Defending the Resurrection

At one point in my life Easter Sunday was a source of frustration for me--mainly because I had doubts about the historicity of Jesus' resurrection. How could I be certain that it actually happened? I was plagued by that question for a solid 4 or 5 years. And the answer "because the Bible says so" wasn't enough to silence my doubts. Moreover, I found myself disappointed by those who were in a position to provide me with an answer. Each year I attended church expecting the pastor to give some reasons for believing in the resurrection and none ever came. Easter always ended in frustration and disappointment. My frustration continued to increase until I started to do some research on my own. My initial research jump started 7 years of academic study regarding the reliability of the Christian faith.

The frustration I once felt is a frustration that is still experienced by many...

A few weeks ago we received a letter from someone who had attended one of our Easter services that had question about Jesus' resurrection. He was notably frustrated! In light of my past and my ability to relate to the person who penned the letter, I want to provide some arguments for believing that the resurrection of Jesus actually took place.

(1) The Fact of the Empty Tomb

Given that Jesus' burial is well recorded (and few scholars deny this fact) it is difficult to deny the historicity of the empty tomb. The reality of the empty tomb is attested in numerous early sources (ex. 1 Cor. 15; all 4 gospels). Perhaps the strongest case for the empty tomb is that the Jews of the 1st century did not deny it. The disciples could not have preached a resurrection of the dead if the tomb had not been found empty. If contesters had been able to produce Jesus' body, the disciples would have been silenced. No such silencing occurred because Jesus' body was not found. It is also worth mentioning that the gospels account of the resurrection lack legendary elements. Not only are the resurrection accounts straightforward and simple, but they contain material like women being the first witnesses--material that surely counts against legendary embellishment.

(2) The Fact of the Resurrection Appearances

A number of considerations support the case that Jesus' resurrection appearances were indeed authentic. For example, Paul's testimony in 1 Cor. 15 reveals that Jesus appeared to a number of people--many of whom were still alive and could verify this claim. 1 Cor. 15 tells us that Jesus appeared to Peter, the Twelve, the 500 brethren, James, all the apostles, and then to Paul. Obviously, quoting Scripture may not be the most convincing line of reasoning for the skeptic, however, not only can a case be made for the historical reliability of the Bible, but the short distance between the NT documents and the actual events counts against legendary developments.

(3) The Transformation of the Disciples

The most weighty argument, in my estimation, pertains to the transformation of the disciples. They basically went from scared group of cowards to people who were willing to be martyred for their belief that Jesus actually rose from the dead. The fact that almost all of the disciples ended up dying for their belief in the resurrection supports it's historical reliability.

(4) The Falsity of Alternative Theories

All of the above arguments put forth a positive case in support of the resurrection, but it is worth noting that many alternative theories that try to explain away the resurrection are incredibly implausible. The notion that the disciples lied about the resurrection, for example, is undermined by argument # 3--the disciples died for their belief. Few people are willing to die for a lie. The notion that the resurrection appearances were only hallucinations is unlikely because hallucinations typically: (1) only last for a few seconds (the Bible records one lasting for 40 days); (2) are usually private (the Bible records Jesus appearing to 500 at one time); (3) the hallucination theory still does not explain the fact of the empty tomb. Other theories like the conspiracy theory, the apparent death (swoon) theory, and the wrong tomb theory are unconvincing as the positive arguments above had made clear. Only those who deny the possibility of the miraculous could maintain that these alternative theories are more plausible, and yet here clear presuppositions stand in they way of objective inquiry.

In sum, I have come to the conclusion that a positive case can be made for the belief that Jesus was raised bodily from the dead. Moreover, the positive arguments outweigh and better explain the resurrection claim than alternative theories that attempt to debunk credibility of the gospel accounts. My hope is that all of us can move past a place of skepticism on Easter and celebrate the significance that drives it!!!