The Proof of the Resurrection

Easter Sunday Morning Bible Study

April 20, 2003

The Historicity of the Resurrection

The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is not just some fanciful myth.  It is an actual, historical fact.  Listen to the testimony of these various experts (quotes taken from Josh McDowell’s book, “A Ready Defense”.)

ROMAN HISTORY SCHOLAR

Professor Thomas Arnold, for fourteen years the headmaster of Rugby, author of the three-volume History of Rome, and holder of the chair of modern history at Oxford, was well acquainted with the value of evidence in determining historical facts. This great scholar said,

“I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead.”

LEGAL AUTHORITY

One man who was highly skilled at dealing with evidence was Dr. Simon Greenleaf. He was the famous Royall Professor of Law at Harvard University and succeeded Justice Joseph Story as the Dane Professor of Law in the same university. The rise of Harvard Law School to its eminent position among the legal schools of the United States is to be ascribed to the efforts of these two men. Greenleaf produced his famous three-volume work, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, which still is considered one of the greatest single authorities on this subject in the entire literature of legal procedure.

Greenleaf examined the value of the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ to ascertain the truth. He applied the principles contained in his three-volume treatise on evidence. His findings were recorded in his book, An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice.

Greenleaf came to the conclusion that, according to the laws of legal evidence used in courts of law, there is more evidence for the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than for just about any other event in history.

The Proof of the Resurrection

The Bible says that after Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His apostles,

(Acts 1:3 KJV)  To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

infallible proofstekmerion – that from which something is surely and plainly known; on indubitable evidence, a proof

In a sense, no “proof” can be totally “infallible”.  What I mean is that even if I present to you enough proof that would convince a jury and a judge, I may not convince you.  Some people will refuse to believe the truth, no matter how clear it is.

Illustration

We’ve seen a HUGE example of this with the current war in Iraq.  The Iraqi Minister of Information, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, has become somewhat of a joke to Americans.  We remember him for saying such things as,
“My feelings - as usual - we will slaughter them all.”
“They’re not even [within] 100 miles [of Baghdad]. They are not in any place. They hold no place in Iraq. This is an illusion ... they are trying to sell to the others an illusion.”
“Search for the truth. I tell you things and I always ask you to verify what I say. I told you yesterday that there was an attack and a retreat at Saddam’s airport.”
We might find this humorous, but there were people in the world who made a conscious choice to believe him, even when there was a great deal of evidence to the contrary.

In looking at these “proofs”, we are going to rely heavily upon the testimony of the eye-witnesses contained in the Bible.  Last week Bill Wynne taught on “The Reliability of the Scriptures”, so I’m not going to linger on the question of whether or not we can trust the accuracy of the Bible.  For the sake of time, I’m assuming that we’ve already dealt with that issue.

(1 Cor 15:1-8 KJV)  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; {2} By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. {3} For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; {4} And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: {5} And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: {6} After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. {7} After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. {8} And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

1. He died (1Cor. 15:3)

Prior to crucifixion

Matthew records that before Jesus was crucified, He was “scourged” or “whipped”:

(Mat 27:26 KJV)  Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

The Romans whipped their prisoners with a device called a “flagrum”.  It was a handle with long leather straps of various lengths attached.  Imbedded in the straps were jagged pieces of bone and lead.

Dr. C. Truman Davis, a medical doctor who has studied crucifixion from a medical perspective, describes the effects of the Roman flagrum used in whipping:
The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across [a persons] shoulders, back and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises, which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped.
Eusebius, a third-century historian, confirms Dr. Davis's description when he writes: "The sufferer's veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure."

After having been whipped, a crown of thorns was placed on Jesus’ head, a robe was placed over His open wounds, and He was beaten in the face by the Roman guards (John 19:1-3).  Then the cross bar of the cross was strapped to His shoulders. Historians tell us that the typical cross bar weighed 110 pounds (Josh McDowell quoting Dr. Pierre Barbet).

The Crucifixion

When Jesus arrived at Golgotha, His hands and feet were nailed to the cross with iron nails.  Up until about 30 years ago, it was thought that this was just legend since there hadn’t been a lot of proof of criminals actually being nailed to their crosses.  Recent archaeological discoveries have shown that this was indeed done (Josh McDowell, “A Ready Defense”).

Dr. Truman Davis describes what happens to the human body after a short time of exposure on the cross:

“As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the bloodstream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, He is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen” (Josh McDowell, “A Ready Defense”).

The apostle John records,

(John 19:31-37 NLT)  The Jewish leaders didn't want the victims hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath at that, because it was the Passover), so they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. {32} So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. {33} But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was dead already, so they didn't break his legs. {34} One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. {35} This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account; it is presented so that you also can believe. {36} These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, "Not one of his bones will be broken," {37} and "They will look on him whom they pierced."
Legs of a prisoner were broken to hasten death because the prisoner was unable to push himself up breathe.  In the case of Jesus, the soldiers could tell that He was already dead.
The piercing of His side with a spear was intended to be a way of certifying that the prisoner was dead.  The flow of blood and then water gives us evidence of Jesus’ death:

Dr. Davis records that there was “an escape of watery fluid from the sac surrounding the heart. We, therefore, have a rather conclusive post-mortem. Evidence that [Christ] died, not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.” (Josh McDowell, “A Ready Defense”).

We see this certification of Jesus’ death to Pilate by the centurion in charge:

(Mark 15:43-45 KJV)  Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. {44} And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. {45} And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

There are some skeptics that say that Jesus didn’t really die.  One of these theories is called the “Swoon Theory”, where supposedly Jesus only fainted on the cross and was revived once He was placed in the tomb.

The evidence shows that Jesus was indeed dead.

2. According to the Scriptures (1Cor. 15:3)

It was prophesied beforehand, even if the disciples didn’t really understand ahead of time.

The prophets spoke of the Messiah’s death and resurrection (Isa. 53:5; Ps. 16:10)

Jesus Himself spoke of His death and resurrection.

(Mat 16:21 KJV)  From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

This wasn’t some story concocted by the disciples after the fact as a way to try and keep a good thing going.  This was a true work of God.

3. He was buried (1Cor. 15:4)

There are some critics who say that Jesus wasn’t buried in a tomb, but that His body was simply thrown into a trash heap or put in a shallow grave.

Other critics say that the real problem was that the disciples went to the wrong tomb.

What does the evidence say?

(Mat 27:57-66 KJV)  When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: {58} He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. {59} And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, {60} And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. {61} And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. {62} Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, {63} Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. {64} Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. {65} Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. {66} So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

The evidence of a secure burial:

The witnesses.  Joseph of Arimathaea knew where Jesus was buried (Mat. 27:60). He put the body in his own unused tomb.  Certainly he knew where the body was. The two Marys knew where Jesus was buried (Mat. 27:61). They had followed Joseph to the tomb.  On the next day, they certainly knew where to go.  It was these same two gals who went to the tomb on Sunday (Mat. 28:1).  John tells us that Nicodemus also was present at the burial (John 19:39).

Solid Rock:  Matthew says that Jesus was buried in a tomb carved out of solid rock (Mat. 27:60). There wasn’t a back door or escape hatch.

The Stone:  As was customary in order to keep wild animals from getting to a dead body, a stone was rolled over the mouth of the tomb.  Both Matthew and Mark record that it was a “large” stone (Mat. 27:60; Mark 16:1-4).  Modern engineers have estimated that it would have taken a stone of 1 to 1 ˝ tons to cover the entrance (Josh McDowell, “A Ready Defense”).  This isn’t something you’d expect a near-dead man to be able to move.

The Guard: Matthew records that a Roman guard unit was sent to make sure that nobody took the body (Mat. 27:66).  Roman historical records tell us that a Roman guard unit consisted of 4-16 men (Josh McDowell, “A Ready Defense”).  Typically, four men would be on guard at a time while the other twelve slept in a semi-circle around the men on duty. The men would rotate in four hour shifts. For someone to slip past the guard, he would have to get past the sleeping men and then get past the men on duty.

The Seal: Matthew also records that the tomb was “sealed” (Mat. 27:66).  This meant a cord was stretched in front of the stone, with sealing clay put on both ends, stamped with a Roman seal.  The idea was that if anyone broke that seal, they would bring the wrath of the Roman government upon them.

Burial Procedures: Jewish burial procedures involved winding the body in several layers of cloth and putting 75 pounds of aromatic spices (John 19:39) in between the layers of cloth.  Some have suggested that this might have revived a person who had fainted when in reality it would have suffocated someone who was barely clinging to life.

4. He rose again (1Cor. 15:4)

On that first Resurrection Sunday morning, this is what was found:

The seal on the tomb was broken.

Somebody was going to be in trouble with the Roman government.

The tomb was empty

If the ladies simply went to the wrong tomb, did Joseph of Arimathaea go to the wrong tomb?  Did Nicodemus go to the wrong tomb?  Did the disciples go to the wrong tomb?  Were the guards at the wrong tomb?  And if all these people went to the wrong tomb, why didn’t the Romans and the Jews simply produce the body of Jesus after the disciples began to proclaim that He had risen?

The stone was moved.

This stone, weighing up to 1 ˝ tons, was not in its place.  When you compare the various accounts by the gospel writers, the original Greek text indicates that the stone was literally picked up and moved away from the tomb, up a hill (Mat. 27:60; 28:2; Mark 16:3; Luke 24:2; John 20:1). How could that have happened?

The Roman guard had fled

Though they risked losing their own lives, the Roman guard had left their post and fled to the Jewish high priest to find protection from their boss, Pilate (Mat. 28:11-15).

The empty grave clothes.

John describes what he and Peter found when they got to the tomb:

(John 20:5-7 NLT)  He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. {6} Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, {7} while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
The original Greek text indicates that the cloth around the body was still in its wrapped state, but caved-in like a collapsed chrysalis.  The napkin that had been covering Jesus’ head was folded neatly, lying next to the rest of the cloth.  It’s as if Jesus had simply passed through the grave clothes, then folded up the head cloth.

His appearances

Over a period of forty days, Jesus began to make appearances to His disciples (Acts 1:3; 1Cor. 15:5-8).

Some have suggested that perhaps there was some sort of “mass-hysteria” occurring, but the events don’t support this.
The disciples weren’t expecting Jesus to have been alive (Mark 16:11), in fact they didn’t believe the women at first. 
One of the disciples, Thomas, refused to believe the stories.  Yet Jesus appeared to Thomas, and the skeptic believed (John 20:24-29).
This wasn’t just some sort of vision either, their testimony included touching Him and talking with Him.
If the disciples were simply concocting some sort of ruse, it’s amazing that this same group of men had fled in fear when Jesus was arrested, yet all except John would go on to die horrible martyrs’ deaths, and every single one of them went to their death proclaiming that they had seen Jesus alive after His death.

In addition to the twelve, Jesus appeared to others as well.

Jesus’ brother James had not been one who believed in Jesus during His earthly ministry (John 7:5), but after the resurrection (1Cor. 15:7), James became one of the leaders of the church (Acts 15:13), proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection.
Jesus even appeared to Saul of Tarsus (1Cor. 15:8; Acts 9), a man who was definitely NOT a believer, but a man who had been involved in having Christians put to death.  Saul was forever changed by meeting the resurrected Jesus and we know of him as Paul the apostle.
Paul even records that Jesus appeared to upwards of 500 people (1Cor. 15:6).  If this had not been true, it could have been refuted in Paul’s day when he made that claim, but it was not.

Even the Jewish Historian Josephus mentions Jesus and the resurrection:

Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; (64) and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.[1]

What does all this mean?

The resurrection is an historical fact.

Dr. Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, concluded that, “If all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the canons of historical research, to conclude that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was actually empty on the morning of the first Easter. And no shred of evidence has yet been discovered in literary sources, epigraphy or archaeology that would disprove this statement.”

If you are a Christian, you need to know that your faith doesn’t simply rest on wishful thinking, but on fact.

You can share your faith with confidence because it’s the truth.

As we shared at the sunrise service, because of the resurrection, I know that:

I serve a Living Lord
I know where I’m going (heaven)
I know I’m forgiven
God keeps His promises
I have power over sin.

These aren’t just possibilities, they’re FACT.

If you are not a Christian, you need to think about taking Jesus seriously.

Jesus said,

(John 3:16-18 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. {17} For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. {18} He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Open your heart to Jesus today.



[1]Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1996, c1987). The works of Josephus : Complete and unabridged. Includes index. (Ant XVIII, iii 3). Peabody: Hendrickson.