Reasoning on the Resurrection

Christianity is based on Jesus’ empty tomb. He prophesied that He would be resurrected on the third day (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19).

            The Bible records the details of His death, burial, and resurrection (Matthew 27-28). It declares that Jesus came back to life.

            This is not without controversy. One should take time to examine the evidence, for there is a judgement day coming for all (Hebrews 9:27). Belief in Jesus will be important on that day (John 8:24), as will submission to His teachings (Mark 16:16).

            That the tomb was filled is generally agreed to by both sides. Jesus died and was buried. That is not the question. The question is what happened to the body.

There are three choices:

·       His enemies stole the body.

·       His disciples stole the body.

·       He was resurrected.

The first is disproven by the fact that Christianity’s enemies never produced the body. Telling about the resurrection began within a stone’s throw of His tomb—in the presence of His enemies. They did all they could to stop Christianity’s growth, but they never said, “We took His body. You look like a bunch of fools for believing in a resurrection.”

      The second choice is equally untenable. Frist, the disciples did not have access to the body. Jesus’s tomb was triple protected, by . . .

·       A stone: Artists typically portray a disk-shaped stone over Jesus’ tomb, but out of the 900 tombs discovered from this period, only four had stones like that. Most were more like corks. Either way, the tomb’s entrance was blocked.

·       A guard: Pilate put guards at the tomb. They were likely 16-20 in number.

·       A seal: A Roman seal was a sign that the contents belonged to Rome. Anyone caught breaking it would likely be crucified.

Second, the disciples were in no mood to go grave robbing. They fled Calvary in fear (Mark 14:50). They were keeping a low profile from the Jews. If Jesus’ enemies had killed their Master, would they not also proceed to His disciples?

      Third, their actions show they did not expect the body to be missing. N.T. Wright noted that the disciples had no theological motivation for claiming that Jesus had risen, as they anticipated a military hero and a final resurrection at the end of time.

      Fourth, they had no reasonable motive. Homicide detective J. Warner Wallace noted that when a conspiracy is formed, one of three motivating factors is behind it—power, greed, or lust. The disciples demonstrated none of these

      Fifth, the disciples were willing to die for their faith. Not one recanted and said, “We took the body. There was no resurrection. It was all a lie.”

      People do not die for lies that they know are lies, therefore only one other option is possible: Jesus was resurrected.

--Selected

House to House Heart to Heart

Volume 30 number 7