RESURRECTION EVIDENCE
by Elliott Nesch
Obviously, Jesus was a real person and the New Testament records about Jesus are historically accurate. But who is Jesus? Was He a liar, a lunatic or Lord? This question may be answered by His resurrection.
Jesus Himself claimed to be the Messiah (John 4:16-26) who came from heaven (John 8:21-30). Jesus also claimed to be eternal (John 8:52-59), equal to God (John 10:24-39), and the Savior of the world who would die for the forgiveness of sins and would rise from the dead on the third day (Matthew 26:26-32). Jesus performed many signs and miracles that supported His claims.
The Apostle Paul cites the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and its subsequent effect upon all mankind as the proof that God exists, that Jesus is His Son, and that the redemption of all those who obey God and His word is assured by His personal triumph over the grave. Paul said,
"Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:12-20).
In the very same letter and chapter, Paul affirmed to the Corinthian church,
"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time" (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Jesus Was Dead
As demonstrated ealier by several historical and non-biblical accounts: Jesus lived and was crucified. This is for certain and accepted by the large majority of both Christian and non-Christian scholars and historians.
With our modern medical knowledge, and given the nature of a scourging and a Roman crucifixion, it is safe to say that survival is highly unlikely if not impossible.
Moreover, one of the Roman soldiers thrust a spear into the side of Jesus after He died. John, the disciple, described blood and water flowing from this wound. We also know from today's medical knowledge that the water flowing from Jesus' side was most likely due to the rupturing of the sac surrounding the heart called the pericardium (Habermas, 102). This would produce the water and blood just as John described in his Gospel centuries ago.
Thus, with the reliable historical accounts of eyewitnesses and other non-Christian accounts of the crucifixion, we can safely assess that Jesus undoubtedly died on the cross.
An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that from the Gospel accounts that Jesus had certainly died on the cross before he was removed from it:
"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." (McDowell, p. 273).
The Burial Tomb
Skeptic Charles Guignebert, in his book, Jesus, makes the following unfounded statement:
"The truth is that we do not know, and in all probability the disciples knew no better, where the body of Jesus had been thrown after it had been removed from the cross, probably by the executioners." (McDowell p. 275).
Wilbur M. Smith made the following rebuttal to Guignebert's hypothesis,
"He denies the fact which the four Gospels clearly set forth, that the body of Jesus was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Denying this he presents no evidence to contradict it, but makes a statement which proceeds out of his own imagination. In fact, one would say his statement about the body of Jesus proceeds not alone from his imagination, but from his preconceived [philosophical, not historical prejudice] determination." (McDowell, p. 279).
In Marks Gospel 15:46, he says,
"And he [Joseph of Arimathea] bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre."
In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 27:62-66, we read,
"Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."
G.W. Clark concludes,
"So everything was done that human policy and prudence could, to prevent a Resurrection, which these very precautions had the most direct tendency to indicate and establish." (Mc Dowell, p. 293).
E. Le Camus adds,
"Never had a criminal given so much worry after his execution. Above all never had a crucified man ad the honour of being guarded by a squad of soldiers." (Mc Dowell, p. 293).
Jesus' Disciples Went Away
Written within Matthew's Gospel,
"Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled." (Matthew 26:56).
The Empty Tomb
It is significant that the Gospel's historical account about Jesus' life, death and empty tomb was not denied by the Jews or the Romans who lived in the first century and were opponents of the Gospel. This fact provides strong evidence that not only the Gospel record is true, but also the resurrection.
Winfried Corduan writes on the certainty of the empty tomb,
"If ever a fact of ancient history may count as indisputable, it should be the empty tomb. . . . This much is beyond dispute: Christian teaching form the very beginning promoted a living, resurrected Savior. The Jewish authorities strongly opposed this teaching and were prepared to go to any lengths in order to suppress it. Their job would have been easy if they could have invited potential converts for a quick stroll to the tomb and there produced Christ's body. That would have been the end of the Christian message. The fact that a church centering around the risen Christ could come about demonstrates that there must have been an empty tomb." (McDowell, p. 297).
It would be impossible for Christianity to spread in Jerusalem unless the tomb was empty. Additionally, the Jewish leaders claiming that the body of Jesus was stolen by His disciples (Matthew 28:13-15) proves that the tomb was indeed empty. Other than the Jewish leaders claiming that the disciples stole the body, Jesus' enemies gave no other refutation to the resurrection.
Jesus' Appearance
However, it was not the empty tomb by itself that convinced Jesus' disciples of His resurrection. It was the appearance of Jesus that led them to believe.
Jesus also appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34), Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9; John 20:14), to Emmaus disciples (Luke 24:13-33), to the apostles without Thomas (Luke 24:36-43) and later to the apostles with Thomas present (John 20:26-29).
At first, Jesus' disciple Thomas was not convinced that Jesus had risen from the dead based on the testimony of the other disciples that saw the risen Jesus before James. It was not until Jesus appeared to him that he believed (John 20:21-31).
Thomas said to the disciples, "Unless I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe." (John 20:25). Eight days later the risen Lord Jesus appeared to Thomas and he believed. Jesus said, "Because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are those that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29).
Likewise, James, the brother of Jesus had rejected Jesus before his resurrection. It was the appearance of the risen Jesus that changed the beliefs of James (1 Corinthians 15:7). Jesus also appeared to a multitude of 500-plus believers on a Galilean mountain (1 Corinthians 15:6).
The Transformation of the Lives of the Disciples
Moreover, John R. W. Scott says,
"Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection." (McDowell, p. 309).
Their transformation is strongly documented - from men who abandoned and even denied Jesus at His arrest and execution to men who gave their lives and publicly proclaimed him risen from the dead. Furthermore, just as Jesus Christ transformed the lives of His disciples, so the lives of men and women throughout history have also been transformed. The established psychological fact of changed lives is a credible reason for believing the resurrection (McDowell, p. 311).
Objection 1- Did Jesus Actually Die on the Cross?
There have been several inadequate theories about the resurrection of Jesus. Some object by stating Jesus never actually died on the cross but only swooned. However, Jesus did die on the cross according to the judgment of the Roman soldiers, Joseph, and Nicodemus.
F. Godet states,
"Jesus, before His crucifixion, had already suffered much, both in body and soul. He had passed through the anticipation of His death in Gethsemane. He had undergone the frightful pain of a Roman scourging, which left deep scars on the back of the sufferer, and which is almost equivalent to capital punishment. Then they had pierced His hands and feet with nails. The small amount of strength which He might still have had left had been worn away by the six hours of frightful suffering which He had already passed through. Consumed with thirst and completely exhausted, He had at last breathed out His soul in that last cry recorded by the evangelists. Again, a Roman soldier had pierced His heart with a spear. With no food or drink, with no one to dress His wounds or alleviate His suffering in any way, He had passed a whole day and two nights in the cave in which He was laid. And yet, on the morning of the third day behold Him reappearing, active and radiant! On His feet, which had been pierced through and through only two days back, He walks without difficulty the two leagues between Emmaus and Jerusalem. He is so active, that during the repast He disappears suddenly out of sight of His fellow-travellers, and when they return to the capital to announce the good news to the apostles, they find Him there again! He has overtaken them. With the same quickness which characterises all His movements, He presents Himself suddenly in the room in which the disciples are assembled… Are these the actions of a man who had just been taken down half-dead from the cross, and who has been laid in a grave in a condition of complete exhaustion? No." (F Godet, Lectures in Defence of the Christian Faith, 1883, pp. 25-6.)
Objection 2 - Was the Body of Jesus Stolen?
Some would then say that the disciples lied or stole the body of Jesus. Jesus' enemies took several steps in preventing the disciples form stealing the body. The Bible says,
"Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch." (Matthew 27:64-66).
After the empty tomb was discovered, the Bible says,
"And when they [the chief priests] were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day." (Matthew 28:12-15).
Notice that the story the soldiers are bribed to say is so obviously false that Matthew does not even take any time to refute it. The following commentary on the theft theory appears in Fallow's Encyclopedia:
"Either,' says St. Augustine, 'they [the soldiers] were asleep or awake; if they were awake, why should they suffer the body to be taken away? If asleep, how could they know the disciples took it away? How dare they then depose that it was stolen?" (McDowell p. 328).
Additionally, the soldiers would not have been sleeping for fear of death.
Also take into consideration that the disciples claimed to have seen the risen Jesus and this is why they believed in His resurrection. Shortly afterwards, their lives were radically transformed. Most importantly, they were willing to endure imprisonment, sufferings and even martyrdom for what they believed they had seen. Before they had seen Jesus, His disciples forsook Him and fled (Matthew 26:56). Thus, this theory does not account for the transformation in the disciples' lives.
Additionally, the chief priests and Pharisees feared that the disciples would steal the body of Jesus because He claimed He would rise again. Pilate then, in response to the religious leaders' request, sealed the tomb with a stone and had it guarded with Roman guards (Matthew 27:62-66). Thus, the disciples had no power to steal the body and the enemies of Jesus had no motive to steal the body. Therefore, the empty tomb must be explained by a divine work and not a human work (McDowell, p. 325).
Objection 3 - Was the Resurrection a Deception?
First of all, there was insufficient time for legendary influences to completely erase historical facts. In other words, the interval of time between the events themselves and the recording of them in the gospels is too short to have allowed the memory of what had or had not actually happened to be erased.
For example, Historian A.N. Sherwin-White, in his book, Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament, points out that the two earliest biographies of Alexander the Great were written by Arrian and Plutarch more than 400 years after Alexander's death, and yet classical historians still consider them to be trustworthy. Fabulous legends about Alexander developed centuries after these two writers and were rejected because two generations was too short a time span to allow legends to replace the historical facts.
To put this in its proper perspective, imagine that some writer wanted to create some false story today about President John F. Kennedy performing miracles and being raised from the dead for forty days after his tragic assassination. To accomplish this plan, the writer would have to succeed in two inconceivable things: (1) He would have to acquire simultaneously every one of the millions of books and newspaper reports about the president and insert his counterfeit passages in this material without being detected by a single reader; (2) He would have to simultaneously convince millions of people around the world to accept his forgery as true, despite the fact that these people who were alive when JFK lived have independent recollections that contradict his invented story. It would be impossible for anyone to produce such a successful forgery, let alone the whole population of the world.
Additionally, the Gospels provide embarrassing testimonies of the disciples and the women in relation to Jesus' resurrection. Their initial disbelief and cowardice of Jesus' disciples is documented in the Gospel accounts. Peter denied that he even knew Jesus to a young servant girl. The principle of embarrassment supports the authenticity; it would be highly unlikely that the disciples - or the early Christians who highly respected them - would invent scenarios, which, in hindsight, casts them in a negative way.
Early Christians often suffered great persecution and paid with their lives for their faith and testimony that Jesus had lived, died, and rose from the dead.
Matthew suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia being killed by a sword wound. Mark died in Alexandria, Egypt after being dragged by horses through the streets to death. Luke was hanged in Greece as a result of his preaching of the Gospel. John faced martyrdom when he was boiled in a huge basin of oil and survived. John was then sentenced to prison on the island of Patmos. Peter was crucified upside down. James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem was thrown over one hundred feet down from the pinnacle of the Temple after he refused to deny his faith in Christ. He survived the fall and was then beaten to death. James, the son of Zebedee, was beheaded at Jerusalem. He defended his faith at his trial and a Roman officer knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian as well. Bartholomew, also known as Nathanael, was martyred for his preaching in Armenia when he was flayed to death with a whip. Andrew was preaching the Gospel even as he was being crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece. The apostle Thomas was stabbed with a spear in India during a missionary trip. Jude, the brother of Jesus was killed with arrows after he refused to deny his faith. Matthias was stoned and then beheaded. Barnabas was stoned to death at Salonica. The apostle Paul was tortured and then beheaded by the Emperor Nero at Rome in AD 67. (Jeffrey).
It is unlikely that even one person would die for a lie, but all the 12 disciples in addition to thousands of other Christians of first century never denied Jesus the Messiah even unto martyrdom and death. And this is not to mention the countless number of Christians that have died for their faith in Jesus Christ throughout history.
The skeptics will reply that the martyrdom of these people proves nothing because many people die for their beliefs. Actually, it proves that the disciples weren't intentionally lying. For example, we can look at the Islamic suicide bombers and terrorists that give their lives to kill many others. They really believe in their cause. Are they deceived? Yes. Are they liars? No.
Jesus' disciples sincerely believed He rose from the dead!
Even if there were hundreds of stories or myths of ancient figures dying by crucifixion and being raised from the dead, this would not even come close to affecting the historical and verifiable death and resurrection such as we have in Jesus Christ.
A mere myth or story would not have convinced Paul. Saul (later known as Paul) the zealous Jewish Pharisee, was one of the greatest persecutors of the Christian faith. Paul was consenting to the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Later, Paul was convinced when the risen Jesus appeared to him. The Apostle Paul told skeptics in Athens that God wants all people everywhere to repent because he has set a day when He will judge the world by Jesus. God has given proof of this by raising Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:16-33). Paul asserts that Jesus the Messiah has indeed been raised from the dead which confirms that Jesus was not a liar, nor a lunatic but exactly who He claimed to be: the Son of God.
Objection 4 - Were the Witnesses Experiencing Hallucinations?
Some skeptics will argue that all of those who saw Jesus after his death were hallucinating. However, more than 500 people could not have had the same hallucinations at the same time. Psychologist Gary Collins writes,
"Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature only one person can see a given hallucination at a time." (Strobel, Lee, The Case for Christ).
Objection 5 - Did Everyone go to the Wrong Tomb?
Another objection from skeptics is that everybody went to the wrong tomb and Jesus' body remains in a different location.
This cannot be true because the women observed where Jesus' body was laid only a few days earlier (Matthew 27:61). After hearing the report from the women, Peter and John ran to the tomb without directions from the women (John 20:3) and it is therefore unlikely that they would have made the same mistake as the women. Also, Joseph of Arimathea the owner of the tomb, wold have corrected them. If Jesus' body was still in its correct tomb, then his enemies would have produced the body immediately to put an end to the disciples claims.
Conclusion
Apologetics author Josh McDowell writes,
The empty tomb--the silent testimony to the resurrection of Christ--has never been refuted. The Romans and Jews could not produce Christ's body or explain where it went. Nevertheless, they refused to believe. Men and women still reject the Resurrection, not because of the insufficiency of evidence, but in spite of its sufficiency." (McDowell, p. 309).
E. H. Day writes,
"In that empty tomb Christendom has always discerned an important witness to the reasonableness of belief. . . . [The burden of proof] rests not upon those who hold the tradition, but upon hose who either deny that the tomb was found empty, or explain the absence of the Lord's body with some rationalistic theory." (McDowell, p. 309).
The outstanding British scholar, J. N. D. Anderson is one of the world's leading authorities in Islamic law, dean of the faculty of law in the University of London, chairman of the department of Oriental law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in the University of Londond. This scholar of international repute and qualification to deal with the subject of evidence states,
"The evidence for the historical basis of the Christian faith, for the essential validity of the New Testament witness to the person and teaching of Christ Himself, for the fact and significance of His atoning death and for the historicity of the empty tomb and the apostolic testimony to the resurrection, is such to provide an adequate foundation for the venture of faith." (McDowell, pp. 266-7).
The Bible says Jesus Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4).
Selected Bibliography:
McDowell, Josh. Evidence for Christianity.
Habermas, Gary. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus.