Slideshow image

To answer this question, we need to examine the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. As we do this, two further questions will guide our investigation. Firstly, what are the historical facts that require an explanation? Secondly, which explanation best accounts for these facts? Answering the question of Jesus’ resurrection is of vital importance for both the believer and the sceptic alike. Jesus made outrageous claims about Himself. He claimed to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the world. He even predicted His own physical resurrection from the dead. If Jesus truly rose again after death, His claims of being God incarnate, the Saviour of the world and the one and only way to Heaven are surely validated. This has massive implications for each and every one of us. However, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, we can dismiss Him as just another interesting but tragic figure from history. The truth of Christianity really does stand or fall on the question of the resurrection of Jesus.

Part One – The Historical Facts

Let’s first consider the historical facts that require an explanation. The vast majority of first-century historians accept the following four facts regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus as virtually indisputable.

Fact #1: The crucifixion and burial of Jesus

Many sceptics contend that Jesus did not die on the cross. For example, many Muslims believe that someone else (such as Judas) was crucified in Jesus’ place (Sura 4:157). Other sceptics argue that Jesus merely fainted while on the cross and was later revived. However, we can be confident that Jesus really was crucified and buried as recorded in the New Testament.

The crucifixion of Jesus is recorded in a number of ancient historical writings, both Christian and non-Christian. The execution of Jesus is reported in the four Gospels, in a number of first-century letters contained in the New Testament, and by several non-Christian sources, such as Josephus, Tacitus, Lucian, and Mara Bar Serapion. Even the Jewish Talmud records the public execution of Jesus.

In regard to the burial of Jesus, it was common for those crucified as criminals by the Romans to be buried in a common graveyard. However, the Bible records that Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus in a private tomb. This is a highly significant detail. Firstly, given the hostility between the Jewish authorities and Christians, the claim that Joseph of Arimathea, who was a member of the Jewish high court that condemned Jesus, petitioned Pilate for permission to bury Jesus’ body, is unlikely to be a Christian invention. The Jewish authorities could’ve easily exposed such a fabrication if it were a lie. Secondly, the location of Jesus’ tomb was therefore known in Jerusalem to Jews and Christians alike. Furthermore, the burial story is simple and lacks any sign of legendary development. In fact, the earliest records have been dated to within just a few years of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, and no competing burial story exists.

For these reasons, we can be confident that Jesus was crucified and then buried in a private tomb.

Fact #2: The empty tomb

The New Testament records that on Sunday after the crucifixion, Mary and the other women went to anoint the body of Jesus. However, when they arrived at the tomb, they found it open and Jesus’ body missing.

The empty tomb is recorded in six independent sources. Given the number of sources and the time at which they were written, the vast majority of historians are confident that this detail of the empty tomb is true and not a product of legendary development from centuries after the event.

Furthermore, the fact women discovered the empty tomb is highly significant. In first-century Palestine, women had low status as citizens and legal witnesses. Their testimony was not considered on par with that of a man. Except in rare circumstances, Jewish law precluded women from providing direct evidence in a court of law. If the empty tomb story were a lie or a product of legendary development written centuries later, it would’ve stated that men, not women, had discovered Jesus’ empty tomb. Christian apologist Sean McDowell notes that, “The fact that the disciples include women as the first witnesses to the empty tomb points to one thing – they were reporting the truth.”

Our confidence in the empty tomb is further increased by the response of the Jewish authorities. Upon hearing that Jesus’ tomb was empty, they accused Jesus’ followers of stealing the body – implicitly admitting that the tomb was in fact empty.

Fact #3: The disciples believed they witnessed resurrection appearances of Jesus

To verify Jesus’ resurrection, evidence must demonstrate that He was seen alive again after His death. In Acts 1:3, Luke records that the disciples repeatedly saw Jesus over a forty-day period after His crucifixion and burial.

In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, one of the oldest passages of the New Testament, Paul provides a list of witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection appearances. Paul writes that, “He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.”

Christian apologist William Lane Craig notes that on the basis of Paul’s testimony alone, virtually all historical scholars agree that various individuals and groups experienced appearances of Jesus alive after His death. Furthermore, various resurrection appearances of Jesus are independently confirmed in the four Gospels.

Fact #4: The transformed lives of the disciples

Following the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, the response of the disciples was to scatter. Like cowards, they hid from the Roman and Jewish authorities, in fear that they would suffer the same fate as Jesus. At this time, the disciples were devastated and demoralised. As Jews, they had no understanding of a Messiah that would be executed by their enemies, much less come back to life. Jews believed no one would be resurrected until the end of the world. However, despite all this, the disciples suddenly and sincerely came to believe that God had raised Jesus from the dead. Completely transformed, the disciples fearlessly began to publicly proclaim Jesus as God, the resurrected Messiah, and the Saviour of the world.

The disciples faced arrest, torture and death for believing in and preaching about the resurrection of Jesus. All but one of the disciples was executed for their faith, and not one ever recanted. This is a significant historical fact. Some may endure torture and even death for a lie if they believe it’s true. But no one willingly accepts pain and suffering and death for what they know is a lie and which will yield no benefit of any sort for their family and friends they leave behind. The disciples were in a position to know if the resurrection of Jesus was a lie. They knew it was true, and it totally transformed their lives.

Take, for example, the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus, who hated Christians and everything they stood for. He saw them as a threat to his Judaism. Saul persecuted Christians but then suddenly became a Christian, then changed his name to Paul. What happened? Paul writes that he had an encounter with the risen Jesus and was totally transformed.

Consider James, Jesus’ sceptical half-brother. Before the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, James did not believe His claim to deity; in fact, the Gospel of Mark records that James thought his older brother was ‘out of his mind’. However, after the resurrection, James became the leader of the Jerusalem church and was later stoned to death for his belief that Jesus was God. Something transformed him. Paul writes that James had an encounter with the risen Jesus.

Furthermore, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, how do we account for the origin and rapid growth of the Christian movement? The book of Acts records the fact that within a few weeks following the resurrection of Jesus, thousands in the same city were converted through the preaching of His resurrection. Also, within a short time in the same city, a great number of Jewish priests were converted to Christ. Despite severe persecution, the Christian movement spread so far and so fast that within a few decades it covered the Roman Empire, touching even Caesar’s own household. Even the enemies of early Christianity confessed that it turned the world upside down. What could account for this growth if Jesus were still dead? New Testament scholar N.T. Wright states that, “As an historian, I cannot explain the rise of early Christianity unless Jesus rose again, leaving an empty tomb behind Him.”

These four historical facts surrounding the resurrection of Jesus cry out for an adequate explanation. How do you explain them?

 

If you enjoyed this article, please check out Confident Faith for more teaching and resources.