The Resurrection
The greatest miracle of all and the primary proof that Jesus was who he claimed to be is his resurrection from the dead. Without the resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christian faith. When Jesus died, his core group of followers was in disarray. One of them betrayed Jesus and then hanged himself. The leader of the group denied three times that he knew him. And when Jesus was arrested, the rest forsook him and fled. When Jesus was crucified, except for John, they were nowhere to be seen. After Jesus was buried, they were hiding in a room, full of doubt and fear. Had they been mistaken in believing Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah? What would happen to them now—would they be killed too? They were not about to go out and start a new religious movement that would turn the world upside down.
It was the resurrection of Jesus that changed all this. At first, the disciples were not sure they could believe it. But once they saw the resurrected Jesus for themselves, were commissioned by him to spread the gospel to all nations and were filled with the Holy Spirit they went out with renewed faith and boldness to tell others about Jesus and the Christian movement was born and spread like wild-fire.
Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter preached to a large crowd in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost saying:
Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God
did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge;
and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him
from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him (Acts 23:22-24).
He went on to say:
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are witnesses of it (Acts 2:32).
Then he concluded:
Therefore let all Israel be assured of this, God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36).
Three thousand people responded to Peter’s sermon by being baptized and becoming followers of Christ. It was the resurrection that both reignited the faith of the 11 disciples and served as a catalyst for the spread of the new movement.
Jesus also appealed to his own resurrection as the primary proof to back up his claims. After clearing the temple of moneychangers, the religious authorities had asked him:
What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?
Jesus answered:
Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days (John 2:18-19).
As the disciples would understand later, he was speaking of the temple of his body and was pointing to his future resurrection as the primary sign which proved his authority to do the things he did and say the things he said.
But can we really believe that Jesus rose from the dead? One must let the evidence speak for itself and not dismiss the possibility out of hand. A journalist named Frank Morrison once set out to write a book disproving the resurrection of Jesus, but, in spite of his starting bias, once he looked at the evidence objectively, as he had been trained as a journalist to do, he changed his mind and instead wrote a book in favor of the resurrection called, Who Moved the Stone? What kind of evidence could convince a reasonable person that Jesus really was raised from the dead?
First, there is the empty tomb. When the women came to look at the tomb, the stone was rolled away. When Peter and John went into the tomb, they found it empty, as recorded in the gospel of John:
Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth
that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had
reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed (John 20:6-8).
All the detractors of Jesus had to do to dispel rumors of Jesus’ resurrection was go to the tomb and produce the body. But they could not do so. The tomb was empty.
Second, the angel announced to several eyewitnesses that Jesus had risen from the dead. The angel said to the women who went to look at the tomb:
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay (Matthew 28:6).
The angel reminded them that Jesus had said he would rise again, as recorded earlier in Matthew’s gospel:
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the
elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life (Matthew 16:21).
Who else would dare to predict his own resurrection, and who else could deliver on the promise? Thus the women had a double confirmation, the reminder that Jesus, whom they had never known to lie, had said that he would rise and the announcement from the angel that he had done so.
Third, there were the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus to those who saw him alive after he had been confirmed dead on Friday. Apart from this evidence, some credence might be given to the claim that his body was stolen. Such was the first thought of Mary Magdalene when she saw that the stone was rolled away from the entrance to the tomb (John 20:1-2). But many eyewitnesses saw the risen Christ, of which Mary was the first (John 20:10-18). The disciples as a group saw him several times and on one occasion he appeared to a group of 500 at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).(see note 1 below).The instances were too many and the numbers who saw him too great to dismiss these reports as hearsay. When Paul wrote about the resurrection 20+ years later, he said of the 500 witnesses that most were still living. In other words, if you have doubt, find one of the eyewitnesses and ask them for yourself. Throughout the formative beginnings of the Christian movement, eyewitnesses could personally attest to the resurrection of Jesus.
The tomb was empty, the angel reported that he was risen and Jesus was seen alive on numerous occasions after he was confirmed dead. These are the primary evidences. In addition, the impact of the resurrection on the disciples, leading to a renewal of their faith and the beginnings of the Christian movement, as described earlier, is also significant, so much so that it can be said that without the resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christian faith, as Paul argues when he says:
If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Additional testimony comes from the experience of millions of believers throughout the centuries since then who have had a personal, life-changing relationship with the risen Christ, as expressed in this hymn:
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart (Alfred H. Ackley, “He Lives,” #132 in Great Hymns of the Faith).
Next page: Prophetic Blue-Print
For further study (click and read or listen)
(1) John Stott, Basic Christianity, (chapter 4: The Resurrection)
(2) Lee Strobel on the Reliability of the Resurrection (youtube)
(3) Frank Morrison, Who Moved the Stone? pdf
(4) David Larson, chapter on "Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead
Book resources (order on amazon or CBD)
(1) Lee Stroebel, The Case for the Resurrection
(2) Tim Keller, The Reason for God (chapter 13: The Reality of the Resurrection)
(3) William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith (chapter 8: The Resurrection of Jesus)
The greatest miracle of all and the primary proof that Jesus was who he claimed to be is his resurrection from the dead. Without the resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christian faith. When Jesus died, his core group of followers was in disarray. One of them betrayed Jesus and then hanged himself. The leader of the group denied three times that he knew him. And when Jesus was arrested, the rest forsook him and fled. When Jesus was crucified, except for John, they were nowhere to be seen. After Jesus was buried, they were hiding in a room, full of doubt and fear. Had they been mistaken in believing Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah? What would happen to them now—would they be killed too? They were not about to go out and start a new religious movement that would turn the world upside down.
It was the resurrection of Jesus that changed all this. At first, the disciples were not sure they could believe it. But once they saw the resurrected Jesus for themselves, were commissioned by him to spread the gospel to all nations and were filled with the Holy Spirit they went out with renewed faith and boldness to tell others about Jesus and the Christian movement was born and spread like wild-fire.
Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter preached to a large crowd in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost saying:
Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God
did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge;
and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him
from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him (Acts 23:22-24).
He went on to say:
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are witnesses of it (Acts 2:32).
Then he concluded:
Therefore let all Israel be assured of this, God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36).
Three thousand people responded to Peter’s sermon by being baptized and becoming followers of Christ. It was the resurrection that both reignited the faith of the 11 disciples and served as a catalyst for the spread of the new movement.
Jesus also appealed to his own resurrection as the primary proof to back up his claims. After clearing the temple of moneychangers, the religious authorities had asked him:
What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?
Jesus answered:
Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days (John 2:18-19).
As the disciples would understand later, he was speaking of the temple of his body and was pointing to his future resurrection as the primary sign which proved his authority to do the things he did and say the things he said.
But can we really believe that Jesus rose from the dead? One must let the evidence speak for itself and not dismiss the possibility out of hand. A journalist named Frank Morrison once set out to write a book disproving the resurrection of Jesus, but, in spite of his starting bias, once he looked at the evidence objectively, as he had been trained as a journalist to do, he changed his mind and instead wrote a book in favor of the resurrection called, Who Moved the Stone? What kind of evidence could convince a reasonable person that Jesus really was raised from the dead?
First, there is the empty tomb. When the women came to look at the tomb, the stone was rolled away. When Peter and John went into the tomb, they found it empty, as recorded in the gospel of John:
Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth
that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had
reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed (John 20:6-8).
All the detractors of Jesus had to do to dispel rumors of Jesus’ resurrection was go to the tomb and produce the body. But they could not do so. The tomb was empty.
Second, the angel announced to several eyewitnesses that Jesus had risen from the dead. The angel said to the women who went to look at the tomb:
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay (Matthew 28:6).
The angel reminded them that Jesus had said he would rise again, as recorded earlier in Matthew’s gospel:
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the
elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life (Matthew 16:21).
Who else would dare to predict his own resurrection, and who else could deliver on the promise? Thus the women had a double confirmation, the reminder that Jesus, whom they had never known to lie, had said that he would rise and the announcement from the angel that he had done so.
Third, there were the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus to those who saw him alive after he had been confirmed dead on Friday. Apart from this evidence, some credence might be given to the claim that his body was stolen. Such was the first thought of Mary Magdalene when she saw that the stone was rolled away from the entrance to the tomb (John 20:1-2). But many eyewitnesses saw the risen Christ, of which Mary was the first (John 20:10-18). The disciples as a group saw him several times and on one occasion he appeared to a group of 500 at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).(see note 1 below).The instances were too many and the numbers who saw him too great to dismiss these reports as hearsay. When Paul wrote about the resurrection 20+ years later, he said of the 500 witnesses that most were still living. In other words, if you have doubt, find one of the eyewitnesses and ask them for yourself. Throughout the formative beginnings of the Christian movement, eyewitnesses could personally attest to the resurrection of Jesus.
The tomb was empty, the angel reported that he was risen and Jesus was seen alive on numerous occasions after he was confirmed dead. These are the primary evidences. In addition, the impact of the resurrection on the disciples, leading to a renewal of their faith and the beginnings of the Christian movement, as described earlier, is also significant, so much so that it can be said that without the resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christian faith, as Paul argues when he says:
If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Additional testimony comes from the experience of millions of believers throughout the centuries since then who have had a personal, life-changing relationship with the risen Christ, as expressed in this hymn:
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart (Alfred H. Ackley, “He Lives,” #132 in Great Hymns of the Faith).
- Also see the gospel accounts in Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:10-29
Next page: Prophetic Blue-Print
For further study (click and read or listen)
(1) John Stott, Basic Christianity, (chapter 4: The Resurrection)
(2) Lee Strobel on the Reliability of the Resurrection (youtube)
(3) Frank Morrison, Who Moved the Stone? pdf
(4) David Larson, chapter on "Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead
Book resources (order on amazon or CBD)
(1) Lee Stroebel, The Case for the Resurrection
(2) Tim Keller, The Reason for God (chapter 13: The Reality of the Resurrection)
(3) William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith (chapter 8: The Resurrection of Jesus)