Proofs and the Importance of the Resurrection

According to MSN.com adding salt to boiling water does NOT make it boil faster.  It actually takes longer because salted water has a higher boiling point. Did you know that adding baking soda or vinegar to the water of boiling eggs to make them easier to peel has been proven false as well?  Did you know that some products claiming to be “all -natural” actually contain artificial ingredients? The list of untrue or unrealistic claims goes on!   

What about the Bible?  Some believe that some of the claims made in the Bible are false.  For example, let’s look at the resurrection of Jesus.  Did Jesus rise from the dead?  It is an honest question.  I mean, a man coming back to life…really?  It is a fair question to consider.  So, let’s start with the reality of his death.  His death is vital because you cannot “rise from the dead,” if you are not truly dead.

1.     JESUS DIED.

Matthew 26:59. The chief priests, elders, and ALL the council sought people who would lie about Him. They lied about Jesus to convict Him for a death sentence. 

Matthew 26:60. The religious leaders had to work hard to find those who would lie to achieve the desired conviction.

Matthew 26:67. The religious leaders gave Jesus a significant beating.

Matthew 27:1-2.  Jesus was bound and delivered to the Roman Governor.  Pilate was a key leader among this world power.  Escaping such a confinement would be near impossible, and definitely not probable.  Some may say, “His disciples got together, overtook the Roman guard, and helped him escape.”  Well, that sounds like an exciting movie plot or novel, but it does not sound like the disciples who all ran from Jesus at his arrest – and one of them even denied knowing him when confronted at Jesus’ trial (Matthew 26:69-75).  A group of fearful men overtaking the well-trained Roman guard is really grasping at straws and has no foundation in any historical account.

Matthew 27:20-26.  The chief priests and elders stirred up the crowds of people to hate Jesus to such degree that the crowds demanded for a known criminal to be released instead of Jesus.  John 18:40 tells us that Barabbas was a robber.  They demanded for Jesus to be crucified.

Matthew 27:27-31.  Jesus was then surrounded by a number of soldiers.  They striped him. They put a purple robe on Him (the color of royalty), painfully pressed a crown of thorns on his brow, placed a reed in His hand – and then they knelt down and mockingly said, “Hail! King of the Jews!”  THEN, they spat on Jesus, took the reed from his hand and pounded His head with it.  After this beating and humiliation, they put Jesus’ own clothes back on Him and led Him to His own crucifixion.

The crucifixion was created by the Romans as a cruel punishment for non-Roman criminals. The word excruciating was actually created for this punishment to describe the pain suffered during the crucifixion. The word excruciating means “out of the cross.”

Matthew 27:32. Jesus has received such a beating – inhumane treatment – that another had to carry His cross.

Matthew 27:41-43.  The chief priests, scribes, and elders continued mocking Jesus while He hung on the tree.  They saw His appearance all bloodied and altered…and no compassion was voiced.  They dug in deeper.

John 19:30. Jesus declares from the cross, “It is finished!”  The Bible then says that Jesus “gave up the ghost.”

Historical Evidence of His death & resurrection:

1.     There are 4 eyewitness accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John)

2.     The impact of His death on His followers (the fearful disciples were made bold and now willing to die for Him).

3.     Tacitus (historian), in his Annuals (written AD 115), book 15, chapter 44, writes of one named Jesus, the leader of the Christians. He also states Jesus was executed under Pontius Pilate

4.     Josephus refers to Jesus in books 18 and 20 of the Antiquities of the Jews, written about AD 93 or 94.  He refers to Jesus as the brother of James.

Jesus did live on earth. Jesus was executed under Pilate. 

2.    JESUS WAS BURIED.

John 19:34. To be buried, Jesus needed to be dead.  Jesus was beaten horribly.  He had peg-like nails driven through his hands and feet.  He had thorns pressed through His brow.  He hung on a tree making it hard to breath.  In such a weakened state, He would had to of gather enough strength to push off from His feet to grab enough air to breath.  But the Bible is clear, He gave His life (“gave up the ghost.”)  John 19:34 is the final point of clarity, the soldier drove a sword through His side after His death, and blood and water flowed out … confirming His death.  Jesus was dead and then buried.

3.     JESUS IS ALIVE

Matthew 27:62-66. The religious leaders were still scared.  They saw His miracles.  They were envious of His abilities and crowds of people.  They were afraid Jesus might rise from the dead … I mean, didn’t He raise Lazarus from the dead?  So, they make every effort to protect themselves and discredit any potential “resurrection.”  They begin to spread the rumor of the disciples coming to steal His dead body and claim His resurrection before He is even in the grave a day.

Matthew 28:1-4. An earthquake, the great stone is moved, an angel with a countenance of lightning, and the brave Roman soldiers falling down like dead men … this is an incredible scene!

ARGUMENTS:

1.     Some say that the Disciples stole His body.  Really?  These guys were so sacred a few days ago that they all ran away.  Now some want us to believe these fishermen and a tax collector took on the trained Roman guards? 

Some say, “well, the guards were asleep!”  If the guards were asleep at the time, how did the disciples role the great stone away from the grave without waking the guards?  Why would the disciples leave the grave clothes behind?  Wouldn’t they have wanted to move quickly for a successful escape?  If the guards were sleeping, how would they know the disciples were the ones who stole away the dead body of Jesus? 

Everything that Jesus taught pointed to speaking truth.  For the disciples to steal the body, they would have had to lie.  The disciples had no motivation to steal the body – and consider the mental state of the disciples, they were now without a leader for the first time in 3 years.   Also remember, the fact that Jesus’ body was missing from the tomb, is not debated.  Argument is over the body being stolen.  The gospel of Matthew even mentions this theory among the unbelievers (Matthew 28:11-15).

2.     Some say He never really died and just woke up.  At best, Jesus would have been in a crazy weakened state, and would have been in the ICU (in today’s standards) in light of all He just went through.  And if Jesus was not God, and did not rise from the dead…who rolled the great stone away?

3.     Some say the disciples had hallucinations about seeing the risen Jesus. Well, to be fair, it was an incredibly stressful time.  However, Jesus was not seen just by the disciples.  The Bible records over 20 post-resurrection appearances. In fact, just Paul’s account in I Corinthians 15:3-11 says that 100’s of people saw Him resurrected: 

o   Cephas

o   The Twelve

o   500 people at once

o   James

o   All the apostles

o   Saul

Then in I Corinthians 15:11 it says, “so we preached and so you believed!”  The apostles are not alone on this point of resurrection.  Many believed!

The disciples dramatically changed after the resurrection. Peter went from denying Jesus at His trial to preaching Jesus on the day of Pentecost – and 1,000’s got saved!  They ALL gave their lives for the gospel!  In fact, we know that:

•  Judas – committed suicide after his betrayal

• James the son of Zebedee– beheaded by Herod (Acts 12:2)

What about the rest of the apostles?

Paul – beheaded in Rome under Nero

Peter – crucified upside down (he didn’t feel worthy to be crucified in the same position as Jesus) in Rome around the same time as Paul’s death.

Bartholomew – There are widespread accounts of his missionary travels in India, Armenia, Ethiopia, and Southern Arabia.  There are varying accounts of how he was killed.  Some believe he was whipped to death in Asia Minor.

Andrew – went to the area of modern-day Russia.  He is credited for being the first to bring the gospel to that region.  He also went to modern day Turkey and Greece.  He is believed to be crucified on X shaped cross in Greece.

Simon – Ministered in Persia and was crucified after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.

Thomas – He had an active gospel ministry in the area east of Syria and went as far as India.  Believers in India of that time claim 4 soldiers pierced him through with their spear.

Philip – was known to be most active in North Africa and then Asia Minor.  In Asia Minor it is said he saw the wife of a Roman proconsul accept Christ as her Savior.  The Roman proconsul then arrested him and hung him by iron hooks upside down for his execution.

Matthias – replaced Judas.  He ministered in Syria with Andrew.  Tradition records he suffered death by burning.

John – the only apostle who is believed to have died of old age. He was the leader of the church in Ephesus and cared for Mary, the mother of Jesus, in his own home. He died in exile on Island of Patmos.  (A Latin tradition records he escaped unharmed after being thrown into boiling oil in Rome.)

James (son of Alphaeas) – ministered in Syria.  Josephus (a Jewish historian) reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to death.

Matthew – preached in Persia and Ethiopia.  He was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.

All for the gospel of Jesus…does this sound like a bunch of liars or those not convinced of the resurrection of Jesus?

So, the big question is — Why is the resurrection so important? 

1.     Because without the resurrection our faith is in vain!  “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” (I Cor. 15:14)

2.     Because the resurrection is one of the foundations on which Christianity stands (I Cor. 15:3-4)…along with the virgin birth (Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:18, 25), the deity of Christ (I Jn. 4:15, 5:5; Jn. 10:30), and Jesus’ atonement for our sins (Rom. 5:10-11; II Cor. 5:21).

3.     Because Jesus rising from the dead is fulfilled prophecy (Mk. 8:31; Ps. 16:10-11; Isaiah 53:12).  Without this fulfilled prophecy, we would not believe He is who He said He is.

4.     Because our justification is dependent on His resurrection (Rom. 4:25).  A dead Savior cannot save!

Jesus is alive!  He conquered sin, death, and hell!  Jesus is the living, one true God!  Sin did not conquer Him – Jesus conquered sin!!  So, the forgiveness of sin is made possible!