Volume 44 Number 6 February 2002
All but four of the major world religions are based on mere philosophical
propositions. Of the four that are based on personalities rather than on
a philosophical system, only Christianity claims an empty tomb for its
founder” (McDowell, p. 205). Followers of Judaism agree that Abraham died
about 1900 B.C. The earliest accounts of Buddha’s death declare that he
died “with that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains
behind,” (Smith, p. 385) and make no mention of a resurrection. Muslims
admit that Mohammed died June 8, 632 A.D., at the age of 61. Only
Christianity consistently claims a resurrection for its Founder.
Jesus cited the resurrection as the ultimate proof of His
deity/authority. When those Jews who had witnessed Him overturn tables,
and with a whip of cords drive the moneychangers and their animals out of
the temple, said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these
things?” He replied, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
it up” (John 2:18-19). When those Pharisees who had heard Him say that
“blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men,” (Mt. 12:31) said
to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You,” (Mt. 12:38) He
responded, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no
sign will given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah
was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will
the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth”
(Mt. 12:39-40). Jesus taught, and His apostle later confirmed, that He
was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).
If the resurrection of Christ is false, Christianity is a farce.
According to Paul, this is true on at least four points, for he wrote:
Because of this, God has provided every necessary proof to allay
the doubts of an honest mind concerning Jesus’ resurrection. First, there
is the eyewitness testimony: “I (Paul) delivered to you first of all that
which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the
twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of
whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of
all He was seen by me also...” (1 Corinthians. 15:3-8).
Secondly, there are the transformed lives of the disciples.
Peter, who had denied Jesus three times the night of His betrayal, and
who had been unwilling to stand with Him during those dark hours, only a
few weeks later stands before a multitude, and proclaims that Jesus is
“both Lord and Christ” (Acts. 2:36). What sparked such a dramatic shift
in Peter’s behavior? From where did this boldness come? A lie? A more
reasonable explanation is “He was seen by Cephas [Peter]” (1 Corinthians. 15:5).
And James, who during Jesus’ life did not believe his Brother’s claims
(John 7:5), and yet later called himself “a servant of God and of the
Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1)—what happened to him? The answer: “He was
seen by James” (1 Corinthians. 15:7). Then there are the apostles. Most of them
scattered when Jesus was arrested. Later, however, they were willing to
endure persecutions, and even perish, for their insistence that the
resurrection really happened. Was it so easy to find 11 men who could be
deceived concerning something so amazing, and who would then put
themselves in harm’s way for it? It is more believable that “He was
seen...by all the apostles” (1 Corinthians. 15:7). (More Than a Carpenter,
p.64-68).
Lastly, there is the absolute lack of a better explanation for
the empty tomb the women found early Sunday morning. The supposition that
He swooned on the cross, was mistaken for dead, and that the following
Sunday He resuscitated rather than resurrected, is found absurd when
examined under the medical microscope. The proposition that his body was
stolen by the apostles, and a lie concerning its disappearance
disseminated, makes no sense when we consider their moral lives, and
their devotion to the ‘tale’ even unto death. Equally ridiculous seems
the notion that they could have visited the wrong tomb, one that was
unoccupied, and built their claim on that. Would not the locals have had
knowledge of where Jesus had been laid, and easily have debunked such
foolery? The events surrounding the resurrection, the post-resurrection
scene, the aforementioned items, and much more (had we the space to
present it) keep us from being able to accept any other explanation than
what is offered in Scripture—that on the third day, Jesus rose from the
dead to die no more!
“If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty” (1 Corinthians. 15:14)
Truly, “The resurrection of
Jesus Christ and Christianity stand or fall together” (McDowell, p. 203).
“If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile (1 Corinthians. 15:17)
“If Christ is not risen...you are still in your sins” (1
Corinthians. 15:17)
“If Christ is not risen...then also those who have fallen asleep in
Christ have perished” (1 Corinthians. 15:17-18).