The Resurrection – Fact or Fantasy? – Part 1

The importance of the resurrection to the Christian faith can’t be overestimated.

Some say that even without the resurrection, Christianity still has significance. They say that Christ’s teachings provide ethical guidelines for humanity.

The New Testament, however, testifies that this is not the case. Without the resurrection, there is no meaningful Christianity.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is unique to the Christian faith.

All other world religions are based upon a founder who lived in the past, died, and stayed dead. Those founders were men with sin natures just the same as you and I and without the shed blood of Jesus Christ, The Lord, they died in thier sin.

Jesus Christ, however is alive. That is a fact we can be completely satisfied with. The death and resurrection of Christ are part of the eternal plan of God.

So, how can we be sure that what we believe about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is true?

Well, we could just look to the one authority on all things relating to God, His Word. If that’s what God’s Word says happened, then it happened. However, God has made us with an enquiring mind and an ability to reason. In Isaiah 1:18  God Himself invites us to do this. He said “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Also in 1 Peter 3:15 we’re told to be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope in you.

Today we live in a world of un-reasoned, non-sensical religious experiences. We’re encouraged by all sorts of cockeyed beliefs to take a leap of blind faith. However, blind faith is not a biblical term. God’s way is reasonable. God has given us strong reasons to believe in Him.

One of the wonders of the resurrection is that it proves the validity of the Word of God. It testifies to who God is and to His power, His Glory and Grace.

So how can we be sure of the truth of this the most important of all historical events? Well, come let us reason together.

Let’s start with the Apostle Peter’s declaration on the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus’ death:

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know. Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him.  God raised Him up, ending the pains of death because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.” (Acts 2:22-24 HCSB).

Peter makes it clear that the death and resurrection of Christ were a crucial part of God’s eternal plan to save humanity from its sins. It simply had to happen that way!

The resurrection of Jesus is not greater than any other miracle recorded in Scripture.  Once a person grasps the possibility of God performing miracles, then the testimony for the resurrection has to be seen as any of the other miracles that are recorded.

The first verse of the Bible declares, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 KJV) This verse is the basis of all miracles.

If a person can believe the truth of this verse, that God spoke and the universe came into existence from nothing, then what is too hard for Him to do?

That’s why the Apostle Paul declared, “Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?” (Acts 26:8 NLT) Nothing is too difficult for the God of the Bible. Nothing!

We read in Jeremiah, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27 KJV) Therefore, the idea that the God of the Bible can raise the dead is certainly in keeping with what Scripture teaches about His mighty power.

The resurrection was in the eternal plan of God, and it was also predicted by Jesus. The fact that He would rise from the dead was central to Jesus’ ministry and message.  In the four gospels, Jesus predicted, over and over again, His betrayal, death, and resurrection.

Three years before He was raised from the dead, the following exchange between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders occurred: I quote; So the Jews replied to Him, “What sign of authority will You show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered, “Destroy this sanctuary, and I will raise it up in three days.” Therefore the Jews said, “This sanctuary took 46 years to build, and will You raise it up in three days?”  But He was speaking about the sanctuary of His body.  So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. And they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made. (John 2:18-22)

Jesus predicted that His body would be raised from the dead.

The resurrection was the sign that demonstrated that He was the one who He claimed to be.

When asked for a specific sign from the religious leaders, Jesus said, “An evil and adulterous generation ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:39-40)

The reference is to Jonah 1:17.

Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave for three days and three nights.

Many bible scholars believe that Jonah chapter 2 shows us that Jonah was not alive in the belly for three days and three nights, but that he died.

Now, regarding the giving of signs in order to believe, think of all the mighty miracles of both the old and the new testaments. Did that ensure the belief of the people present?

Even after witnessing some of the greatest supernatural signs, the Jewish nation soon fell back into unbelief.

Look at the account of Lazarus and the rich man who died and were in Abraham’s bosom in Luke 16:20-30. In verse 30 the man says, regarding his brothers who were still alive, that if someone came to them from the dead, then they would decide to change their lives. But Abraham said to him, ‘If your brothers won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen to someone who comes back from the dead.”

It reminds me of a situation with a very old friend of mine. He was working once with an atheist.  The atheist would almost daily challenge my friend about his belief in Christ. One day, amid another outburst from the atheist,  my friend had a flash of revelation. He said to the atheist, “If Jesus was to appear in the midst of us right now out of nowhere, you would still not believe would you?” The atheist replied, “No!”

During the last six months of His earthly life, Jesus especially emphasised the importance and necessity of His upcoming crucifixion as well as the triumph of His resurrection.

Matthew records, From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. (Matthew 16:21)

The resurrection would demonstrate Jesus is the One who He claimed to be.

Jesus also made the amazing claim that He had the authority to accomplish the resurrection Himself: We read the following in John’s gospel, “For this reason, the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” (John 10:17, 18)

Jesus claimed that He could bring Himself back from the dead.

The predictions by Jesus of His resurrection were such common knowledge that it led the religious rulers to ask Pontius Pilate to secure the tomb.

We read the following in Matthew’s gospel: The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive, He said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’  Therefore give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come, steal Him, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’  Then the last deception will be worse than the first.” (Matthew 27:62-64)

From these predictions, it can be readily seen that the resurrection was a central part of the message and ministry of Jesus.

As we look at the events leading up to Ressurection Sunday, we discover that the precautions taken by Jesus’ enemies actually give evidence to His resurrection.

The precautions taken at the tomb consisted of three things—the large stone, the Roman seal, and the guard.

The Stone

The Bible says that a large stone was rolled in front of the tomb of Jesus.

This stone, not only sealed the tomb, but it also would have made it difficult for someone to just waltz in and steal the body.

The Roman Seal

The Roman seal was a sign of authentication that the tomb was occupied and the power and authority of Rome stood behind the seal.   Anyone breaking the Roman seal would suffer the punishment of an unpleasant death.

The Guard

A guard, either the Roman guard or the Jewish temple police, watched Jesus’ tomb.  There is a question as to which one of the two groups was watching over it but most probably it was the Roman guard.

The Roman guard was a sixteen-man unit that was governed by some very strict rules. Each member was responsible for six square feet of space.

The guard members could not sit down or lean against anything while they were on duty. If a guard member fell asleep, he was beaten and burned with his own clothes.

But he was not the only one executed; the entire sixteen-man guard unit was executed if only one of the members fell asleep while on duty.

These precautions made the religious rulers feel secure that the excitement around Jesus would soon go away.

Jesus lay dead in the tomb, and His frightened disciples had scattered and gone into hiding. They thought that they had won.

But the story wasn’t over.

The Bible says that early Sunday morning certain women came to the tomb. They intended to anoint the body of Jesus with extra perfumed oil and spices. The initial preparation of the body by Joseph of Aramathea and Nicodemus may not have been completed to the extent it should have been (John 19:39 – 40).

In Mark 16:3 the women discuss who’s going to help them roll the stone from the tomb. They had no idea that while they observed the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders had conspired with Governor Pilate to place a Roman guard on the tomb.

But when the women arrived they found the stone had been removed, the seal had been broken, and the body was gone. An angel at the tomb asked, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee…” (Luke 24:5 – 6)

The women were left speechless by the events which transpired but were full of both fear and great joy. (Matthew 28:8; Mark 16:8). They went back to tell the other disciples who at first did not believe their report.

Luke records, But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women. (Luke 24:11) However, they were persuaded to look for themselves, and they also found the tomb empty.

This caused them confusion. The confusion vanished as the resurrected Christ first appeared to Mary Magdalene, then to some other women, and finally to the disciples.

After being with the disciples for forty days, Jesus ascended into heaven.

Ten days later, the disciples publicly proclaimed to all of Jerusalem, the fact that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead.

What are the things we know for certain?

Let’s start by examining the undisputed facts that both believers and unbelievers can agree on. They include the following.

Jesus Existed

Jesus was a historical figure who lived two thousand years ago.

The primary source for His life and ministry is the New Testament, which, as we’ve already seen, was written by eyewitnesses, or people who recorded eyewitness testimony. There is no doubt that Jesus existed.

Jesus performed miracles

Another historical fact about Jesus is that He was a miracle worker.

In the first five centuries of the Christian era, every report that has come down to us about Jesus, whether from friend or foe, has Him working miracles.

There’s no doubt that miracles were a central part of His ministry. Even the Jewish leaders at Jesus’ trial didn’t dispute the evidence of the miracles. There were thousands of them walking around!

There was no dying and rising Redeemer in first-century Judaism

Another fact beyond dispute is that the disciples of Jesus were not prepared for His death.

First-century Judaism had no concept of the Messiah dying and then coming back from the dead.

The disciples were not expecting the resurrection of Jesus because they were not expecting Him to die.

Jesus died on a cross in Jerusalem

Another fact that is beyond dispute is the manner of death of Jesus.

He died on a cross or a “tree”.

All four gospels make it clear that Christ was crucified in Jerusalem. The testimony of the Book of Acts agrees as do the writings of Paul.

Jesus was executed by crucifixion in the city of Jerusalem.

Jesus was buried in Jerusalem

The New Testament states that Jesus was buried in Jerusalem after His death.

All four gospels testify to this as well as the Apostle Paul. He said, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 )

The tomb did not contain Jesus’ body on Sunday.

A further fact is that the tomb of Jesus was empty on Ressurection Sunday morning.

Had the body of Jesus remained in the tomb it would have been a simple thing for the authorities to remove the stone and produce it. The Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish religious authority, itself testifies that the tomb was empty.

They concocted a story that they commanded the soldiers to tell to explain how the tomb became empty. This story was that the body was stolen by the disciples while the guard slept, an almost impossible situation as we discussed earlier. They paid the guard money and promised to make it ok with the governor.

Jesus was reported to have risen

The New Testament is unanimous in the fact that Jesus’ disciples saw Him after His death.

When the account of the resurrection was first proclaimed, it occurred in Jerusalem, the city where Jesus was buried and eventually to the world, that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead!

This took place less than two months after Jesus was crucified. The disciples did not go away to some distant place where it would have been hard to check out the facts.

They began in the very city where all the events took place. If their testimony were not true, then their enemies would have promptly corrected them.

The New Testament Writers Believed Jesus Had Risen from the Dead.

When the New Testament was committed to writing, it was from the perspective that Jesus had risen from the dead.  All of the New Testament writers believed the resurrection occurred.

Something led them to that belief. What made them believe?

So, these are the facts beyond dispute;

• Jesus existed;
• during His earthly ministry He worked miracles;
• His disciples were not prepared for His death and were not looking for a resurrection;
• Jesus was dead and buried, yet the tomb was empty on resurrection Sunday morning;
• the disciples testified they saw Him alive after His death and they proclaimed the resurrection message in Jerusalem less than two months after Jesus’ death.
• finally, all the New Testament writers believed the resurrection was a reality.

Now, let’s look at the evidence for Christ’s resurrection and let the evidence speak for itself.

Jesus appeared alive to people after His death

The main reason the disciples believed in the resurrection of Jesus is that they saw Him alive after He was dead.

As a result, we see them testifying, time and time again, to the fact they were eyewitnesses of His resurrection. This firsthand evidence of the disciples is a powerful argument for the resurrection of Christ.  The disciples knew that He had risen because they saw Him with their own eyes.

Many different people saw Jesus.  Some of the appearances include the following.

Mary Magdalene

The first appearance of Jesus was to Mary Magdalene. The gospel of John puts it this way:

When she [Mary] had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). (John 20:14-16 NASB)

This appearance was totally unexpected.

Mary the Mother of James, Salome, and Joanna

Jesus also appeared to these three women. This happened after the appearance to Mary Magdalene. After an angel told them Jesus had risen, they were on their way to tell Jesus’ disciples when they met the risen Christ. The Bible says, Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. (Matthew 28:9 TNIV)

As was true with Mary Magdalene, these women touched the body of Jesus.

Peter

Peter is the first person mentioned in Paul’s list of witnesses and is the first of the apostles to see the risen Christ. This was a private appearance to reassure him since he had just denied his Lord. The gospels are completely silent as to the details of this meeting. Luke merely wrote, “The Lord really has risen from death! He appeared to Simon. (Peter)” (Luke 24:34)

We only know that Jesus appeared to Peter; nothing else.

Two Disciples on the Emmaus Road

Later on Ressurection Sunday, Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Luke wrote, Now on that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognising him. (Luke 24:13-16)

As was true with the women, these two disciples were not expecting Jesus to rise. In fact, they were leaving Jerusalem because they had lost hope in Him.

The Eleven Disciples – Thomas Absent

It took place in the evening, possibly in the upper room in which Jesus had instituted the Lord’s Supper. It’s recorded in both Luke’s and John’s gospel, giving us two independent accounts as to what happened. John wrote, That evening, on the first day of the week, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw their Lord!… One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. (John 20:19,

The Eleven Disciples – Thomas Present

Eight days later, He appeared again—this time with Thomas present. The Bible says, After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”  Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”  Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:26-28)

On this occasion, doubting Thomas believed in the resurrected Christ.

Seven Disciples on the Sea of Galilee

Another appearance was to seven disciples on the Sea of Galilee. John writes, After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. (John 21:1, 2)

To the Eleven Disciples on a Mountain in Galilee

There’s also the account of Jesus appearing before His eleven disciples in Galilee. Matthew records the following: Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:16, 17)

Jesus Appeared to over Five Hundred People at One Time

On another occasion, Jesus appeared to over five hundred people at one time. Paul wrote, Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. (1 Corinthians 15:6 NRSV)

We know nothing about when or where this happened.

Saul of Tarsus

After Jesus’ ascension, He appeared again—this time to Saul of Tarsus: As he was travelling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting…” (Acts 9:3-5)

As we examine the New Testament accounts of the appearances of Christ after His death, we can see that those appearances thoroughly convinced His disciples that He had truly risen from the dead.

The first chapter of the Book of Acts makes this statement about Jesus’ appearances: 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)

When describing Jesus’ appearances, Luke uses a Greek word translated as “convincing proof.” This term refers to the strongest type of legal proof imaginable. The case for Jesus’ resurrection would stand up in a court of law.

The multiple appearances recorded in the New Testament range in size from one individual (Peter) to over five hundred people (1 Corinthians 15). These various appearances testify to the fact that He did indeed come back from the dead.

There was no specific time or place when the resurrected Jesus appeared.

His appearances include: in a locked room, on the road to Emmaus, on a mountain in Galilee, on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, and at the empty tomb.

Jesus was able to appear wherever He wished, He was not limited to one geographical area. His appearances consisted of brief encounters with people such as the women returning from the tomb to long periods as with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

He also appeared at different times of day—morning (to Mary Magdalene at the tomb), afternoon (the two disciples on the road to Emmaus), and night (the disciples in the locked upper room).

Jesus’ followers were surprised by the events that occurred in those few short days.

Beginning with His betrayal by one of their own—Judas Iscariot—to the arrest, trial and crucifixion, these rapidly occurring events shocked the disciples. They were not expecting any of this to happen. However, the one thing that surprised them most was seeing Christ alive after His death.

The women who arrived at the tomb were not expecting Jesus to have risen. They intended to embalm His dead body.  They went to the tomb expecting to find someone there. This shows they did not expect a resurrection.

When the disciples were first told of the empty tomb, and the reports that Jesus was alive, they didn’t believe them. They thought the women who were making these reports were mad.

When Thomas first heard that Jesus had risen, he did not believe it. Until he saw Jesus for himself and touched the scars of His wounds, he would not believe. All of these facts testify to the state of mind of the disciples—they were not looking for Him to appear.

The New Testament says it was for only forty days that Jesus showed Himself after His resurrection before ascending into heaven.

After His ascension, Jesus did not appear any longer to His disciples—except for one episode on the isle of Patmos to John. In that instance, He appeared as the glorified Christ.

We also need to consider the character of the witnesses who testified that Christ had risen.

The ones who saw Jesus after His death were in a position to give testimony to whether or not Jesus had risen from the dead.

First, they would have been able to testify if He had died. We are told that John and certain others were there at the cross when Jesus died—they observed His death.  Others saw where He was buried.

Finally, the same Jesus they had seen dead and buried appeared to them alive.

They saw the scars that were on His body from the cross. They knew Jesus intimately and would not have been fooled by some impostor.

Therefore those who testified that Jesus had risen could certainly certify that Jesus had been dead and that they saw Him again alive.

The number of witnesses to the resurrection was sufficient for us to believe their account.  We’re dealing with the twelve disciples of Jesus (minus Judas), other disciples apart from the twelve, and certain women who knew Him well. And, of course, one appearance was before over five hundred people at one time. The different number of people who saw the risen Christ is enough to cause us to believe.

Next, let’s consider the honesty of the witnesses.

We’re told they were not expecting Him to rise, they were all surprised by His appearance and, in the case of Jesus’ disciples,  they were the first unbelievers of the resurrection story. There is no effort to make the disciples into some type of “super believers.”

Their faults are listed—Peter denies knowing Jesus on the night of His betrayal as well as all of the other disciples fleeing the scene.

When all the facts are considered, there’s no motivation at all for them to lie about what happened.

There was no financial gain or greed that motivated the witnesses to falsely tell the story that Jesus had risen.

On the contrary, they suffered terribly by proclaiming the resurrection.

Their status in society was certainly not elevated for believing in Jesus—they were considered members of a sect or cult.

When everything is considered, lying about Jesus’ resurrection caused them no direct benefit but rather only grief.

The ones who had seen Him alive after His death consistently told the same story—Jesus had risen from the dead and they had seen Him alive.

As we read through the book of Acts, we find them always telling the same account.  Their story was consistently told as long as they lived.

The account surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection is told in a straightforward manner with no flowery details.

There are many things we would like to know that we aren’t told. The account is sober and restrained, something we wouldn’t expect from a made-up story.

The character of those who saw the resurrected Christ is sufficient for us to believe their testimony. There is nothing that would cause us to be suspicious of their account.  Therefore, it’s not unreasonable to accept their report that Jesus had risen.

Now go to “The Resurrection- Fact or Fantasy? – Part 2.