A Historical Argument for the Resurrection

I wrote on Monday that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the best apologetic we have as Christians.  It answers the question, "Is there a God?" along with the question, "Which god is really God?"  Christians believe that there really was a man named Jesus who really was crucified and really was raised from the dead.

Some have said that there is no scientific proof that Jesus was raised from the grave.  They are right.  But historical events are not proven scientifically.  If we want to prove that George Washington was the first president of the United States of America, we would not use the scientific method.  We would appeal to history.  The same must be done when arguing for the resurrection of Jesus.

There are a few basic facts that all reasonable historians, both Christian and secular, must admit.

1. There really was a man named Jesus.

2. This man Jesus really was crucified.

3. Three days later, the tomb where Jesus was laid was empty.

I am not saying that no one has ever questioned the accuracy of these statements.  Some have hopelessly attempted to discredit Christianity by chopping the plant off at the roots; they have argued that Jesus never existed.  However, even secular NT scholar Bart Ehrman must admit that Jesus really did exist.  He even seems to grant in the same article that Jesus really was crucified.  It is also difficult to argue that the tomb where Jesus was laid really wasn't empty three days later.

With these historical statements intact, we can now attempt to provide the best answer for this empty tomb phenomenon.  There really are only a few possible answers.

1. Jesus wasn't really dead when put in the tomb.

This, known as the "swoon theory," is perhaps the most ridiculous of them all.  It says that Jesus was not actually dead but merely unconscious.  He then regained consciousness three days later and walked out of the tomb on His own accord.  This view fails to take into consideration the details surrounding Jesus' crucifixion.  Jesus was scourged prior to His crucifixion to the point that He wasn't even able to carry His own cross.  He was then hung on a cross for hours where he struggled to breath and experienced extreme physical torture.  Before taking Him down from the cross, the soldiers determined that He was already dead.  They then stuck a spear through His side for good measure.  There could be no mistaking that this man was dead.  It also would have been impossible for this very weak man to move a very large stone from in front of His tomb.  This solution is full of holes.

2. The body was stolen.

Others have suggested that the disciples came and stole the body.  They then made up the story of a resurrection.  This seems plausible at first, but there are a couple problems with this solution as well.  The tomb was well-guarded by Roman soldiers.  This was done for the very purpose of preventing the disciples from stealing the body because the Jewish leaders knew of Jesus' prophecies concerning His resurrection.  They didn't want there to be any chance that the disciples would steal the body and then run around saying that Jesus was alive.  This solution also seems improbable considering the fact that almost all of the apostles were martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ.  Most men are unwilling to die for something they know to be true.  No one is willing to die for something he knows to be a lie.

3. The disciples were merely hallucinating.

If this is true, they must have had some good stuff on the Jerusalem black market.  Certainly this solution answers all of the problems previously raised.  However, it has a problem of its own.  Jesus did not just appear to one person.  He did not appear to only a couple of people.  He appeared to various groups of people on various occasions between His resurrection and ascension.  Paul records some of these appearances in 1 Corinthians 15.  Paul also tells us that Jesus appeared to over 500 men at one time.  Now, it is possible that one man could hallucinate and think he saw Jesus.  I expect it has happened many times over the years.  But hallucination is not a group phenomenon.  500 people do not hallucinate seeing the same thing all at the same time.  This is a really poor solution as well.

4. Jesus really was resurrected from the dead.

This final solution, the solution that the Bible presents, is the best answer to the historical facts mentioned in the first part of this post.  Jesus really was raised from the grave.  He really is alive today.  He really is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf.  He really will return one day, establishing a new heaven and a new earth where we will reside with Him forever. 

Oh, what a day that will be!  Come, Lord Jesus, Come!