilities as to who did it. The suspects include:

1. The Jews
2. The Romans
3. Joseph of Arimathea
4. Jesus’ disciples

Two questions immediately arise about the stolen body theory. First, concerning His enemies and Joseph of Arimathea, “Would they have stolen the body?” Next, we ask this question of His disciples, “Could they have stolen the body?”

The Jews

The Jews could have had the body of Jesus removed from the tomb, yet they had no motivation for such an act. Some have argued they may have removed the body to keep the site from becoming a place of pilgrimage for Jesus’ disciples. Yet this would have caused the sort of problem they were trying to avoid—rumours that Jesus had risen.

The Jewish religious rulers are the ones who asked for the guard because they were afraid His disciples would come and steal the body. If they had taken the body, then certainly they would have produced it fifty days later when Peter, in the same city of Jerusalem, proclaimed that Jesus had risen. The fact that they did not produce the body of Jesus shows they did not remove it.

The Romans

A second possible group, that could have removed Jesus’ body, was the Romans.

Since they were in charge of keeping law and order, is it possible they could have taken the body from the tomb. The problem with them is also lack of motivation. Why would they do such a thing? They wanted to keep the peace.

Stealing the body of an executed religious leader would only add to the rumours about Him. It would stir up greater conflict. Consequently, there is no motivation for them to steal the body.

Furthermore, when the Christian faith began to grow, they could have easily stopped it by producing the body. But they didn’t do this.

Joseph of Arimathea

He obviously had access to Christ’s body since He is the one who requested it from Pilate. It is argued that he may have had second thoughts about placing the body of Jesus in his family tomb. Thus he could have removed Jesus’ body after the initial burial and placed it elsewhere—possibly in an unmarked grave.

Again, we have no motivation for him to do such a thing—especially since he and Nicodemus took the time and expense to prepare Jesus for burial. If he removed the body, then why didn’t he tell anyone? However, there is another problem.

It was not the empty tomb that caused the other disciples to believe in Jesus—it was seeing the risen Christ.

Did Jesus’ Disciples Steal His Body?

The oldest alternative explanation to the resurrection is that His disciples stole the body of Jesus while the guard was sleeping.

Matthew tells us this was the story the bribed Roman guard was to tell, even though they knew it was false. He wrote in Matthew 28:11-15 HCSB; As they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders and agreed on a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money and told them, “Say this, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole Him while we were sleeping.’ If this reaches the governor’s ears, we will deal with him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been spread among Jewish people to this day. (Matthew 28:11-15 HCSB)

The idea that the disciples stole the body is inadequate for the following reasons.

Could They Get Past the Guards?

To begin with, the disciples would have had to get by the guards at the tomb. This theory has the guard members conveniently asleep.

The disciples would have had to move the large stone away from the tomb without waking any of them.

While this is not impossible, it certainly is inconsistent with the facts as we know them.

Why Leave the Grave Clothes Behind?

If the Roman guard was asleep you need to move fast. The position of the grave clothes shows the impossibility of the theft of the body.

Why take the time to remove the grave clothes and leave them behind? It would have been much easier to remove the body, grave clothes and all, especially if time were a factor.

The explanation that the Roman guard was asleep does not help solve this problem.

How Could the Guard Testify?

Furthermore, the guard story doesn’t stand up to cross-examination. What does anyone know about what is occurring when they are asleep? If the Roman guard were sleeping, how did they know the disciples stole the body? How can you determine anything that’s going on while you are asleep? Couldn’t Jesus, just as easily, have risen from the dead while they were asleep without the guards knowing it?

The Disciples Would Have Been Liars

The stolen body theory would make the disciples deliberate liars. These are the same disciples who gave us the New Testament; the same New Testament where they reported Jesus was sinless.

They testified He never lied—rather He always told the truth. Yet this theory wants people to believe that His disciples, while spreading the message of the truth-telling Jesus, lied and continued to lie about the most important event in His life! On the one hand, they proclaimed to the world the story of the most perfect man who ever lived; on the other hand, according to the stolen body theory; they pulled off this gigantic deception.

Their character testifies against this idea.

Even if they could have gotten past the Roman guard to get to the body, they would have had to live with that lie for the rest of their lives, proclaiming it, suffering for it, and dying for it.

They would have been preaching the resurrection in direct contradiction to their own knowledge of the truth.

They Had No Motivation for Lying

Assuming the disciples could have stolen the body, another question arises, “What motivated them to do it?” By proclaiming Christ had risen, they subjected themselves to beatings and jail.

They eventually died for their testimony. If they had stolen the body, they would have been liars as well as thieves.

They would not only have lied for the cause, they would have died for their lie. What advantage would there have been for doing this?

Their Lord’s body received a proper burial. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose by stealing His body.

There’s no motivation for the disciples stealing the body. Their leader was buried with loving hands in a tomb of a rich man.

Since they were not expecting Him to rise from the dead, this would have been the best end to Jesus’ life—all things considered.

There Was No Time to Steal the Body

There is also the problem of time. Jesus was betrayed on Thursday night and brought to trial Friday morning. His crucifixion took place from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Friday. At sundown on Friday the Sabbath began and the disciples, as observant Jews, would rest. The end of the Sabbath was on Saturday night. The first visit to the tomb realistically would have been on Sunday morning. By then Jesus had risen. There was simply no time to steal the body.

The Mental State of the Disciples Needs to Be Considered

The mental state of Jesus’ disciples also needs to be considered. They were now leaderless for the first time in three years. All the disciples left Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. Later Peter denied Jesus and John was looking after Jesus’ mother.

Being afraid and leaderless, did they suddenly become brave? After the surprise betrayal and crucifixion, is it really possible to think they concocted a plan late Friday afternoon to have the body removed by Sunday morning?

No, it does not seem possible.

The Transformed Lives of the Disciples Has to Be Explained

The mere removal of Jesus’ body from the tomb could not have transformed their sadness into gladness. In less than thirty-six hours, they went from the depths of despair to the heights of joy.

They had lost hope when Christ died, but they immediately went from hopelessness to certainty, from cowards to eventual martyrs. Something gave them the power to sustain their preaching during persecution and martyrdom.

A stolen body would not have changed their lives in this manner.

Liars Are Usually Caught

There is another important point—liars are usually caught in their lies. This is especially true when a number of different people are lying.

Cover-ups have a way of becoming public, yet none of the disciples ever denied the resurrection. If Jesus had not risen, one would have expected the eventual confession of at least some of them.

But they all went to their deaths proclaiming Christ had risen. Why?

Why Weren’t the Disciples Prosecuted?

According to Roman law, the body of a condemned criminal belonged to the state. That is why Joseph of Arimathea had to ask for Jesus’ body.

To steal a body was a serious offence and, oddly, neither the Romans nor Jews did anything to substantiate the charges if the body had been stolen. The disciples were never prosecuted for this alleged crime. Why?

Jesus Would Also Have Been a Liar

If Jesus did not rise, that would make Him a liar because He predicted His resurrection. As we have seen, lying is totally contrary to everything we know about His character.

Why Was There No Veneration of His Burial Place?

The Jews venerated the graves of their religious leaders. If Christ were not buried in Joseph’s tomb, then He must have been buried elsewhere, yet there is no trace of any burial place in Jerusalem for the body of Jesus. No tradition exists anywhere that Jesus remained buried.

Why Were They Martyred?

Finally, there is the ultimate question, “Why did they die for their testimony of Jesus?” If they had stolen the body, they would have died for a lie knowing that it was a lie.

The disciples who would have “died for a lie” included Simon Peter (crucified); Andrew (crucified); James, son of Alphaeus (crucified); Philip (crucified); Simon (crucified); Thaddaeus (killed with arrows); Thomas (died by a spear thrust); Bartholomew (crucified); and James, the son of Zebedee (killed with the sword). Jesus’ disciples were transformed from cowards to martyrs. Why?

It is one thing to lie; it is quite another thing to die for a lie if you know that it is a lie. The disciples sealed their testimony in their own blood. To save their own life they would only have had to confess to lying, yet they never recanted their testimony.

They Died Separately

Furthermore, they died separately. It is one thing to die as a member of a group—strength could be gained from each other as you are awaiting death. However, each of the disciples died separately, apart from one another, apart from any type of moral support. Again, we ask the question, “Why?”

The Stolen Body Theory Is Inadequate

These different factors make the popular stolen body theory inadequate at best. The disciples were no longer capable of raiding the tomb and the other possible culprits had no motivation for stealing Jesus’ body.

Objection 5 The women went to the wrong tomb on Resurrection Sunday

Kirsopp Lake, a great textual scholar, came up with this ridiculous theory. Simply stated, the women were not certain where Jesus was buried. Thus they went in the semi-darkness to an empty tomb thinking it was the tomb where Jesus was actually buried. When they found the tomb empty they assumed He had risen.

Supposedly the young man they saw that dark morning confirmed that they were at the wrong tomb. Mark 16:6 says, And he [the young man] said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.” (Mark 16:6 NASB)

Professor Lake omits the words “he has risen” from the text. Therefore the young man is saying to the woman, “He is not here, He is over there. Come see where they have placed Him.”

Let’s consider the problems with this theory.

The Body Would Have Still Been in the Tomb

There are so many problems with this theory—not the least of which is that the body would still have been in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. When Peter preached the resurrection on the Day of Pentecost, it would have been a simple thing to go to the correct tomb and produce the body.

It Would Have Been Too Dark for the Gardener

In addition, if it were too dark for the women to find the right tomb, it would have been too dark for a gardener or caretaker to be working.

There Is No Reason to Omit the Words He Has Risen

Furthermore, to argue for this theory, you have to omit from the text the words, “He has risen.” There is no justification for this omission because every manuscript we possess has these crucial words.

The Empty Tomb Did Not Cause Belief

Finally, it was not the empty tomb that convinced the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead. On the contrary, it was the fact they saw Him after His death.

No one really takes this theory seriously.

Objection 6 The disciples experienced hallucinations

Another objection to the resurrection is the accusation that the disciples experienced hallucinations. This doesn’t make them liars as much as fools. The disciples only thought they saw Jesus, and He had not really risen. Hallucinations often occur when someone wishes for something so much. This theory holds the disciples saw exactly what they wanted to see.

However, the hallucination theory does not explain how the tomb became empty, or why the authorities failed to produce a body. Since they did not produce a body, it leaves open the question of what happened to Jesus. The authorities could have produced the body, ending any testimony that Jesus had risen. The hallucination theory does not explain the missing body.

Furthermore, hallucinations are not collective; individuals experience them. Five hundred people at one time do not have the same hallucination!

Hallucinations tend to increase in intensity and occur regularly over a long period. They become worse, not better. According to Scripture, it was after forty days that the appearances of Jesus stopped and He did not appear again. This is inconsistent with the nature of hallucinations.

If the disciples were only hallucinating about seeing the risen Christ, then how were they able to perform miracles? Who gave the disciples the power to heal the sick and raise the dead?

Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul, was converted as an unbeliever. Are we to assume that he had the same hallucination?

According to the New Testament, the disciples did not expect Jesus to rise because they had not expected Him to die. When Jesus appeared to them it was unexpected, they were not ready for it. The disciples did not convince themselves that Jesus was alive, it was Jesus Himself who convinced them. This was the exact opposite of what they were expecting.

Mary Magdalene did not see a gardener near the empty tomb and think it was Jesus, she saw Jesus and thought at first it was a gardener. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus did not talk with a stranger and then assume they were conversing with Jesus. They talked with Jesus and thought they were conversing with a stranger. Finally, in the upper room, the disciples of Jesus did not see a ghost and believe it was Jesus; they saw Jesus and thought they had seen a ghost.

Usually, it is highly imaginative people who suffer hallucinations. The appearances of Jesus were to a diverse group of people of different psychological makeup. This included: fishermen, a tax collector, and a Rabbi.

The appearances of Christ occurred at different times and places: early in the morning, late afternoon, in the evening, at the garden tomb, in a crowded room, at the Sea of Galilee, on top of a mountain, and on the Emmaus road. This is not consistent with hallucinations.

Again, the theory just does not fit the facts. Jesus’ disciples saw much more than mere hallucinations—they saw the risen Savior.

Objection 7 Jesus only appeared to believers

One of the objections is that Jesus appeared only to believers—people who already had a desire to believe the marvelous stories about Him. Again, the facts say otherwise.

We are told that the first unbelievers of the resurrection story were none other than the disciples themselves. Luke writes,…but the story sounded like nonsense, so they didn’t believe it. (Luke 24:11 NLT)

The disciples were not expecting a resurrection. Not only were the disciples not expecting Jesus to rise from the dead, but they also did not believe the story of His resurrection when it was first told to them!

Doubting Thomas did not believe—even when the other disciples told him they had seen the risen Christ. John writes, The other disciples, therefore, said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25 NKJV)

Eventually, Thomas did see and believe.

We are even told that when Jesus met His disciples in Galilee, some doubted. Matthew writes, When they saw Him, they worshipped, but some doubted. (Matthew 28:17 HCSB)

There were still some who had doubts.

Saul of Tarsus was not a believer when the resurrected Christ appeared to Him. He had to be convinced from his position of unbelief.

Therefore, it is clear that Jesus appeared to more than merely believers.

Objection 8 The resurrection reports are contradictory

It’s often said that the accounts of the resurrection in the four gospels are so contradictory that they cannot be reconciled. However, just because we’re not exactly certain of the order of events only goes to prove there was no collusion between the various authors. If the story would have been made up, the different writers would have made certain that the stories matched detail for detail. However, when four different people tell any story, they will all give the same basic account, but there will always be slight differences in the details. The differences only point to the independence of each author.

Objection 9 We will never know what happened and it doesn’t matter

Finally, there is the argument that we will never know what happened to the body of Jesus. It’s a mystery that doesn’t have an explanation. Furthermore, it doesn’t really matter what happened.

This argument ignores the facts. It does matter what happened and we can know if we are willing to look at the evidence.

In the last two thousand years, many theories have been presented that attempt to give an alternative explanation to the one given in Scripture, that Christ rose from the dead. As we’ve seen, none of them is adequate, for they do not fully explain all the evidence.

The theory that best fits all the facts is that Jesus Christ was alive three days after His death and that He is Lord of all!

So What If He Did Rise?

If we agree that the resurrection did take place, then so what? What does it mean?

First, the resurrection demonstrates that Jesus is the One whom He claimed to be. Paul wrote the following to the Romans: This letter is from Paul, Jesus Christ’s slave, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. This Good News was promised long ago by God through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. It is the Good News about his Son, Jesus, who came as a man, born into King David’s royal family line. And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 1:1-4 NLT)

The resurrection validates Jesus’ claims to be a prophet (Matthew 26:8), Lord, and Messiah (Acts 2:36). Everything He claimed to be has been validated by the resurrection.

The resurrection also proves the truth of the Christian faith. It is the Christian faith! Therefore, there is only one God who exists, and only one way to reach the one God, through Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus demonstrates this to be true.

The fact that Jesus rose from the dead, gives humanity the answers to the three basic questions about life, “Who am I? Why am I alive? What will happen to me when I die?”

The resurrection of Jesus solves our identity problem. Humans need no longer wonder who we are. We now realise that we are created in the image of God. This means we have the ability to think, love and communicate. We have the chance to know the one true God because He has given us these abilities. We now know that human beings are special.

Along with identity comes a genuine purpose for living. Instead of living life without any real purpose, we can now know the reason we have been created—to love God and enjoy Him forever. Jesus Christ, and His resurrection from the dead, has provided the answer to what our purpose is here upon the earth. We not only know who we are, but we also know why we are here.

Finally, the truth of the resurrection of Jesus provides us with an answer to our future destiny. We now know that this life is not all that there is. We are beings made for eternity, and belief in Jesus allows us to spend eternity in the presence of God. Thus, the grave has no ultimate terror for us because we know that there is a better existence beyond this life. Belief in Jesus gives us a destiny to which we can look forward.

The resurrection of Jesus is the factual basis for everlasting life for those who believe in Him If a person believes in Jesus Christ, then one of the provisions is eternal life. Jesus said, “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19 NRSV)

This everlasting life is based upon His resurrection. Jesus made this astounding claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.” (John 11:25 NRSV). He Himself is the resurrection and the life.

Christ’s resurrection is the first in a long line of resurrections of those who believe in Him. Paul wrote, But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. (1 Corinthians 15:20 NRSV)

His resurrection also serves as a prototype of the resurrection of believers. Twice Christ is referred to as the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5). This means that He was the first to have an eternal resurrected body. Our resurrection bodies, like His, will be different from our earthly bodies. Paul says our resurrection bodies will be related to our former ones (1 Corinthians 15:35-41).

In eternity, we’ll be like Him. John wrote, Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2 HCSB)

Someday we will have a new body; a body like His.

The realisation that Christ has risen provides comfort to the believer. After writing to the church at Thessalonica about the resurrection of Christ and the eventual resurrection of the believer, the Apostle Paul encouraged the church to “comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). The knowledge that this life is not all that there is brings comfort to the believer.

Because of this, we don’t fear death in the same way as unbelievers do. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church,

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57 NKJV)

The resurrection is comfort for believers.

Because Christ has risen from the dead and granted eternal life to those who put their trust in Him, there is hope for the future. The resurrection of Christ provides the basis for that hope.

The resurrection provides the believer with the basis to live a satisfying life. Paul wrote that believers could now experience this life. He said,

I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 1:19, 20 NLT)

Jesus Christ is alive!