And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Luke 24:5.
The Foundation of The Christian Faith
The resurrection of Christ. It is the foundation of Christianity. Without the resurrection of Christ, the Christian faith falls flat on it’s face, and is about as worthless as a three dollar bill. In 1 Corinthians 15:19, Paul said, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
Why Is The Resurrection Important?
Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, so we could be reconciled to God. His resurrection proved that he is the Messiah, the son of God, and through his resurrection, defeated death so that all who put their faith in him may have eternal life with him. Without his resurrection, he is just some guy who died on the cross two-thousand years ago. 1 Cor 15:17 says, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
Physical, Not Spiritual
It is important to clarify that his resurrection was a physical resurrection. I remember a number of years ago I read an article in a popular magazine that talked about the resurrection of Christ. In the article, the writer mentioned that some biblical scholars believed that the resurrection wasn’t physical, but spiritual. For some reason, that stuck in my head. It weighed on me, and weighed on me. I guess you could say I was maybe having a crisis of faith. After a few days, I finally started praying about it, which is something I should have done right away. Well God gave me, in a big way, the answer I needed to hear.
Evidence For The Resurrection
I was listening to a lecture on YouTube, by Lee Strobel, called, The Case for Christ: Evidence for the Resurrection. If you don’t know who Lee Strobel is, he is a former atheist, and a former investigative journalist. When his wife became a Christian, he decided to do some investigative research to see if there was any credibility to Christianity, and other religions. After his research, he concluded that Jesus was indeed the son of God. Not only did he put his faith in Christ, he even left his job with the newspaper to tell others what he had learned. He ended up writing the book, The Case for Christ, which talked about his investigation. He also wrote other books on different aspects of the Christian faith.
Jesus Really Died On The Cross
Here are some points I gathered from his YouTube video showing evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. The first is that Jesus really did die on the cross. Before you can have a resurrection, first there has to be a death. No one disputes that Jesus was crucified and died under Pontius Pilate. That fact was confirmed by multiple early first century accounts in the New Testament. Also, five sources outside of the bible confirm and corroborate his death on the cross. The Journal of American Medical Association did an investigation of the historical and medical evidence of the death of Jesus and stated, “Clearly the weight of the historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead, even before the wound in his side was inflicted.”
Pierced His Side
In case you hadn’t heard about the wound in Jesus’ side, John 19:34 talks about how one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, to make sure he was dead, and blood and water came out. This verified that he was dead. In a dead body, the blood separates, with the heavier red cells below, and the light watery plasma above. Even if Jesus had been in perfect health at the time, this injury would have been fatal, because the spear punctured his heart and lung. Crucifixion was a slow and brutal form of suffocation, and let’s not forget, Jesus was flogged before he was crucified. It is said, that after the flogging, he wasn’t even recognizable, and he would have had significant blood loss. Keep in mind, there is no historical record of anyone surviving a full Roman crucifixion. Rest assured, Jesus was dead.
The Empty Tomb
The tomb was empty. Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb by Joseph of Arimathea. It was sealed, and it was guarded. Even the enemies of Jesus never disputed the tomb being empty. After the disciples said Jesus had risen, Jesus’ enemies didn’t dispute that the tomb was empty. They claimed that the disciples stole the body. They conceded that the tomb was empty, but were trying to explain how it got empty.
The Disciples Didn’t Do It
Now, the disciples would not have stolen the body. They didn’t have the motive, they didn’t have the means, and they didn’t have the opportunity. Remember the tomb was being guarded. Also, remember the disciples were basically in hiding, in fear for their lives. The Romans wouldn’t have stolen it. They wanted Jesus dead. Also, the Jewish leaders would not have stolen it. They wanted Jesus to stay dead. The body wasn’t stolen. There is only one reason the tomb was empty. Jesus had risen!
The Resurrection Was Not A Legend
There are early accounts that Jesus rose from the dead. Reports that came virtually immediately after his death. Some skeptics believe the resurrection was a legend that developed over a period of time. Usually, after a famous, or important person dies, it can typically take one-hundred to one-hundred-fifty years for legendary embellishments to be added. Sometimes even longer.
Statement Of Conviction
Here is something to consider. There is a preserved creed, a statement of conviction, from the earliest church, based on eye-witness accounts that the earliest Christians rallied around, based on facts they knew to be true. This creed contains the essence of Christianity. Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose on the third day. It also gives the names of eye witnesses, and groups of eye witnesses before, whom Jesus appeared, and who’s lives were changed because they encountered the resurrected Jesus, including the five-hundred people who Jesus appeared before at one time. This creed was developed right after the death of Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter about twenty-two years after the crucifixion of Jesus, to the church in Corinth. It was 1 Corinthians 15.
Letter To The Corinthians
In the letter, he reports this creed, and he also states that he had previously given this creed to them. So say, within twenty years after the death of Christ, this creed was already in existence. Twenty years. Far short of the one-hundred years it typically takes for a legend to develop. Let’s take it even further though.
Saul’s Encounter With Christ
Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee who persecuted Christians. On his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians, he had an encounter with the risen Christ, which changes his life, and he becomes the Apostle Paul. He goes on to Damascus to meet with some Apostles. Many scholars believe, this is when he was given this creed that he writes in the letter to the church in Corinth. This was one to three years after the death of Jesus, much too short of a time period for a legendary embellishments to get started. The fact that this creed existed one to three years after the death of Christ, means the beliefs in this creed go back even earlier, virtually to the cross itself. The reports of Jesus’ resurrection basically happened so fast, it can’t be written off as just being a legend. There are other early reports of Jesus’ resurrection in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, all of which were circulating during lifetime of Jesus’ contemporaries, who would have surely pointed out the errors if these were just made up stories.
How God Spoke To Me
Jesus appeared alive in over a dozen different instances to over 500 people. He appeared to skeptics as well as believers. The disciples even ate with him. After Jesus’ death though, the disciples were in hiding, and afraid for their very lives. Within a few weeks after Jesus death, in the very city where Jesus was put to death, the disciples were proclaiming, with boldness, that not only did Jesus claim to be the son of God, he proved it by returning from the dead. All of the disciples, except John, were put to death for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
How Did They Become So Bold?
What happened? How did they go from being in hiding, and afraid for their lives, to boldly proclaiming Christ, even under threats of death? It is my belief that they had an encounter with the risen Christ. Think of this. People may die for what they believe is true, but no one will die for what they know to be false. The disciples were willing to die for the gospel because they encountered the risen Savior. This is how God answered my prayer that I spoke about earlier, and how he let me know that it was a physical, not a spiritual resurrection.
The Resurrection Was Real
The resurrection of Christ happened. It was real. There were eye witnesses who saw, spoke and ate with the risen Savior. The result of the resurrection? God’s plan of salvation was complete, and through Christ, we can be forever reconciled with God.
Pic Of The Post
The pic of the post is a picture I call, Resurrection. It’s my interpretation of the resurrection of Christ, and the joy we have because through Christ, our debt has been paid and we can can be reconciled with God. To view the picture, just click on the “Pic Of The Post” link. If you’d like to listen to the amazing lecture given by Lee Strobel on this topic, just click on this link.
Please feel free to leave questions or comments.