The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christianity and the Gospel. If this historical event were not true, then all that we proclaim and preach crumbles like a house of cards. Fortunately, there is more than enough evidence historically to sustain this claim. Ron Rhodes, in his book The Complete Book of Bible Answers, says this; “The resurrection of Christ is perhaps the best-attested historical event of ancient times.”
Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, in their book; Beyond Belief to Conviction, has this to say also; “The evidence of the empty tomb following the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ does not itself prove that Jesus rose from the dead. Yet it does require explanation.” One of those explanations is that the disciples stole the body. Almost immediately after the resurrection, steps were taken to disclaim that Jesus had risen from the dead. Matthew 28:11-15 tells us; [Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, "You are to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' "And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.] Interestingly enough, this is one of the objections to the resurrection that is common even in our time.
Another explanation is a case of mistaken identity. * Hugh Schonfield argues that Jesus conspired with Joseph of Arimathea, Lazarus, and an anonymous young man to convince His disciples that He was the Messiah. He allegedly manipulated events to make it appear that He was the fulfillment of numerous prophecies. [* Ron Rhodes – The Complete Book of Bible Answers] Somehow this conspiracy went wrong and the wounds suffered at the crucifixion proved fatal and Jesus died due to all the punishment. His body was then stolen and disposed of and His appearances were simply a case of mistaken identity.
The “swoon theory” is another popular explanation for the resurrection. This particular theory says that Jesus didn’t really die on the cross. He simply went into shock from being nailed and that he suffered from loss of blood. Still, he didn’t die. He just fainted (or swooned) from exhaustion. The disciples, poor simple souls, thought him for dead and buried him alive in a tomb. The coldness of the tomb woke Jesus from his state of shock. And when He came out of the tomb, the disciples assumed he had risen from the dead. Then we have the one that claims that the women and the disciples went to the wrong tomb.
It amazes me how many people are so willing to believe in these far-fetched explanations that in most cases they would never believe. Not only did the women and the disciples go to the wrong tomb, but the Roman soldiers and the Jewish Sanhedrin went also. Let’s not forget the owner of the tomb itself, Joseph of Arimathea. He must have forgotten where his own tomb was located. Not only that, but what about the angel? The Celestial GPS must have been off, because he removed the stone from the wrong tomb!!
What about the swoon theory? Certainly that could be possible? Maybe, but this theory has several fatal flaws. Prior to crucifying their victims, the Romans would make sure that they underwent a most vicious beating. They used what was known as a flagrum, which is basically a whip with several tails at the tip of it that were embedded with something sharp. This would rip apart the victim’s back to shreds and many would die even before their execution as a result. On top of this beating, Jesus was then nailed to a cross. Because the next day was the beginning of Passover, Jewish law did not allow for any victim to remain hanging on the cross overnight. What the Romans would then do is break their legs in order to speed up the process of death. The main cause of death in crucifixion was asphyxiation. The victim would be unable to push himself up on his feet in order to breathe and the result would be suffocation. When they came to where Jesus was hanging, he was already dead. To make sure, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear. Mark 15:44-45 says; “Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.” This was to verify that Jesus was indeed dead when he was laid in the tomb! No Roman soldier would dare lie for penalty of death. These people took killing seriously. They knew when a person was dead.
And finally, the stolen body theory. This theory may seem more believable than the others, but still, it also has its flaws. Let’s see, there was the problem of a stone on a grooved incline and weighing as much as a car that sealed up the entrance. There were also a small detachment of Roman soldiers to deal with. This would not have been easy, even if they were all asleep. If they had somehow been able to move the stone, all the noise would have woken them up. These soldiers were there to make sure no one came near the tomb under penalty of death! Besides, the disciples were all hiding from fear of the Romans and the Jewish leaders. None of them were willing to risk going out into the open and run into a detachment or Roman soldiers to remove a 1 – 2 ton stone and steal a body which they believed was dead.
There are other theories loose out there, but these are the more popular ones. On top of that, “He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:6) “He showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the
The resurrection carries a powerful promise. Because He lives, we also shall live! This promise has become very meaningful to me. The recent death of one of my sisters has reminded me of this once again. The approaching end of my 99 year old grandmother seems even closer. We as Christians have something historically tangible and true to hang on to. That even when we die, life is awaiting us all at the other end! As we close our eyes here, we will open them there in the presence of the one who conquered death, Jesus Christ our Lord!!
James
[Information for this article provided by:
Beyond Belief to Conviction – Josh McDowell/Bob Hostetler
The Complete Book of Bible Answers – Ron Rhodes]
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