Resurrection on trial

We celebrated Easter earlier this year. Some of us may have eaten too much chocolate and may have committed ourselves to a new diet or exercise regime. Others will have enjoyed the welcome opportunity for a holiday. Of course, most significantly for Christians, we celebrated the cornerstone of our faith – the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus!

In the words of the apostle Paul, ‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless’. 1 Cor 15:17. For this reason, the truth and veracity of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead has been the subject of intense scrutiny and vehement opposition from the very beginning. When Paul stood before an angry group of Jews he declared, ‘I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead’. Acts 23:6. In this article, we’ll very briefly put the truth of the resurrection on trial. What is the likelihood that very early on the first day of the week so many years ago in a little place outside Jerusalem, a divine miracle took place?

It is interesting that it was women who discovered the empty tomb. In Jewish culture the testimony of women was barely regarded, if not completely dismissed. If the disciples wanted to fabricate the discovery of the empty tomb, it’s unlikely they would have built their case around Mary Magdalene. Yet this was obviously the truth. And it was verified by the soldiers who guarded the tomb. Having reported the empty tomb to the chief priests, they were bribed to start the rumour that the disciples stole the body while they were sleeping. Matt 28:11-15. The need of such a rumour certainly means there was no body in the tomb.

Further to this, the disciples stood up in the very same city that Jesus was crucified and declared that He was alive. On the Day of Pentecost, thousands of people heard this bold declaration in Jerusalem, including many who were mocking and scoffing. There was ample opportunity for a sceptic to investigate the tomb and stop this new movement before it even began. This didn’t happen of course, because every new enquirer would have simply discovered that there was nothing there. If someone could have produced the body of Jesus then they certainly would have done so.

When the disciples first heard that the tomb was empty, they were extremely fearful because they thought they had been ‘set up’. They knew they would be accused of stealing the body. It was only after seeing Jesus alive that they received the courage to stand up on the Day of Pentecost and declare His resurrection. If they knew they had secretly moved the body, why would they make such a bold claim? It did nothing more than sign their death warrants. Even as they all split up and travelled to various places, they were steadfast and immovable in their belief. They believed and proclaimed that Jesus was alive. And over the years, many scholars, speakers and authors have made the same point. Liars do not make good martyrs!

There is little doubt that the disciples believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, but what if they were deceived? What if they were the victims of an illusion produced by their grief, disappointment, guilt and deep expectation that their beloved leader would come back to life? There is an argument that builds this kind of psychological profile for people like Mary Magdalene and Peter, so that it’s possible they did hallucinate. When the women first told the disciples that Jesus was alive, Luke wrote that ‘these words appeared to them as nonsense’. Luke 24:11. If someone says they have seen something that defies the laws of nature, our first response will always be to assume the person is mistaken.

The fact that Jesus appeared to multiple people at once, makes it impossible that the disciples were hallucinating. By their very nature, hallucinations, visions, and dreams are all very personal experiences. It would be very rare for two people to have the same psychologically induced vision or hallucination at the same time. And you cannot share the dream of another person. Knowing this to be so, the apostle Paul boldly refuted this argument by saying that Jesus appeared to no less than five hundred people at one time. 1 Cor 15:6. And he made sure that he mentioned that most of these people were still alive. So everybody was more than welcome to compare these eye-witness accounts.

If someone wanted to disprove the resurrection, they would have to adequately explain why the tomb was empty; why the disciples were willing to die as witnesses of His resurrection, and why five hundred people confessed to seeing Him at one time. However, Paul drove the final nails into his defence of the resurrection when he said that Jesus ‘appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also’. 1 Cor 15:7.

We know that Jesus had four half-brothers along with some half-sisters. Mark 6:3. During His ministry, it is quite evident that they did not believe in Him. John 7:5. This is not unexpected. Envy and rivalry among siblings can be most brutal. We can only imagine how much angst Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God would have caused among His family. If nothing else they would have been extremely embarrassed by His bizarre claims. So in one way, James would have been the ultimate sceptic. And yet within a few years of Jesus’ death, He was the leading figure in the Jerusalem church. Let’s ask the rhetorical question: what caused this miraculous transformation in the life of James if it wasn’t a personal encounter with Jesus after His resurrection?

In the same way, we can look at the background of the apostle Paul. He was the least likely of anybody to be converted. Even to this day, the Jews are the most vehemently opposed to the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and the Messiah. Paul called himself a ‘Hebrew of Hebrews’. He was a fierce persecutor of the early church. As he journeyed to Damascus, an encounter with the risen Lord was the last thing he would have expected. So again, what caused the early church’s greatest persecutor to become its most eminent preacher, teacher and apostle?

It is said from time to time that if Jesus is alive, He should continue appearing to people today in the same way as to those early church leaders. This would surely remove all doubt concerning His resurrection. However, let’s not forget His words to Thomas: ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.’ John 20:29. The Lord always leaves room for faith. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Jesus appeared to the disciples over a period of forty days because He was equipping them to lay the enduring foundation of the church. This was a unique time and a unique need. For us, it is a different story. There is an abundance of Christian testimony in the world today; it is simply a matter of whether we believe it.

When we put the resurrection on trial, there are many good reasons that support its historical veracity. But in the end, it will always be a matter of faith. Without the need to see Him, we can be convinced of the truth of His resurrection because we witness its undeniable effect in our lives and the lives of those around us. Perhaps that is the most convincing proof of all – changed lives.

David Baker

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July 2010

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