The Ultimate Question Answered: He Is Risen

made with Proclaim

Gary Whitney

Middletown Baptist Church

Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago • Presented 2 years ago • 25:44

Matthew 27:57–28:10

0 ratings

· 19 views

Files

Notes

Transcript

Handout

Sermon Tone Analysis

Emotion

Language

Social

View more →

Does everybody know who Joseph Smith is? He is the founder of the Mormon Faith is buried at the Smith Family Cemetery in Nauvoo Illinois. You can visit it if you wish.

L Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology is dead, but he chose to be cremated and had his ashes spread over the pacific ocean. I am sure that the Scientologist will sell you video of his cremation- the path to their secret knowledge is almost always for sale! You cannot visit his grave but there is no doubt he is dead.

Muhammad is buried in the "Mosque of the Prophet" in the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. Muhammad's grave lies within the confines of what used to be his house. During his lifetime it adjoined the mosque, which was expanded to include his tomb.

You won’t be able to see Muhammad's grave itself since the area is cordoned off by a gold mesh and black curtains. Millions of visitors come to visit it every year. You can get a passport, and perhaps a body guard or two, and join them in visiting the grave of Muhammad if you really want to.

Dead founders of dead religions with false promises backed by bold lies.

But you cannot visit the grave of Jesus- because our Lord and Savior may have died, but he didn’t stay dead. Christ is Risen!

Isaiah 55:1–11 (CSB)

1 “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost! 2 Why do you spend silver on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods. 3 Pay attention and come to me; listen, so that you will live. I will make a permanent covenant with you on the basis of the faithful kindnesses of David. 4 Since I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples, 5 so you will summon a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel, has glorified you.” 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely forgive. 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 9 “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, 11 so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.”

Romans 6:3–11 (CSB)

3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 27:62–66 (CSB)

62 The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come, steal him, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “You have a guard of soldiers,” Pilate told them. “Go and make it as secure as you know how.” 66 They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guards.

Matthew 28:1–10 (CSB)

1 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men.

5 The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”

8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples the news. 9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?

The ultimate question for the Christian faith and for our individual lives is this: Did Jesus rise from the dead? Was Jesus dead for three days, was he placed in a tomb, and did he rise from the grave and walk out of that tomb as a living, breathing man?

That is a simple question of truth, one that doesn’t rely on hopes or preference. Jesus is Risen or He isn’t.

If Jesus didn’t rise from the grave, then we as Christians are wasting our time. Our faith is a lie, and we are simply fools playing a religious game. I

1 Corinthians 15:14 (CSB) 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.

1 Corinthians 15:19 (CSB) 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.

Most people think that the burden of proof lies exclusively on Christians to give evidence of the resurrection, but that’s not entirely true. Yes, there’s a burden of proof on those who believe in Christ, but there’s also a burden of proof on unbelievers. Consider below what must be explained. There’s no question, even among the most secular of scholars, that around 2,000 years ago an entirely new religious movement and community were formed—almost overnight. And immediately, hundreds of people started claiming that Jesus rose from the grave, even when it meant they could die for such a claim. A fast-growing movement of people, which now makes up one-third of the world’s population by some estimates, survives as a result. So how do you explain that? If you don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus, then there’s a burden of proof to provide some other convincing explanation for how the church began.

We need to consider several alternative explanations with the following question in mind: “Which is most plausible?”Plausibility should be the criterion for “proving” the resurrection, because there’s virtually nothing in history that can be established with 100-percent certainty. For instance, can we really know with 100-percent certainty that George Washington was the first president of the United States? Is it not possible that he was just a mythical figure that people wrote about and invented in order to encourage the citizens of a new country? Now we’re almost certain this is not the case, but we can’t say with 100-percent certainty that he was president. Someone once said, “We can’t know with 100-percent certainty that all of us were not created five minutes ago, complete with built-in memories and food in our stomachs.” You can see how much of a headache it is to establish perfect certainty for any past event! The question is “What is most plausible?” or “What can be established with the most certainty?” Several possible explanations have been given.

The Arguments Against He Is Risen

Jesus Didn’t Die On The Cross!

Muslims, for example, say that Jesus didn’t go to the cross, but rather the individual who died on the cross only looked like Jesus. According to the Quran, this is what Mohammed taught. This is a point where the two dominant religions in the world—Christianity and Islam—diverge, and notice that this is a point of truth, not of preference or ideology or opinion. Despite what Mohammed said six centuries after it happened, those much closer to the historical situation (Christian and non-Christian alike) reported that it was indeed Jesus who died on the cross.

Others have said Jesus of Nazareth went to the cross, but instead of dying, He was only hurt (really, really badly). As the theory goes, Jesus fainted and became unconscious, at which time the soldiers thought He was dead. However, due to the time constraints with the Passover feast, they took Him down before He actually died and they quickly buried Him. Later, Jesus regained consciousness and escaped from the tomb. This possibility explains how the tomb was empty without Jesus being resurrected, but it is full of flaws. It assumes that Jesus went through brutal scourging, thorns thrust into His head, nails thrust into His hands and feet, and after hours on a cross, He had a spear thrust into His side. Then, as if that weren’t enough, He was wrapped in grave clothes and put in a tomb with a large stone rolled over the entrance. This tomb was guarded by armed Roman soldiers. Soldiers are expert in telling the living from the dead, it is practically written in the job description. And the Roman soldiers were very practiced in what they did. There are no other reports of this sloppiness. And the Crucifixion of Jesus was very high profile. Followed by Rome and the Jewish Religious Authorities. In that situation and in that physical condition, are we really expected to believe that Jesus regained consciousness, stealthily nudged the stone out of the way, quietly hopped out of the tomb, tiptoed past the guards standing nearby, and coolly went about His way? This scenario seems highly unlikely, if not ridiculous. Needless to say, we can safely label this explanation as implausible.

They Went To The Wrong Tomb!

This theory states that the women went to a tomb that first Easter morning, but in their grief and shock over Jesus’ death, they went to the wrong tomb and mistakenly thought Jesus had risen. Not only that, everybody else made the same mistake later!

If they had only checked the next tomb down, all this Christ foolishness over the years could have been avoided.

The idea that Jesus’ tomb was not empty fails on multiple levels. The last thing Roman or Jewish authorities wanted was for a group of people to claim that their leader had risen from the dead, which is why guards were posted at the tomb according to Matthew 27:62–66. Is it really plausible that they guarded the wrong tomb? In reality, no one would have believed in Jesus’ resurrection if the tomb was not actually empty. Someone could have identified the correct tomb, and the entire Christian movement would have been shut down from the start. We stand on pretty firm historical ground that the tomb was empty, though that in and of itself doesn’t “prove” the resurrection of Jesus.

The Disciples Stole The Body!

The first conspiracy theory? Probably not we can come up with some crazy explanations when we don’t like the truth in front of us. Scripture says this is what the Jewish religious elite said happened.

Matthew 28:11–15 (CSB)

11 As they were on their way, some of the guards came into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After the priests had assembled with the elders and agreed on a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money 13 and told them, “Say this, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him while we were sleeping.’ 14 If this reaches the governor’s ears, we will deal with him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 They took the money and did as they were instructed, and this story has been spread among Jewish people to this day.

The disciples scattered at the cross- they were scared and very much on the run. They were able to get by the Roman soldiers who faced death if the body dissipated into thin air? Why would the disciples concoct such a risky plan in order to proclaim an event that nobody expected to happen? Many would-be Messiahs were executed in the first century, yet in no case do we find any of their followers claiming that their leader had risen from the dead. A resurrection like the one the disciples were proclaiming was not a part of the religious environment of Jesus’ day. So why would the disciples steal Jesus’ body and then tell people that His body had been resurrected?

When the facts of the empty tomb and the sightings of Jesus are taken together, the alternative theories for the resurrection become more implausible. If you only have an empty tomb but no sightings of Jesus, then you have something strange going on, but not a resurrection. It might be assumed that the body was stolen. On the other hand, if the disciples stole the body and then claimed that Jesus was alive, and yet nobody saw Him, then it would have been concluded that these men were fabricating a story. But if people actually saw Jesus after He had died on a cross, and if the tomb was demonstrably empty, then we have deeper questions that must be answered.

Delusional Disciples Imagined They Saw Jesus Resurrected!

I call this they were ignorant enough to fall for this stuff theory! The people of Jesus’ day didn’t have our advanced science and culture so they were more prone to believe in the supernatural. In their pain and grief over Jesus’ death, the disciples still believed that Jesus was somehow guiding them and leading them. They even had visions in their minds of Jesus speaking to them. They may or may not have believed that Jesus was still physically alive, but they believed He was alive spiritually. This myth supposedly grew over the years, and it eventually morphed into the idea that Jesus rose from the grave physically. Some scholars have even argued that the disciples were hallucinating when they claimed to have seen these events. However, these and other theories concerning the mental state of the disciples don’t account well for the shift in the disciples’ worldview that occurred overnight. Think about it: there was no process, no development, no debate or discussion, yet in a relatively short time, thousands upon thousands of people believed that Jesus rose from the grave. It’s one thing to claim that the disciples were delusional, but how do you explain their influence and the dramatic change in their behavior in the days after the resurrection?In addition to the 12 disciples, hundreds of other people claimed to have seen the risen Christ. Unlike the reported miracles today, this was more than one individual who claimed to have seen a Christ-like image in the clouds. Jesus ate with people, drank with people, and talked with people. Hallucinations don’t eat or drink! This was not just spiritual imagination, it was physical presence. Maybe a few people could have been deluded into thinking they had seen Jesus, but Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to “over 500 brothers at one time”

1 Corinthians 15:6 (CSB)

6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep.

In other words, Paul says, “Go ask them what they saw. You can verify this!”

It is ridiculous to believe that people wouldn’t call Paul on this if it wasn’t true. People in the first century were able to investigate the claims of the resurrection by speaking with the apostles and the hundreds of eyewitnesses who had physically seen Jesus. In fact, these eyewitnesses to the risen Christ were openly telling people about what they’d seen, and some were even losing their lives for it. Proclaiming the resurrection was not in their best interest. As Pascal said, “I believe the witnesses that get their throats cut” (Keller, The Reason for God, 210). It is, therefore, highly unlikely that the early Christians fabricated the idea of the resurrection

Christ Is Risen Indeed!

There’s one explanation that remains: Jesus died on the cross and actually rose from the grave. If you claim that the physical resurrection of Christ did not necessarily cause this radical shift in history, then what did? The burden of proof is on you. There’s evidence for this view outside of the Bible as well, evidence that is granted by virtually all historical scholars, even those skeptical of religion.

Jesus was a real person who claimed to be God’s Son and died by by crucifixion.

His followers believed that He rose from the grave and appeared to them.

The lives of Christ’s followers were radically changed as a result of seeing and following the risen Christ. Maybe more significant is that many of his enemies became advocates after seeing the resurrected Christ. (Paul and Jesus’ half-brother James)

Jesus Christ Is Both Lord And Savior: Contemporary Application

Do you want eternal life in heave, do you desire to to be right with God and the people around you?

If you answer yest to these questions you need accept Jesus as both your Savior- the one giving you the gift of eternal life- and your Lord- having the authority to tell you how to live your life. There is more involved in salvation than believing in the resurrection.

Most people will say they believe Jesus is real, and was a good man.

Many people will say they even believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

Almost as many people will say they believe Jesus is God.

Yet that is not enough to be saved!

The Devil and his minions knew Jesus, and acknowledged Him to be God.

Mark 1:23–24 (CSB)

23 Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out, 24 “What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

The Devil and the fallen angels are headed to hell.

Matthew 25:41 (CSB)

41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!

Ask the Devil, “Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God?”

He’d say, “Yes.”

If I were to ask him, “Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God?”

He’d say, “Yes.”

If I were to ask him, “Do you believe Jesus died on the cross and rose again?”

He’d say, “Yes.”

If I were to ask him, “Do you believe Jesus is the only way to be saved?”

Maybe He’d say, “Yes.” He is the Father of Lies after all, he might decide to twist that truth. But he knows it to be true.

If I were to ask him, “Will you commit to live a moral life and come to church and get involved in leadership?”

He could say, “Yes.” You can do that without actually having a saving relationship with Jesus.

The crucial question is this: “Will you repent of your sin and surrender your life to Jesus as Lord?”

The Devil would clearly answer, “Absolutely not.”

I don’t really worry about the Devil going to hell. I am worried about us- where are we headed? Where are you headed!

Romans 10:9–11 (CSB)

Most of our community doesn’t even pretend to know Jesus and without Him they are headed to hell.

Many people believe they are Christians because they acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. They think they are saved from their sins, when in fact they are not. They are only half way there, which means they also will end up in Hell if they don’t repent of their sins and surrender their lives to Jesus’ absolute authority.

That’s why we must ask the question, “Do you surrender to the universal authority of Jesus? Do you accept Jesus Christ as your LORD!” This is what it means to “confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ ” (Rom 10:9). To confess with your mouth is not about saying some magic incantation; rather, it’s about a heart condition that says, “Yes, I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sin and rose from the grave as my Savior, and my life belongs to Him as Lord.”

Eternity depends on our answer to that question.

Points To Ponder

“What Do These Scriptures Say To You?” by William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd

Read the verses aloud, then ask, “What does this say to you?”

Romans 3:23 (CSB)

3 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

What does this say to you?

Romans 6:23 (CSB)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What does this say to you?

John 3:3 (CSB)

3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Why did Jesus come to die?

John 14:6 (CSB)

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

What does this say to you?

Romans 10:9–11 (CSB)

What does this say to you?

2 Corinthians 5:15 (CSB)

15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

What does this say to you?

Revelation 3:20 (CSB)

20 See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

What does this say to you?

Decision Time

Now you have seen the power of God work through his Scripture. It is time to help your friend come to a decision about what he will do about God.

[William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 54–55.]

The Resurrection of Jesus by W. Mark Lanier

The witnesses to the death and resurrection of Christ are numerous. I will place them in categories as we consider the main points of their testimony.

Direct eyewitnesses. Matthew. The writer of the First Gospel was an apostle, one of Jesus’ select Twelve. Originally a tax collector, a job that required not only writing skills but also careful and good record keeping, Matthew was called by Jesus from the tax collector’s booth to be one of his disciples. The details of this calling are given only in Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 9:9). Matthew’s Gospel records Jesus’ crucifixion, death, burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, the Roman guard at the tomb, the earthquake and the resurrection. The resurrection account includes the direct testimony of two women (Mary of Magdalene and a second woman named Mary) about what they saw and their inspection of the tomb. It also includes an apparently common explanation why the body of Jesus was missing from the tomb: the Jewish elders gave money to the soldiers to tell people that his disciples stole the body (Mt 28:11-15).

John. Along with his brother James, John was a fisherman who was called to leave his nets and follow Jesus (Mt 4:21-22). His account, the Fourth Gospel, details Jesus’ last speech to his apostles, in which Jesus explained he was leaving but assured them he would return. John repeats the prayer Jesus offered in Gethsemane before his arrest, where Jesus affirmed his preexistence with God, his mission on earth and his oneness with God the Father. John then details the betrayal and arrest of Jesus, the confrontation with the Jewish authorities, the denial of Peter, the trial of Jesus before Pilate and the crucifixion. John very carefully explains that Jesus died on the cross, with nail holes in his hands and feet and a spear thrust into his side. John tells of the role of Joseph of Arimathea as well as the Jewish ruler Nicodemus in the burial of Jesus in Joseph’s tomb. John attests to the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene, the follow-up tomb inspection by Peter and, most scholars accord, by John himself (he does not call himself John but “the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved”). Peter and the other disciple saw the burial clothes and the otherwise empty tomb. John records visits of the resurrected Jesus to Mary Magdalene and the disciples. John also records the encounter between the resurrected Jesus and the apostle Thomas, at which time Thomas at first doubted, wanting to see and touch Jesus and his wounds. Once the resurrected Jesus offered Thomas that very opportunity, Thomas’s doubts immediately disappeared. Jesus made subsequent postresurrection appearances documented by John, including one where Jesus cooked and ate a fish-and-bread breakfast with his disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus prophesied that Peter would die by crucifixion and that John would be the last living apostle.

Paul. An eyewitness of a different sort, Paul was raised in a devout Jewish home, was one of the Jewish elite (educated in the highest and best Jewish academic environment), was fluent in at least Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, knew Greek poetry, was a multigenerational Roman citizen conversant with Roman law, and was a zealot among his people, living above reproach by Jewish law and tradition. Paul was part of the Jewish power structure that was violently against the church, seeking to arrest and, if need be, kill those who were trumpeting Jesus as a resurrected Messiah. A follower of Jesus named Stephen, the first known martyr of the Christian faith, was stoned under Paul’s approval (he held the cloaks of those involved). While Paul was on a zealous crusade ravaging the church, hauling both men and women to prison, he had an encounter with the risen Jesus while on the road to Damascus. Jesus identified himself to Paul and instructed him on what to do to resolve the blindness Paul suffered as a result of this encounter. Paul almost immediately began preaching Jesus as the risen Messiah, recounting his encounter with the risen Jesus multiple times. Throughout much of the Mediterranean world Paul proclaimed that God had raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:31). In his writings to the Corinthians, Paul specifies that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to [Peter], then to the twelve” (1 Cor 15:3-5). Paul adds that the resurrected Christ appeared to over five hundred disciples at one time, with most of them still alive lest anyone should want to check. Finally, Paul affirmed that the resurrected Jesus appeared to Jesus’ brother James and to Paul.

Peter. Like John, Peter was a fisherman called to follow Jesus. After Jesus’ arrest, for fear of his own safety Peter denied being Jesus’ associate three times in rapid succession. Ultimately, according to the Gospel writers, Peter not only encountered the empty tomb but also the risen Jesus. In one of his own writings, Peter spoke of the resurrected Jesus as “a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Pet 1:19-21). Peter also wrote of his assurance that the resurrected Jesus would return with a new heaven and a new earth (2 Pet 3).

Secondary witnesses. Mark. According to historical records of the church, the missionary Mark, who worked under Paul, Barnabas and Peter, penned the Second Gospel (the Gospel of Mark). Early historical church records report that Mark received his Gospel information from Peter. That would make Mark’s Gospel hearsay in legal theory, which means it would not be admissible in a court absent certain indications of reliability. Saving admissibility issues for later, I note now that Mark’s account does confirm the crucifixion and death of Jesus. He also details the burial and involvement by Joseph of Arimathea. Mark recorded that on the Sunday following the crucifixion Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James found the tomb empty. An angel informed both women that Jesus was resurrected. The earliest copies of Mark’s account end there. Later copies include appearances of Jesus to Mary, to two disciples and also to the entire group of eleven remaining disciples.

Luke. Luke wrote the Third Gospel as well as the book of Acts. Luke was not an eyewitness of the Gospel events, but he set out to “compile a narrative” from “eyewitnesses” (Lk 1:1-2). He then set out to write “an orderly account” (v. 3), which includes the early history of the church in Acts. Periodically in the Acts narrative Luke joins Paul on mission efforts, and his writing then includes eyewitness accounts. Luke explains not only the plot to kill Jesus but the events that led up to the crucifixion. Luke recounts the drama before the actual crucifixion, including the difficulties carrying the cross to the site of Jesus’ death. In addition to Jesus’ death, Luke adds the burial by Joseph of Arimathea, providing details about Joseph’s role as a member of the Jewish council and his objection to the killing of Jesus. Luke details the story of the women coming to the tomb and finding Jesus’ body missing. He adds to Peter’s investigation of the empty tomb his discovery of Jesus’ linen clothes. Luke gives many more details than the other Gospel writers about Jesus’ postresurrection appearances, including walking with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, showing the disciples in Jerusalem his wounds and eating some broiled fish the disciples had with them. At the end of that encounter, Jesus explained to the disciples the Old Testament’s teaching about his death and resurrection. He finished with the assurance they would receive the Holy Spirit. Luke ends with Jesus’ ascension into heaven (see Lk 24).

Note that Luke identifies his sources for those who might want to confirm the accounts. Luke, for example, not only identifies Matthew’s two women witnesses but adds another element, “the other women.” And while Matthew identifies the two women as Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary,” Luke says, “Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James.”

Early church martyrs. There are many other witnesses relevant to Jesus’ death and resurrection, including a group of early church martyrs. These people gladly laid down their lives, convinced that Jesus, the resurrected Messiah, assured them of the reality of God, of sin, of atonement and of a better life after this one is over.

While I could list enough of these witnesses to create a separate book simply with their testimony, I present only one to see the ancient accounting of this witness’s words and actions. My exemplar witness is Polycarp, whose martyrdom is set forth in The Martyrdom of Polycarp.2

Because Polycarp was wanted for his faith and was a leader of the church, the believing community hid him in the countryside. Those searching for Polycarp found two slave boys that, after being tortured, told the authorities where Polycarp was hidden (6.1). So the mounted police and horsemen set out to find and arrest this old Christian man. Polycarp had enough warning to escape, but opted to stay, saying, “May God’s will be done” (7.1).

Upon hearing that the police had arrived, Polycarp started visiting with them. Those present were amazed not only at his advanced age but also at his composure in the face of what was to come. Polycarp ordered that his captors be given the supper they must have missed by chasing him at that hour. Polycarp also asked his captors for permission to pray for an hour before they left. The captors agreed, and to everyone’s wonder, he stood for two hours, praying out loud for everyone “who had ever come into contact with him” (7.2–8.1).

His captors and those with them regretted coming after “such a godly old man” (7.2), but they still took him into the city. There the police captain and his father attempted to persuade him to state “Caesar is Lord,” followed by an offering of incense. They explained that Polycarp could return to business as normal and live if he would do those two minor things. Polycarp responded, “I am not going to do what you are suggesting to me.” Then Polycarp went straightway into the stadium where the crowd noise rose so high that “no one could even be heard” (8.1-3).

Polycarp and the Christians with him heard a voice from heaven as he entered the stadium: “Be strong, Polycarp, and act like a man.” Then the proconsul asked Polycarp whether he was indeed the legendary and wanted man, which Polycarp confirmed. The proconsul then tried to persuade Polycarp to recant, urging Polycarp to “swear by the genius of Caesar.” Thinking of the Christians as atheists (for not believing in the deity of Caesar and other gods of the Roman pantheon), the proconsul asked Polycarp to say “Away with the atheists!” So Polycarp “solemnly looked at the whole crowd of lawless heathen who were in the stadium, motioned toward them with his hand, and then said, ‘Away with the atheists!’” Not quite what the magistrate intended!

The magistrate cried, “Swear the oath and I will release you; revile Christ.” To this Polycarp responded, “For eighty-six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” (9.1-3).

The proconsul kept at Polycarp with wave after wave of persuasion and offers to save his life by recanting his faith. But Polycarp never faltered. Instead, Polycarp explained, “If you vainly suppose that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as you request, and pretend not to know who I am, listen carefully: I am a Christian. Now if you want to learn the doctrine of Christianity, name a day and give me a hearing” (10.1-2).

As the proconsul moved into the final stage of confrontation, Polycarp was filled with courage and joy, and his face was “filled with grace.” Even the proconsul was astonished. Meanwhile, the crowd itself was emphatically shouting and chanting for Polycarp’s death. The cries eventually turned into demands that Polycarp be burned (12.1-3).

As they started to nail Polycarp to the pyre, he stopped them: “Leave me as I am; for he who enables me to endure the fire will also enable me to remain on the pyre without moving, even without the sense of security you get from the nails” (13.1-3). So instead of nailing Polycarp, they tied him up. Polycarp looked to heaven and offered a prayer of praise to God testifying to God’s love through Jesus. And as Polycarp declared “Amen!” the fire was lit (15.1).

And “such is the story of the martyrdom of Polycarp” (19.1). Many everywhere spoke of his death, “even by pagans” (19.1). Early in the 200s, the Christian writer Tertullian said that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church. More and more people were inspired and further convinced by a faith that people would gladly die for, than by the paganism that would kill those believers.

Other witnesses. In addition to the early church writings there are historical writers like Josephus, who wrote Jewish history for the Romans. Around A.D. 93–94, Josephus wrote of the martyr James, who was identified as “the brother of Jesus, who was called Messiah [Christ].” He also said Christ was executed by Pilate. Josephus has more to say about Jesus as resurrected.

At this time there was a wise man called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. Many people among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. Accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have reported wonders. And the tribe of Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to this day.

In addition to Josephus other Roman historians wrote of Jesus as the subject of worship among Christians. In his Annals, penned around A.D. 116, Tacitus wrote of the July 64 mass execution by Nero (see fig. 10.1). Tacitus confirmed the death of Christ by crucifixion (“the extreme penalty”) under Pilate as arising from Nero’s efforts to distract attention from his burning of Rome:

To get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular.

Even before Tacitus, another Roman, commonly called Pliny the Younger, who was both lawyer and author, served for a time as a magistrate for the Roman emperor Trajan and wrote about Jesus and Christians. In his capacity as magistrate Pliny pursued Christians for their illegal status within the empire. Pliny explains the Christian practice of meeting on “a fixed day” (which scholars readily accord would have been Sunday, the resurrection day) and partaking of a meal (the Eucharist). He adds that he made a point of following policy and executing those who would not recant.

In his Lives of the Caesars, Suetonius, the Roman emperor’s director of the imperial archives, used those archives to write of the significant events of the empire’s Caesars. Suetonius wrote that during the reign of Claudius (41–54), the Jews in Rome were constantly having disputes over Christ, which reached an intensity level so high that Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome for some time.6 This event is also referenced in the New Testament (Acts 18:2).

Witnesses: Credibility. We do not have the ability to judge the credibility of these witnesses by looking them in the eye and focusing on their demeanor. Instead, we can examine their writings and the writings of others about them. In some ways those writings convey more relevant information on credibility than a two-hour examination might. The writings have been subject to near exhaustive analysis over the last nineteen centuries.

The mental condition of the witnesses. No scholar has produced a credible argument that these witnesses are mentally challenged or deranged. The writings of Paul, for example, are lucid and exhibit well-reasoned logic, marvelous command of language, some of history’s most moving prose (1 Cor 13), profound theology (Phil 2:5-11), knowledgeable confrontation of those with whom he disagreed (Gal 2:11-14), and more indications of mental stability and competence.

The witnesses’ motives. Not one witness among the many listed could be seen as having an economic motive for subscribing to or supporting the resurrected Christ. In fact, the opposite is true. Christianity was not supported in Judea. Early believers in the resurrected Jesus faced persecution and death at the hands of Jews. The faithful Jews, including Paul before his conversion, believed that God had sent their forefathers into exile because they tolerated gods other than the God of Moses. The idea of a resurrected Jesus who was God and Savior would only bring trouble to Judea from the hand of the true God, or so they reasoned. Were they not truly convinced, the apostles and disciples of Christ (almost all of which abandoned him at the cross) would not sanely abandon their faith for a renegade idea about a resurrected Jesus. Furthermore, if they were charlatans who trumped up the idea of a resurrection, then you would not expect Peter, who denied the Lord three times in an effort to save his skin, to stick with the hoax once he faced imprisonment and death. The stoning of Stephen alone would have likely brought a faked resurrection to an end.

Closely considering the motives of Paul, we see something striking. Paul was a “Who’s Who” among the Jews. Having studied under Gamaliel, a teacher of the Jewish law so famous that many of his sayings are extant today, Paul was in a position to lead the Jews. He cast his vote to stone Stephen (Acts 7:58; 26:9-10). Paul zealously adhered to Jewish laws. Paul lost his affluence, position, standards and practices of life, and likely his family when he converted. He certainly was convinced that something tremendous happened in Jesus.

Paul knew what he had traded for. He wrote as much to the believers in Corinth, explaining that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then Christianity is a cruel joke (1 Cor 15:19).

History records that Paul, Peter, Thomas and most every other apostle eventually died a martyr’s death out of their deep conviction that Jesus rose from the grave. Every one of the apostles exhibited a 180-degree turn in life and lived the rest of their days adhering to faith in the living Christ. The only motive was a firm belief in the truth of the resurrection.

Does history indicate these witnesses believed for profit or fame? No. There was no profit for Paul, Peter, James, Stephen or any others associated with Jesus. Nor was there fame (at least not in their lifetime). To the contrary, it made them outcasts and cost them their positions. Paul, by his own accord, suffered “countless beatings, often near death.” Five times he received forty lashes from the Jews. Three times he was beaten with rods. Once he was stoned. Three times shipwrecked. He chose a life in “danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure” (2 Cor 11:26-28). He preached “free of charge” (2 Cor 11:7) and worked as a tentmaker to support himself in ministry. Finally, history records, Paul willingly died a martyr’s death at the hands of Nero rather than budge on the truth of the resurrected Jesus.

Stephen was martyred around A.D. 34 because he would not deny the truth of the resurrection (Acts 6–7). The apostle James (demarcated in the New Testament as “the brother of John”) was martyred around A.D. 44 because he would not deny the truth of the resurrection (Acts 12). A later historical record, written 125 years after James’s death by Clement of Alexandria, notes that James’s accuser listened to his confession of faith and was so moved that he became a believer and was also martyred for his faith.7 A different James in the New Testament was “the brother of Jesus” (Mk 6:3), who did not believe in Jesus during Jesus’ ministry (Jn 7:1-5). Yet after the resurrection we read of James being among the believers (Gal 1:19). James the brother of Jesus was thrown from the parapet of the temple and clubbed to death because he refused to deny the resurrected Jesus. Hegesippus, writing A.D. 170, records that James was pushed off the parapet because a number of watching Jews were moved to faith by his testimony.8 The apostle Andrew was hung on a cross for four days before finally dying. He chose the misery and impending death rather than deny the truth of the resurrection.

Did the apostles risk life and limb for the fame of starting a movement? This motive likewise fails. It is readily apparent from reading the witnesses that they all believed that Jesus was soon going to return to take them to a glorified state. Believers in Christ were selling all their goods to support the common good in light of what they thought was around the corner (Acts 2:44).

Comparison of different witnesses’ accounts. In my courtroom experience, anytime two stories are identical, there is a strong likelihood of collusion. The truth is that eyewitnesses notice different things. One may see two cars racing through an intersection while another notices a green one. That does not mean one is right and the other wrong. It means that the stories need to be combined to see if they make sense.

Much has been made over whether the biblical eyewitness accounts are consistent. On core matters they certainly are. Only on minor matters are different facts presented, none of which undermine a coherent narrative. All of the accounts include (1) the crucifixion of Jesus, (2) his death on the cross, (3) his burial in the tomb of a noteworthy citizen who could be examined for the truth, (4) his resurrection on the third day and (5) witnesses to the empty tomb. Matthew, Luke and John also name witnesses who encountered the physically resurrected Jesus.

The character of the witnesses. Honesty is a virtue, but it is not always easy to tell when it exists. There is an expression that people need to “put their money where their mouth is” to prove their conviction. This reveals honesty. Each of the eyewitnesses put more than their money where their mouth was. They gave all they had for their convictions about the resurrected Jesus.

Another way to consider the character of the witnesses comes from the circumstantial evidence (see “Opening Statement” in chap. 1). Each of the eyewitnesses lived full and real lives. They had family and friends who knew their penchant for truth telling or the lack thereof. These eyewitnesses successfully proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection to such an extent that within two decades it had spread throughout the Roman Empire, becoming a legal religion by 313 and the official religion of the empire by 380.

Witnesses: Hearsay. The testimony of Matthew, John, Paul and Peter is not hearsay. They were eyewitnesses to what they recorded and to what they said. A court would consider Mark’s and Luke’s writings hearsay.9 They were not eyewitnesses but recorded the information they received from others. Before a court would allow consideration of their testimony, it would need to meet an exception to the hearsay doctrine. Some of the testimony, however, would be accepted in a court of law. For example, testifying before King Agrippa, Paul began, “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today” (Acts 26:2). His testimony included doing “many things in opposing the name of Jesus” (Acts 26:9), which we have looked at earlier in this chapter. This testimony of Luke, as a recorded trial, is admissible as a recorded judicial proceeding.

Of course, all the statements of the non-eyewitnesses would be hearsay as statements “against interests.” At that point in history, everyone proclaiming Jesus as the resurrected Lord was doing so under threat of imprisonment or death. The stoning of Stephen bears that out.

So regarding hearsay, it is not an issue for the testimony about Jesus’ resurrection according to Matthew and Luke, and where it is, it fits into exceptions that push the testimony into a realm of reliability.

Expert witnesses: Junk science. There are no hired experts or anyone who is testifying to the resurrection for pay. However, science is an important area to consider, for some will say, “Yes, based on the eyewitness accounts there is more than sufficient evidence to believe in a resurrected Jesus, but we know that scientifically it is impossible. So there must be another explanation.”

I begin this discussion by readily admitting that absent God intervening in the laws of physics, it is not rational to believe in resurrection, anymore than we should believe two plus two is ten. The same principle that two plus two is four, however, sets the resurrection onto firm logical ground. Science says there is no resurrection by the rules of this universe. A resurrection could occur if and only if there is someone or something that can operate outside of the laws of this universe. That is true of God. God is not some molecular entity bound by matter. God is not so small. God is beyond the universe and is able to alter things in the universe. That is the only way science can allow for the resurrection. Science dictates the necessity of God’s involvement, unless all these witnesses were massively deceived and wrong.

Bias, sympathy and prejudice. Who gets to be a juror on the resurrection case? Of course, everyone does. Everyone must confront the issue of whether or not they see the hand of God in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Even though everyone gets to be a juror, I still need to address the issue of bias, sympathy and prejudice. Because some might get disqualified from sitting on an actual jury if this were a real case in court.

Consider two different groups that would not likely be allowed on a jury. First, there might be a group that says, “I believe! I don’t care what the evidence is. I have a prejudice and bias that Jesus was resurrected. I was born into it; it is genetic. It must be the truth, and I could never examine it genuinely.” This person has a bias that would preclude jury service. That is not to say that the person is wrong. Many people can be right in their opinions but are not allowed to sit on a jury.

The second group says, “I cannot set aside my prejudice about the laws of nature. A resurrection is a functional impossibility. It doesn’t matter if fifty thousand people saw it, those fifty thousand must be deceived.” This person does not have an open mind, even to the idea that God can do what is impossible for people and molecules. These people still have to make a decision, but they are fooling themselves if they think they are making a rational one based on the evidence. They are making it based on their bias and prejudice. The evidence becomes irrelevant and not worth listening to or examining.

Burden of proof. We end with the burden of proof. As noted in the legal section, no one can be 100 percent convinced about any finding of fact in history, especially so far back in time. The question then becomes what standard of proof we would need before trusting in a conclusion that Jesus indeed suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, was buried, descended to the dead and on the third day rose again. Is the burden of proof what is more likely than not, like a civil case? Is it beyond a reasonable doubt, like a death penalty case?

Under either burden the evidence for a resurrected Jesus is immensely compelling. We have looked at that evidence from eyewitnesses and secondary witnesses, but I have left out some of the greatest arguments. The death and resurrection of Jesus are the missing piece of the puzzle in this book. Christ’s death allows a just God to set aside the immorality and impurity of humanity and accord humanity a resurrection into perfection, just as Christ was resurrected.

This is the beauty of the finished work of Christ. His last words, “It is finished,” reflect the atoning work that the nature of God requires. Here we see not only the records and testimony of the witnesses to the resurrected Christ but the logic and meaning behind it. It was not some harebrained idea concocted by a few fishermen, a tax collector and a budding rabbi that somehow caught fire amid a dreadful and documented persecution, finally arriving three hundred years later as a legal religion. It was the facts—no more and no less. It was prophesied for centuries in Scripture, and it was fulfilled in history.

Charles Colson, the assistant to President Richard Nixon who was convicted in the Watergate scandal, writes:

Watergate involved a conspiracy perpetuated by the closest aides to the president of the United States—the most powerful men in America, who were intensely loyal to their president. But one of them, John Dean, turned state’s evidence, that is, testified against Nixon, as he put it, “to save his own skin”—and he did so only two weeks after informing the president about what was really going on—two weeks! The cover-up, the lie, could only be held together for two weeks, and then everybody else jumped ship in order to save themselves. Now, the fact is that all those around the president were facing embarrassment, maybe prison. Nobody’s life was at stake.

But what about the disciples? Twelve powerless men, peasants really, were facing not just embarrassment or political disgrace, but beatings, stonings, execution. Every single one of the disciples insisted, to their dying breaths, that they had physically seen Jesus bodily raised from the dead. Don’t you think that one of those apostles would have cracked before being beheaded or stoned? That one of them would have made a deal with the authorities? None did. Men will give their lives for something they believe to be true; they will never give their lives for something they know to be false.

The Watergate cover-up reveals the true nature of humanity. Even political zealots at the pinnacle of power will, in the crunch, save their own necks, even at the expense of the ones they profess to serve so loyally. But the apostles could not deny Jesus, because they had seen him face to face, and they knew he had risen from the dead.

No one lives up to the revealed instructions or moral purity of God, whether in the commands of Scripture or revealed in the life of Jesus. Sin could be the end of the story for each of us were it not for God’s provision and plan found in the work of Jesus. Paul taught the Ephesians that through Christ God was “making known” to the church “the mystery of his will.”

In the fullness of time God planned to “unite all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph 1:10). This was never a “Plan B” for God. Unlimited by time, God planned it before the foundation of the world. It was an act of love: taking on flesh as a perfect man, only to die a cursed sinner’s death. This was not done capriciously; it was the solution to humanity’s immoral choices. Through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection everyone could find the release from the death they deserved because of their sin. The death of Christ was attributed to sinners outside of time. I say “outside of time” because that is the way of God.

God operates in this universe, and in that sense operates in time. Yet God exists infinitely and eternally, outside of the universe and outside of time. In this sense God was able to pass over the sins of Abraham and others who died before Christ’s atoning death, crediting them with the forgiveness that would come through Christ. Paul explained to the Romans that Christ’s death was necessitated because of sins committed before his incarnation. In this way, the death of Christ showed “God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins” (Rom 3:25).

How does this happen? How is the death of Christ applied to a person? Here is the audacity of the resurrection. God acted outside of nature, outside of space and time, and resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead. He performed a miracle that would not happen short of divine intervention. After dying a sinner’s death, Christ was resurrected as the God of power he was from eternity. The grave could not hold a perfect man. Because of his faithfulness to the Father, Jesus had the power of an indestructible life. Death had no power over the One who is life. This was and is the key for human hope. While we are human, we have an alternative to the death demanded by our sinfulness. We have a way into God’s purity.

Paul explained to the Ephesians that God, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him” (Eph 2:5-6). The resurrection of Christ is the key for us. We are made alive with him. God acted out of his great love for us (Eph 2:4). This is not something anyone earns or achieves on his or her own. It is God’s free gift enabled by the cross of Christ and the empty tomb, apportioned to us through our faith and trust (Eph 2:8-10).

This is indeed the work of a mighty God.

[W. Mark Lanier, Christianity on Trial: A Lawyer Examines the Christian Faith (Westmont, IL: IVP Books, 2014).]

Question Needing Answers

How would you respond to the following statement: “I’m a follower of Christ, but I don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead”?

Is it enough to say that Jesus rose spiritually, but not bodily/physically? Why not?

Explain the contention that the Christian faith stands or falls based on Christ’s resurrection.

Explain the connection between Jesus’ resurrection and your own salvation.

How does the truth of the resurrection fit into a presentation of the gospel?

Why is it unlikely that Mary and Martha would have been included in Matthew’s resurrection account if this were a fabrication? How does their appearance in this Gospel bolster the trustworthiness of Matthew’s account?

Does affirmation of Jesus’ resurrection necessarily imply that one is a follower of Christ? Explain your answer.

How does the resurrection speak to Jesus’ lordship?

A Week’s Worth of Scripture

Monday 1 Corinthians 15:12–19 (CSB)

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.

Tuesday 1 Corinthians 15:1–8 (CSB)

1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.

Wednesday Romans 10:9–13 (CSB)

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Thursday John 3:16 (CSB)

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Friday Philippians 2:9–11 (CSB)

9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Saturday John 5:21–23 (CSB)

21 And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants. 22 The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Related Media

Related Sermons