The Reality of the Resurrection

  • a few years ago, a man approached me and asked for some money
  • usually, I’m more than a little wary – you have to be really good for me to open up my wallet if you’re a perfect stranger
  • but in this case, I was in a rush, and the man had an excellent story
  • he needed money to get out East, and so I gave him the benefit of the doubt, along with some cash
  • you can guess what happened
  • a week later, a friend of mine who also gave him money spotted the man downtown
  • and when challenged, the man admitted that he was a scam artist with a really good story, and the ability to deceive people out of their cash
  • scams – defined in the dictionary as a fraudulent scheme or a swindle
  • I’m sure that truth be told, everyone here at one time or another has been scammed by crooked salespeople, too-good-to-be-true schemes, trades people, or just someone who looked like they could use a little help
  • a week away from Easter, I’d like to suggest to you that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either the most vicious, heartless scam ever perpetrated, or else it is the single most important fact of history
  • it is either a scam that has deceived millions of devout followers of Jesus Christ, and has led many of them to give up possessions and sometimes even their lives
  • or it is the greatest historical event ever to have taken place in the history of this world
  • if, after looking at the evidence for the resurrection, we are led to conclude that the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not take place, I would suggest that we call Christianity nothing more than a faith system built on an elaborate hoax
  • in fact, the apostle Paul wrote:
  • (1 Corinthians 15:14 NLT) And if Christ was not raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless.
  • (1 Corinthians 15:17 NLT) And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins.
  • we can flip this around and say that if Christ has been raised, then he is worthy of our trust and our faith
  • so there is a lot riding on this question
  • so let’s look honestly at this question
  • let’s examine the evidence and ask what I believe to be the three most penetrating questions about the resurrection of Jesus Christ
  • objections to the resurrection come in three broad areas
  • first, they wonder whether Jesus really died on the cross
  • second, why his tomb was empty
  • third, they try to challenge whether Jesus really did appear alive
  • let’s look at these three questions
  • QUESTION ONE: DID JESUS REALLY DIE?
  • when we’re talking about somebody coming back from the dead, we need to ask first of all if they really did die
  • we’ve all heard stories of near-death experiences
  • isn’t it possible that Jesus himself had a near-death experience, and appeared to die, but actually just fainted from exhaustion?
  • maybe he was given a drug that made him appear to die, but the cool, damp air of the tomb revived him
  • some Muslims are taught that Jesus only appeared to die
  • this has become known as the swoon theory – that Jesus wasn’t resurrected, but only resuscitated
  • so let’s ask ourselves: what does the evidence suggest?
  • what actually happened at the crucifixion?
  • could anyone have ever survived such an experience?
  • let’s go back and examine what Jesus went through
  • after Jesus was arrested, the Bible says that Jesus was flogged with a lead-tipped whip
  • according to historians, the Roman floggings consisted of thirty-nine lashes, but frequently more, depending on the mood of the soldiers applying the blows
  • a whip of braided leather thong had metal balls woven into them, and sometimes sharp pieces of bone as well
  • the whip would strike the flesh, and these balls would cause contusions, which would break open with further blows
  • one physician who studied Roman beatings said, “As the floggings continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh”
  • a third-century historian described these floggings by saying, “The sufferer’s veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure”
  • in fact, many people died from this beating even before they were crucified
  • before Jesus was even crucified, he was already in serious to critical condition
  • but Jesus survived the flogging
  • the Bible records that he was in very weak condition as he carried the cross to the execution site at Calvary
  • when Jesus reached Calvary, he would have been laid down with his hands outstretched on the horizontal beam of the cross
  • the Romans used spikes that were five to seven inches long, and tapered to a sharp point
  • the Romans drove these sharp spikes through Jesus’ wrists, directly through the median nerve, the largest nerve going out to the hand
  • if you take the pain of banging your elbow and hurting your funny bone, and multiply that hundreds of times, that would equal the pain of the nail piercing Jesus’ median nerve
  • then the nails were driven through Jesus’ feet, again crushing his nerves
  • and, as the cross was lifted, it would have immediately dislocated his shoulders
  • once on the cross, crucifixion essentially became an agonizingly slow death by asphyxiation
  • medical doctors say that in order for the victim to breathe on the cross, they had to push up on their feet to relieve the stress on their diaphragm
  • but as they did so, the nail would tear through the feet
  • every time the victim pushed himself up, his bloodied back would scrape against the coarse wood of the cross
  • eventually, complete exhaustion would take over, and the person wouldn’t be able to push up and breathe anymore, and they would die of asphyxiation and cardiac arrest
  • according to medical doctors and even skeptics who have studied crucifixion, there is absolutely no way that Jesus could have survived crucifixion
  • in the words of one medical doctor in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “Interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge”
  • but just imagine for a minute what would have happened if Jesus had been resuscitated, as preposterous as that suggestion is
  • what would he have looked like? he would have been in the most serious medical condition
  • he would have been a grotesque sight – certainly not one that would inspire the sort of confidence we see in the disciples
  • they would only be nursing him back to health
  • scholars don’t even hold to this theory anymore
  • so you can’t explain away the resurrection of Jesus by saying that he didn’t die and was only resuscitated
  • this leads us to the next question
  • QUESTION TWO: HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE MISSING BODY?
  • if Jesus indeed did die, how can you account for the empty tomb?
  • the empty tomb, after all, is the enduring symbol of the resurrection, and the ultimate representation of Jesus’ claim to be God
  • what happened to Jesus’ body?
  • can we know with any certainty?
  • whereas most victims of crucifixion were essentially left on the cross to be devoured by birds, or were thrown into a common grave, there was a difference in Jesus’ case
  • the Gospel accounts – all four of them – record that Jesus was buried by a member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathea
  • and all accounts record that there was an empty grave
  • the question is not, was there an empty grave? but rather, why is the tomb empty?
  • let’s look at some different possibilities
  • isn’t it possible that that Jesus’ grave might have been tampered with?
  • isn’t it possible that somebody stole Jesus’ body?
  • well, nobody today really believes the disciples stole Jesus’ body
  • even if you leave aside the fact that Jesus’ tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers who would be put to death for falling asleep on their watch – even leaving that aside, there is absolutely no doubt that the disciples believed in the truth of the resurrection
  • look at the historical record
  • at the time of his death they were despondent, they were afraid, they fled, they thought it was all over
  • a short time later, suddenly these same disciples are out, boldly proclaiming that Jesus is alive
  • once cowardly men are suddenly going to their death proclaiming that he lives
  • almost all of them were put to death for it
  • 10 of the 11 were put to death for their belief, 6 of them by crucifixion
  • yet none disavowed their faith
  • friends, nobody willingly dies for something they know is a lie
  • if this were a charade, at least one of the disciples would have cracked up under pressure and told the truth
  • there was no motive for the Jewish or Roman authorities to have stolen the body
  • historians unanimously agree the tomb was empty
  • some have asked, isn’t it possible that the women who went to the grave were emotional, and accidentally went to the wrong one?
  • okay, that can happen
  • but it’s hard to explain the angels and the graveclothes they find at the empty tomb!
  • if you look at the possible suggestions surrounding the empty tomb, the only plausible explanation is that Jesus rose from that grave
  • Sir Norman Anderson, one of the towering legal intellects of all time, served as dean of the Faculty of Laws at the University of London, and he said: “The empty tomb…forms a veritable rock on which all rationalistic theories of the resurrection dash themselves in vain”
  • so we know that Jesus actually did die, and we know that we have an empty grave – both undisputed facts in the ancient world
  • further, we have no plausible explanation for why the body might have disappeared, apart from the resurrection
  • and on top of that, the next question adds to the proof that Jesus rose again
  • QUESTION THREE: WERE THERE ANY EYEWITNESSES?
  • after all, it’s one thing to have a missing body
  • it’s another thing to actually see someone who was dead alive again!
  • while nobody actually saw Jesus rise again from the dead, we need to ask ourselves, “Did he appear later to people?”
  • and the answer is clear, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians while quoting an early church creed:
  • (1 Corinthians 15:5) and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
  • (1 Corinthians 15:6) After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
  • (1 Corinthians 15:7) Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
  • (1 Corinthians 15:8) and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
  • in fact, beyond Paul’s report, you have at least nine post-resurrection appearances of Jesus in the gospels and the book of Acts
  • let’s pretend we had a courtroom
  • we were going to call to the stand everyone who saw the resurrected Jesus
  • we were going to question them, cross-examine them
  • were going to spend 15 minutes with each individual
  • we were going to do it around the clock, day and night
  • you know how long it would take
  • all the rest of today, tonight, Monday, Monday night, Tuesday, Tuesday night, Wednesday, Wednesday night, Thursday, Thursday night, Friday – 8:00 Friday night we’d still be here listening to eyewitness accounts
  • I wonder how many people after listening to 128 hours straight of eyewitness testimony could possibly walk away unconvinced
  • never seen any case that has anywhere near the eyewitness testimony this does
  • some have suggested that all these people might have been hallucinating
  • only problem is hallucinations are individual events, that happen in our own brain, not shared with other individuals
  • that would be like me asking you, “how did you like the dream I had last night?”
  • Charles Colson was a counsel to President Nixon, and one of the White House staff who tried to cover up Watergate
  • listen to what he says:
Here we were, the twelve most powerful men in the United States. All the power of the government was at our fingertips, but we could not keep a lie together for 3 weeks. The most powerful men in the world could not hold onto a lie. So weak is a man that we couldn’t do it.
Are you going to tell me that those powerless apostles who were beaten in their own land could be stoned, persecuted, and beaten, some for 40 years, never once denying that Jesus was raised from the dead? Impossible, humanly impossible – unless they had seen the risen Christ face to face.
Nothing less than a witness as awesome as the resurrected Christ could have caused those men to maintain to their dying whispers that Jesus is alive.
  • Sir Edward Clarke, a British High Court judge who has covered scores of trials – both criminal and civil – conducted a thorough legal analysis of the first Easter Sunday
  • and this is the verdict he reached:
  • “To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling. As a lawyer I accept the gospel evidence unreservedly as the testimony of truthful men to facts they were able to substantiate”
  • friends, the evidence is overwhelming
  • former atheists and agnostics, after examining the evidence, have changed their minds and become Christians
  • convincing books have been written such as Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, Know Why You Believe by Paul Little, and The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
  • in a debate between an atheist and an apologist for the resurrection before five independent philosophers from various universities, four out of the five judges concluded that the Christian had won, and that his evidence was stronger
  • in another debate between a Christian and an atheist selected by the national spokesman for American Atheists, Inc., a poll was taken of those who entered the debate as avowed atheists, agnostics, or skeptics
  • 82% walked out concluding that the case for Christianity had been the most compelling
  • forty-seven people entered as nonbelievers and exited as Christians
  • incredibly, nobody became an atheist
  • but let’s be honest here this morning
  • these facts are helpful for unbelievers who honestly have questions, and they’re helpful for Christians who have begun to wonder if their faith is illogical – a leap of blind faith
  • but I could make all the arguments in the world, and make the most convincing case possible, and you still might walk out of here not having met the person behind the arguments – Jesus Christ
  • you see, arguments appeal to the head
  • but the longest distance in the world is that distance between your head and your heart
  • you can believe anything in the world about Jesus Christ intellectually, but let me tell you this morning that Satan believes in the resurrection, and it hasn’t done him any good
  • so let me close this morning by talking about Jesus the person
  • quite simply, Jesus is the most amazing person who ever lived
  • although he never traveled more than 200 miles from his birthplace, yet throughout history he has changed lives all over the planet
  • even though he never went to college, he doesn’t hold any degrees, he gave us a brilliant blueprint for livi ng, how we can interact and have relationship with each other, and have a relationship with God
  • incredible wisdom, and you can find it yourself in the Bible, wisdom that transcends anything mere man could come up with
  • even though Jesus possessed amazing power, you never see one example of Him being arrogant
  • even though he had this amazing humility, he still had the boldness and courage to stand up and face down the corruption of his day
  • Jesus lived in a day of rigid religious rule-keeping
  • yet his message was one of freedom, of grace and acceptance
  • he lived in an age of cool discrimination and prejudice, yet Jesus extended compassion to all people, to men and to women and to small children, and to the wealthy and the poor, to people who were the outcasts of society, the diseased and the ill and the elderly
  • he even extended compassion to the Roman soldiers who took spikes and drove them through his hands and his feet
  • if he were to come in and be part of this community, do you know what he would be like?
  • he wouldn’t just hang out with the wealthy people, he’d hang out with the everyday people
  • he would be a father to orphans, a friend to the lonely
  • he would be your friend
  • Romans 5:8 says:
  • (Romans 5:8) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
  • the Bible teaches us that Christ’s death on the cross is the ultimate expression of his love
  • God loved sinners so much that he left heaven to live in a sin-contaminated, stench-filled environment
  • he lived a perfect life, and submitted to, without exaggeration, the most awful death you could imagine
  • his back was scourged with whips of metal and bone that ripped his flesh right off
  • they drove spikes through his wrists and nailed him to a cross
  • the placed his feet one on top of the other, and a third spike was driven through the two feet and into the wood
  • he suffered unbearable pain
  • that’s how much Jesus loves you
  • the cross is the ultimate symbol of God’s love for you and for me
  • while you were still a sinner, without even the smallest amount of interest in God, he loved you with a perfect love
  • you don’t deserve it, but God loves you anyway
  • in fact, Jesus is here this morning, and is reaching out to you in love even as I speak
  • and all the arguments in the world won’t touch your heart this morning as much as the simple fact that Jesus is reaching out to each person here this morning with a love that can’t be contained
  • Paul writes to Christians in Ephesians 1:4-5:
  • (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT) Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
  • I’m going to invite you to respond this morning by reacting to Jesus’ love as we close this service
Darryl Dash

Darryl Dash

I'm a grateful husband, father, oupa, and pastor of Grace Fellowship Church East Toronto. I love learning, writing, and encouraging. I'm on a lifelong quest to become a humble, gracious old man.
Toronto, Canada