The Reality of the Resurrection

a few years ago, a man approached me and asked for some money
usually, I’m more than a little wary – you have to be really good for me to open up my wallet if you’re a perfect stranger
but in this case, I was in a rush, and the man had an excellent story
he needed money to get out East, and so I gave him the benefit of the doubt, along with some cash
you can guess what happened
a week later, a friend of mine who also gave him money spotted the man downtown
and when challenged, the man admitted that he was a scam artist with a really good story, and the ability to deceive people out of their cash
scams – defined in the dictionary as a fraudulent scheme or a swindle
I’m sure that truth be told, everyone here at one time or another has been scammed by crooked salespeople, too-good-to-be-true schemes, trades people, or just someone who looked like they could use a little help
a week away from Easter, I’d like to suggest to you that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either the most vicious, heartless scam ever perpetrated, or else it is the single most important fact of history
it is either a scam that has deceived millions of devout followers of Jesus Christ, and has led many of them to give up possessions and sometimes even their lives
or it is the greatest historical event ever to have taken place in the history of this world
if, after looking at the evidence for the resurrection, we are led to conclude that the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not take place, I would suggest that we call Christianity nothing more than a faith system built on an elaborate hoax
in fact, the apostle Paul wrote:
(1 Corinthians 15:14 NLT) And if Christ was not raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless.
(1 Corinthians 15:17 NLT) And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins.
we can flip this around and say that if Christ has been raised, then he is worthy of our trust and our faith
so there is a lot riding on this question
so let’s look honestly at this question
let’s examine the evidence and ask what I believe to be the three most penetrating questions about the resurrection of Jesus Christ
objections to the resurrection come in three broad areas
first, they wonder whether Jesus really died on the cross
second, why his tomb was empty
third, they try to challenge whether Jesus really did appear alive
let’s look at these three questions
QUESTION ONE: DID JESUS REALLY DIE?
when we’re talking about somebody coming back from the dead, we need to ask first of all if they really did die
we’ve all heard stories of near-death experiences
isn’t it possible that Jesus himself had a near-death experience, and appeared to die, but actually just fainted from exhaustion?
maybe he was given a drug that made him appear to die, but the cool, damp air of the tomb revived him
some Muslims are taught that Jesus only appeared to die
this has become known as the swoon theory – that Jesus wasn’t resurrected, but only resuscitated
so let’s ask ourselves: what does the evidence suggest?
what actually happened at the crucifixion?
could anyone have ever survived such an experience?
let’s go back and examine what Jesus went through
after Jesus was arrested, the Bible says that Jesus was flogged with a lead-tipped whip
according to historians, the Roman floggings consisted of thirty-nine lashes, but frequently more, depending on the mood of the soldiers applying the blows
a whip of braided leather thong had metal balls woven into them, and sometimes sharp pieces of bone as well
the whip would strike the flesh, and these balls would cause contusions, which would break open with further blows
one physician who studied Roman beatings said, "As the floggings continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh"
a third-century historian described these floggings by saying, "The sufferer’s veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure"
in fact, many people died from this beating even before they were crucified
before Jesus was even crucified, he was already in serious to critical condition
but Jesus survived the flogging
the Bible records that he was in very weak condition as he carried the cross to the execution site at Calvary
when Jesus reached Calvary, he would have been laid down with his hands outstretched on the horizontal beam of the cross
the Romans used spikes that were five to seven inches long, and tapered to a sharp point
the Romans drove these sharp spikes through Jesus’ wrists, directly through the median nerve, the largest nerve going out to the hand
if you take the pain of banging your elbow and hurting your funny bone, and multiply that hundreds of times, that would equal the pain of the nail piercing Jesus’ median nerve
then the nails were driven through Jesus’ feet, again crushing his nerves
and, as the cross was lifted, it would have immediately dislocated his shoulders
once on the cross, crucifixion essentially became an agonizingly slow death by asphyxiation
medical doctors say that in order for the victim to breathe on the cross, they had to push up on their feet to relieve the stress on their diaphragm
but as they did so, the nail would tear through the feet
every time the victim pushed himself up, his bloodied back would scrape against the coarse wood of the cross
eventually, complete exhaustion would take over, and the person wouldn’t be able to push up and breathe anymore, and they would die of asphyxiation and cardiac arrest
according to medical doctors and even skeptics who have studied crucifixion, there is absolutely no way that Jesus could have survived crucifixion
in the words of one medical doctor in the Journal of the American Medical Association, "Interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge"
but just imagine for a minute what would have happened if Jesus had been resuscitated, as preposterous as that suggestion is
what would he have looked like? he would have been in the most serious medical condition
he would have been a grotesque sight – certainly not one that would inspire the sort of confidence we see in the disciples
they would only be nursing him back to health
scholars don’t even hold to this theory anymore
so you can’t explain away the resurrection of Jesus by saying that he didn’t die and was only resuscitated
this leads us to the next question
QUESTION TWO: HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE MISSING BODY?
if Jesus indeed did die, how can you account for the empty tomb?
the empty tomb, after all, is the enduring symbol of the resurrection, and the ultimate representation of Jesus’ claim to be God
what happened to Jesus’ body?
can we know with any certainty?
whereas most victims of crucifixion were essentially left on the cross to be devoured by birds, or were thrown into a common grave, there was a difference in Jesus’ case
the Gospel accounts – all four of them – record that Jesus was buried by a member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathea
and all accounts record that there was an empty grave
the question is not, was there an empty grave? but rather, why is the tomb empty?
let’s look at some different possibilities
isn’t it possible that that Jesus’ grave might have been tampered with?
isn’t it possible that somebody stole Jesus’ body?
well, nobody today really believes the disciples stole Jesus’ body
even if you leave aside the fact that Jesus’ tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers who would be put to death for falling asleep on their watch – even leaving that aside, there is absolutely no doubt that the disciples believed in the truth of the resurrection
look at the historical record
at the time of his death they were despondent, they were afraid, they fled, they thought it was all over
a short time later, suddenly these same disciples are out, boldly proclaiming that Jesus is alive
once cowardly men are suddenly going to their death proclaiming that he lives
almost all of them were put to death for it
10 of the 11 were put to death for their belief, 6 of them by crucifixion
yet none disavowed their faith
friends, nobody willingly dies for something they know is a lie
if this were a charade, at least one of the disciples would have cracked up under pressure and told the truth
there was no motive for the Jewish or Roman authorities to have stolen the body
historians unanimously agree the tomb was empty
some have asked, isn’t it possible that the women who went to the grave were emotional, and accidentally went to the wrong one?
okay, that can happen
but it’s hard to explain the angels and the graveclothes they find at the empty tomb!
if you look at the possible suggestions surrounding the empty tomb, the only plausible explanation is that Jesus rose from that grave
Sir Norman Anderson, one of the towering legal intellects of all time, served as dean of the Faculty of Laws at the University of London, and he said: "The empty tomb…forms a veritable rock on which all rationalistic theories of the resurrection dash themselves in vain"
so we know that Jesus actually did die, and we know that we have an empty grave – both undisputed facts in the ancient world
further, we have no plausible explanation for why the body might have disappeared, apart from the resurrection
and on top of that, the next question adds to the proof that Jesus rose again
QUESTION THREE: WERE THERE ANY EYEWITNESSES?
after all, it’s one thing to have a missing body
it’s another thing to actually see someone who was dead alive again!
while nobody actually saw Jesus rise again from the dead, we need to ask ourselves, "Did he appear later to people?"
and the answer is clear, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians while quoting an early church creed:
(1 Corinthians 15:5) and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
(1 Corinthians 15:6) After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
(1 Corinthians 15:7) Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
(1 Corinthians 15:8) and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
in fact, beyond Paul’s report, you have at least nine post-resurrection appearances of Jesus in the gospels and the book of Acts
let's pretend we had a courtroom
we were going to call to the stand everyone who saw the resurrected Jesus
we were going to question them, cross-examine them
were going to spend 15 minutes with each individual
we were going to do it around the clock, day and night
you know how long it would take
all the rest of today, tonight, Monday, Monday night, Tuesday, Tuesday night, Wednesday, Wednesday night, Thursday, Thursday night, Friday – 8:00 Friday night we'd still be here listening to eyewitness accounts
I wonder how many people after listening to 128 hours straight of eyewitness testimony could possibly walk away unconvinced
never seen any case that has anywhere near the eyewitness testimony this does
some have suggested that all these people might have been hallucinating
only problem is hallucinations are individual events, that happen in our own brain, not shared with other individuals
that would be like me asking you, "how did you like the dream I had last night?"
Charles Colson was a counsel to President Nixon, and one of the White House staff who tried to cover up Watergate
listen to what he says:

Here we were, the twelve most powerful men in the United States. All the power of the government was at our fingertips, but we could not keep a lie together for 3 weeks. The most powerful men in the world could not hold onto a lie. So weak is a man that we couldn’t do it.

Are you going to tell me that those powerless apostles who were beaten in their own land could be stoned, persecuted, and beaten, some for 40 years, never once denying that Jesus was raised from the dead? Impossible, humanly impossible – unless they had seen the risen Christ face to face.

Nothing less than a witness as awesome as the resurrected Christ could have caused those men to maintain to their dying whispers that Jesus is alive.

Sir Edward Clarke, a British High Court judge who has covered scores of trials – both criminal and civil – conducted a thorough legal analysis of the first Easter Sunday
and this is the verdict he reached:
"To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling. As a lawyer I accept the gospel evidence unreservedly as the testimony of truthful men to facts they were able to substantiate"
friends, the evidence is overwhelming
former atheists and agnostics, after examining the evidence, have changed their minds and become Christians
convincing books have been written such as Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, Know Why You Believe by Paul Little, and The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
in a debate between an atheist and an apologist for the resurrection before five independent philosophers from various universities, four out of the five judges concluded that the Christian had won, and that his evidence was stronger
in another debate between a Christian and an atheist selected by the national spokesman for American Atheists, Inc., a poll was taken of those who entered the debate as avowed atheists, agnostics, or skeptics
82% walked out concluding that the case for Christianity had been the most compelling
forty-seven people entered as nonbelievers and exited as Christians
incredibly, nobody became an atheist
but let’s be honest here this morning
these facts are helpful for unbelievers who honestly have questions, and they’re helpful for Christians who have begun to wonder if their faith is illogical – a leap of blind faith
but I could make all the arguments in the world, and make the most convincing case possible, and you still might walk out of here not having met the person behind the arguments – Jesus Christ
you see, arguments appeal to the head
but the longest distance in the world is that distance between your head and your heart
you can believe anything in the world about Jesus Christ intellectually, but let me tell you this morning that Satan believes in the resurrection, and it hasn’t done him any good
so let me close this morning by talking about Jesus the person
quite simply, Jesus is the most amazing person who ever lived
although he never traveled more than 200 miles from his birthplace, yet throughout history he has changed lives all over the planet
even though he never went to college, he doesn't hold any degrees, he gave us a brilliant blueprint for living, how we can interact and have relationship with each other, and have a relationship with God
incredible wisdom, and you can find it yourself in the Bible, wisdom that transcends anything mere man could come up with
even though Jesus possessed amazing power, you never see one example of Him being arrogant
even though he had this amazing humility, he still had the boldness and courage to stand up and face down the corruption of his day
Jesus lived in a day of rigid religious rule-keeping
yet his message was one of freedom, of grace and acceptance
he lived in an age of cool discrimination and prejudice, yet Jesus extended compassion to all people, to men and to women and to small children, and to the wealthy and the poor, to people who were the outcasts of society, the diseased and the ill and the elderly
he even extended compassion to the Roman soldiers who took spikes and drove them through his hands and his feet
if he were to come in and be part of this community, do you know what he would be like?
he wouldn't just hang out with the wealthy people, he'd hang out with the everyday people
he would be a father to orphans, a friend to the lonely
he would be your friend
Romans 5:8 says:
(Romans 5:8) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
the Bible teaches us that Christ’s death on the cross is the ultimate expression of his love
God loved sinners so much that he left heaven to live in a sin-contaminated, stench-filled environment
he lived a perfect life, and submitted to, without exaggeration, the most awful death you could imagine
his back was scourged with whips of metal and bone that ripped his flesh right off
they drove spikes through his wrists and nailed him to a cross
the placed his feet one on top of the other, and a third spike was driven through the two feet and into the wood
he suffered unbearable pain
that’s how much Jesus loves you
the cross is the ultimate symbol of God’s love for you and for me
while you were still a sinner, without even the smallest amount of interest in God, he loved you with a perfect love
you don’t deserve it, but God loves you anyway
in fact, Jesus is here this morning, and is reaching out to you in love even as I speak
and all the arguments in the world won’t touch your heart this morning as much as the simple fact that Jesus is reaching out to each person here this morning with a love that can’t be contained
Paul writes to Christians in Ephesians 1:4-5:
(Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT) Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
I’m going to invite you to respond this morning by reacting to Jesus’ love as we close this service

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The Reality of the Resurrection