The Resurrection-- Quick Defense

As a High School teacher, I spend a lot of time around students who have a lot of questions.  In my 10th grade Bible class, we recently spent almost two weeks learning about the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and why other theories do not fit the evidence we have.

While in the middle of teaching this to them, I started to think about very quick ways to defend the reality of the Resurrection, in case one does not have the time to explain to someone all of the nuances of the arguments of Gary Habermas, or Mike Licona (Mike Licona has recently written a book on the resurrection that is 718 pages.)  So, if a friend does not want all of the evidence, or like me, you might just have an audience that wants things short and to the point, then here is my attempt at a very quick defense of the Resurrection.  Hopefully this can be like hitting the easy button for the resurrection.

Prophecy-Circumstantial (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Dan 2:44, Mt 12:40, Jn 10:18, Mk 8:31, etc)
There are many different forms of evidence.  The OT prophecies concerning Jesus' death and resurrection, as well as Jesus' own prophecies that he would die and raise again are all forms of circumstantial evidence.  Circumstantial evidence is evidence that is suggestive of a specific thing, but it is not proof of the event itself.

These prophecies suggest that Jesus would die on a cross and live again later.  Again, this does not prove it happened, but it is a building block for the case.

We Know Jesus Died (Mk 15:16-41, Jn 19:1-37, etc) 
Because the Bible is historically reliable, we know that Jesus actually died on the Cross.  He suffered through 39 lashes from a Roman whip, was beaten, forced to carry his cross beam, hung on the cross, stabbed with a spear into the heart.  The Romans were excellent killing machines, they knew when people died and there is no reason to believe Jesus did not die.

Jesus' Tomb was Known (Jn 19:38-42, etc)
Jesus was buried in a place where everyone knew.  He was buried in a rich man's family tomb, sealed in it, and a guard was placed outside.  This is a very important fact, because it means the if Jesus' body was still in the tomb, everyone would know where it was and be able to show it to the people, when the disciples claimed he had risen again.

People Saw Jesus Alive Again After He Died (Jn 20:11-18, Lk 24:34, Jn 21, Mt 28:16-20, 1 Cor 15:3-7, etc.)
The most important thing to remember here, is that the people who claimed to have seen Jesus alive again, were not in the frame of mind to make a story like this up.  The disciples had just seen their Lord executed, and had then hidden for fear of persecution.  These men are not likely to make the story up (because then people just show the body is in the tomb), steal the body (they were afraid already), or hallucinate (hallucinations are not group events).  Instead they experienced something that made them tell everyone that the man who was dead was alive again.

Not only the disciples, but two enemies of the gospel claimed to see Christ as well.  Saul (a persecutor of Christians) claimed to see Christ a couple years later, and James (the unbelieving brother of Christ) claimed to have seen him as well.  The hardest people to convince of any event are the enemies.  To convince Saul and James is very telling evidence.

Conclusion
So, what we know is this.  At point "A" Jesus was alive.  At point "B" Jesus is dead and buried in a known tomb.  At point "C" he is seen alive again, and no one produced his body afterward.

The Resurrection is the only explanation that fits these known events.  The other theories somehow miss on at least one of these points.

Praise the Lord, He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed.

A Holocaust Denier-- Now???

A Catholic Bishop has been convicted of denying the Holocaust.  In Germany this is a crime.

From Beliefnet.com:

BERLIN - A German court convicted ultraconservative British Bishop Richard Williamson on Friday for denying the Holocaust in a television interview.

 

A court in the Bavarian city of Regensburg found Williamson guilty of incitement for saying in a 2008 interview with Swedish television that he did not believe Jews were killed in gas chambers during World War II.

The court ordered Williamson to pay a fine of (EURO)10,000 ($13,544).

The Roman Catholic bishop was barred by his order from attending Friday's proceedings or making statements to the media.

His lawyer, Matthias Lossmann, told The Associated Press after the court ruling that Williamson has yet to decide if would appeal it.

Denying the Holocaust is a criminal offense in Germany.

The court last year ordered a fine of (EURO)12,000 for Williamson, without a trial. But the Bishop appealed that ruling, forcing his case to be tried publicly. [Italics Mine]

What really caught my attention about this article was this last line.  What person in their right mind would want to have a trial regarding their denial of the historicity of the Holocaust while people who actually lived through the Holocaust are still alive???  The one time where historical revisionism is virtually impossible is while eyewitnesses are still alive.

This is the exact reason why 1 Cor. 15:3-8 is so important to our belief in the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Scholars have dated this passage very early after the time of the crucifixion and resurrection (within 5 years by many estimates).   So, it would be very hard for historical revisionism to creep into the account by this time.

Moreover, Paul issues a challenge in this passage.  He names a bunch of eyewitnesses!  He is basically saying, "Jesus lives.  If you don't believe me, go ask all the other people who saw Him! They will verify my story."

Eyewitnesses make it extremely difficult to deny a historical event.  Praise the Lord for showing himself to many after the resurrection!

Resources on the Crucifixion and Resurrection

As Good Friday has now arrived I thought I might share some online resources that have been posted recently about the events which happened 2,000 years ago.

At STR, Melinda has written a great post on our need for the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Al Mohler has posted a great article on the centrality of the Easter events to the Christian faith.

Different ways of explaining the evidence for the Resurrection can be found here, here, here and here.

For a free Ebook on the evidences check this out.

Stand4Truth.net has a great article on how Resurrection is not resuscitation or reincarnation

C. Michael Patton has a great PDF with study questions on how the disciple's reaction to the events of Easter are evidence for the event.

A three part examination into the Resurrection has been written by Brett Kunkle.

A great summary on why the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the best explanation for the historical events surrounding easter has been written by Jim Wallace.

And finally, John Mark Reynolds has written against the supposed pagan origins of Easter.

If you would like even further in depth analysis of these events check out the articles by William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, or Mike Licona.

Have a Happy Easter!