Evidence for the resurrection
It was Sherlock Holmes who once said, “…when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” For many the central claim of Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, goes against the grain of all logic with its claim that a man has not just come back from the dead having been resuscitated but has gone through death and out the other side and will now live forever. Many might scoff at this but the evidence for the resurrection is compelling.
There are two basic pieces of evidence for the resurrection.
The empty tomb
No other religion or philosophy makes the claim that their founder is alive, it is a unique claim of Christianity. Meaning no disrespect to the likes of Muhammad and the Buddha - they are dead, and you can pay homage to them at their grave sites. In the case of Jesus of Nazareth, however, there is nobody in the tomb because there is no body. This needs to be explained and many have tried but the arguments are less compelling than the conclusion that Jesus really did rise from the dead.
Some have suggested Jesus did not really die but passed out and then revived in the cool of the tomb. This explanation fails when one considers all that happened to Jesus. Even before the cross Jesus was beaten which, on its own, was enough to kill people. Indeed, he was too weak to carry his cross after it. He was crucified by trained executioners who, when they saw he had died, put a spear through him resulting in a flow of blood and water, a ruptured heart. He was then been embalmed, which would have suffocated him before being put in the tomb with a stone the equivalent in weight of a Volkswagen in front of the entrance, guarded by Roman soldiers. The idea that Jesus somehow survived all this; moved the stone in his state; snuck past the Roman soldiers; and convinced his followers he was alive is impossible.
Others have suggested a grave robbery, but we need to ask, who would do such a thing? If the Jewish leaders of the day had stolen the body that would have been a horrific own goal considering the claims Jesus had made during his life about his rising from the dead. Indeed, when Christianity began to spread, why not produce the body and shut the whole thing down before it started?
Might the Romans have stolen the body? Again, that would be an own goal for Jesus was crucified as an enemy of the state and, again, as Christianity spread, why not produce the body and stop the thing before it had even started?
The disciples have been proposed as having stolen the body and in Matthew 28:13 we read that was the story spread by the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities (although quite how the soldiers would know the body had been stolen by the disciples if they had been asleep is anybody’s guess!) The disciples, however, had already scarpered when Jesus was arrested. Their hopes and dreams had been dashed and they were hiding for fear that, just as Jesus had been put to death, they would be next. They were in no place to steal the body nor had they the reason or will to do so. It is striking that history suggests most of the disciples were put to death for their faith in Jesus and belief in the resurrection. People may die for a wrong belief, sincerely held, no one will die for a lie.
The first witnesses to the empty tomb and the resurrection were women. In the first century, they were considered unreliable witnesses and their testimony would not be considered valid in a court of law. If you were making this up, you would not have women as the first eyewitnesses. Some have suggested the women got mixed up in their grief and went to the wrong tomb (which seems a little bit patronising, even sexist). Nevertheless, when the women saw the empty tomb they did not first conclude, “He is alive!” Instead we find Mary Magdalene asking where has the body been moved to? It also is not the case there were hundreds of tombs in the vicinity to confuse people. They had gone to the right tomb.
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” The resurrection is improbable. It is miraculous. It is God directly intervening. That is the point.
The Resurrection Appearances
Around 20 years after Jesus’s death and resurrection the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: 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, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
After the resurrection Jesus appeared to people over 50 days to different people, at different times, in different places. Sometimes these appearances were to individuals, sometimes to a group, and at one time to over 500 people. This is a lot of eyewitness testimony we have from people claimed they had seen the risen Jesus. The responses varied from the fearful to the sceptical, but no one was expecting it. Jesus talked with people, ate with people and let people touch him demonstrating he was not a ghost but alive.
Naturally there have been attempts to explain these appearances in such a way as to deny the resurrection. Some have proposed hallucinations, but these follow a well-known pattern and are characteristic of certain personality types. The disciples and others who saw him do not fit the bill. Hallucinations tend to be a highly individualistic and happen to people expecting them. They are often associated with an appropriate setting and built up to a crisis or go away rather than extend for near enough a six week period. Hallucinations don’t fit the appearances. As well as those who had followed him during his life, there were those who did not expect it at all like Jesus’ brother, James, who had mocked him during his life. I know many mothers’ who might think their son if God, but I know of no one’s brother who does! There is also the case of Paul, an enemy of those who followed Jesus and proclaimed his resurrection, who went on to be a passionate defender and proclaimer of Christianity, indeed, writing 13 books of the New Testament.
The facts show that many people, over 500, claimed to have seen the risen Lord Jesus. People like Peter who had previously denied him to a teenage girl went on to proclaim his resurrection to crowds in the capital city. What could possibly have brought about this change? When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth…
If the resurrection is not true, then Christianity is false. Jesus is not who he claimed to be and the whole thing is a bad joke at best, and downright evil at worst. If there is no resurrection then Christians misrepresent God, there can be no certainty beyond the grave and we are wasting our time. Paul basically says this in 1 Corinthians 15. In fact, if the resurrection did not happen, Christians are to be pitied (v.19).
If the resurrection is true, however, then Jesus is who he claimed to be. God has revealed himself in His Son and now everyone can know God. There is hope beyond the grave and Christians are right to proclaim the good news of Jesus; his life, death and resurrection for it makes all the difference both to this life and the next.