June 3, 2017 - Proof of the Resurrection

Proof of the Resurrection

It is scientifically impossible for someone to be raised from the dead.  You might be on the table in the emergency room for a few minutes, seem dead, and the doctor brings you back.  But you aren’t really dead.  The claim that Jesus, in the tomb for three days, coming back to life is preposterous! 

First of all, it is preposterous to state that it could not have happened.  For something to become a fact of science it must be well accepted in the scientific community.  A simple research on the internet and you will discover a lot of argument between a scientific theory and a scientific law.  Scientists seem to agree that you can never be 100% certain of anything.  Therefore, it is always just a theory.  If scientists agree that you can never be certain of anything, why would anyone say they Resurrection could not have happened?

There is evidence of the Resurrection, which should cause scientists to affirm that it happened.  Those who refuse to look at the evidence, have an agenda.  Do you have an agenda?  Or are you open to the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead?  That is what I want to share with you on today’s blog.

There are five facts that an attorney might use in proving his case for the Resurrection.

#1 – The Execution

Historical evidence points to the execution of Jesus by crucifixion.  The Romans were experts at this.  The men carrying out this execution were not inexperienced teens fresh out of high school, learning the tricks of being a soldier, they were skilled career soldiers.  Of the tens of thousands of executions by crucifixion conducted by the Romans, not one person survived.  It was an excruciating death.  Most were dead within a few hours or a day, though some hung on for two or three days.  The Roman soldiers in charge that day thrust a spear into Jesus’ side, most likely destroying the lungs and heart.  It was impossible for a man to survive this.

Each of the four gospels has a chapter or more dedicated to the crucifixion of Jesus.  Most don’t want to rely just on the Bible as evidence, so they will brush it aside.  But non-biblical sources abound from the years shortly after the execution, including Josephus, Tacitus, and Lucian of Samosata.  If someone says, Jesus was never crucified, he is saying he does not believe in historical evidence.  It is one of the most proven facts of First Century Rome.

#2 – The Empty Tomb

All four Gospels report that Jesus was buried in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea, and even some writings never considered to be canon of the church make the same claim.  This was never disputed in the First Century, even by detractors of the Christians.  Three days later the tomb was empty.  The Romans were meticulous record keepers.  In the days that followed, as the disciples were proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection, they could have disputed it, but they never did.  If he was indeed dead, they Romans and Jewish leaders would have produced a body, but they never did. 

It is true that the Jewish leaders claimed that someone stole the body of Jesus.  This is evidence for the empty tomb.  Why would they make this claim if the tomb had a body in it?  The average person of Jerusalem could have made the walk to the tomb, seen it opened, and realized there was no body there.  Something happened to the body.

Claudius Caesar issued a decree specifically for the province of Judea declaring that those who stole bodies from tombs were to be punished by death.  He did not say those who robbed tombs of valuables, but bodies.  Claudius Caesar knew the tomb was empty.

#3 – Eyewitnesses

The Bible lists many who encountered Christ shortly after his resurrection, a group of women, the disciples, James the brother of Jesus, and at least 500 others at one time.  Imagine more than 500 seeing the resurrected Christ!  In a world that demanded verifiable proof, much like our own, not one refutation of these witnesses has ever been documented and every witness agreed with each other.  That alone would stand up in any court in the land.

One of the most surprising testimonies of the resurrection were the women mentioned in the gospels.  In our modern age, women are considered reliable witnesses, but not in the First Century.  Women were not called to testify in court cases, because their testimony was not believable (this is not my opinion, but the opinion of the period).  Why would the gospels have used witnesses considered unreliable?  It proves the story was not fabricated.  If the story were just made up, they would have used only men, especially the most educated members of society.

Maybe Jesus somehow survived the crucifixion, some will say.  But why would there not be one report of a weak, wounded man, desperately needing medical attention?  There were over 500 reports of a glorified Jesus. 

#4 – Early Records

The entire New Testament was written in about 50 years.  There were people living that could be questioned about Jesus.  These same people could have refuted any of the claims of the gospels and Paul’s letters, but not one person came forward.  Paul was writing in less than 20 years after the resurrection.  It states in Galatians he met with Peter.  Luke was a meticulous Greek scientist/doctor (he will be a topic for a future blog).  It was obvious the Jewish leaders had an agenda for not believing in Jesus.  They ordered the Christians not to teach Jesus, but they never said what happened didn’t happen.

#5 – The Emergence of the Church

The most amazing evidence of the Resurrection is the growth of the early church.  It exploded on the world in the century after Christ’s resurrection.  The gospels show the disciples hiding, terrified that they were next to die.  But after the Resurrection, these same men were willing to die.  These men said they saw the resurrected Christ.  They were dying for their testimony.  

Rome, according to some estimates, had a third of the world population at this time.  Within less than a century over 10% of Romans were Christian.  By the time of Constantine, that number was up to half the population.  That is when it became the official religion of the Roman Empire.  In less than 300 years, Christianity defeated the largest empire in the history of the world, not by the sword, but by the teachings of the resurrected Christ.

It was the changed lives of the apostles and later the early Christian fathers that changed the lives of so many.  Stephen was so changed that he was willing to die at the hands of the Sanhedrin.  The brother of Jesus, James, would not recant his beliefs and was stoned to death.  James, the son of Zebedee, was beheaded.  Thomas was speared to death.  James, the son of Alphaeus, was beaten with a club.  Bartholomew was skinned alive in India.  Timothy was stoned to death in Ephesus.  Peter, Andrew, Philip, and Paul were all crucified.  Who would die for a fake story?  They are proof of the Resurrection. 

If you don’t accept the facts of Christ’s resurrection, what is your agenda?  Or are you afraid that it just might be true?

Adapted from an article from pleaseconvinceme.com and the book, God’s Not Dead, Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty, by Rice Brooks