The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Sunday April 16, 2006
Special: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Please turn in your Bibles to John 19:31.
Picture yourself a member of a jury, preparing to decide one of the oldest cases in the history of jurisprudence: The People vs. Jesus of Nazareth.
The case has to do with the claims of Jesus of Nazareth that He died and rose from the dead.
The people have been prosecuting this case based upon one of three theories:
(1) The Swoon Theory
The “Swoon theory” contends that Jesus did not actually die on the cross but was in such a state of exhaustion due to loss of strength and blood that he “swooned” into a coma.
In that coma-like state, they contend that he was believed to be dead but when placed in the dampness of the tomb, He was revived and then somehow pushed the stone away and slipped out into the night, unnoticed by anyone.
He then appeared to His followers, claiming to have been raised miraculously when actually He had fallen into a coma.
(2) The Kidnap Theory
The “Kidnap theory” contends that Jesus did actually die but in the middle of the night someone came and took His body.
While unseen by the soldiers who were guarding the tomb, this alleged kidnapper or kidnappers broke the Roman seal and pushed the stone back and stole the body and hid it where it would never be found.
The disciples they allege claimed that Jesus was raised because the tomb was empty, when all along, His body was kidnapped.
(3) The Hallucination Theory
The “Hallucination theory” contends that the disciples of Jesus were “hallucinating” that they saw Jesus raised from the dead and were actually seeing an apparition or a ghost.
In other words, this theory states that the claims of Jesus’ disciples that He was raised were simply a figment of their imaginations.
These three theories are the prosecution’s case but now its time to hear the defense.
The attorneys for the defense are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the four gospel writers who offer eyewitness testimony.
Their case contends that Jesus did actually die and did not swoon or was kidnapped and that they were not hallucinating when they saw Jesus three days after His death.
Four statements from these men declare that Jesus did die.
Matthew 27:50, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”
Luke 23:46, “And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last.”
Mark 15:37, “And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.”
John 19:30, “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
Now, some would say the testimony of these men were biased so the defense calls to the stand the centurion, the Roman soldier in charge of the squad that crucified Jesus of Nazareth.
Mark 15:39, “When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’”
Let’s call to the witness stand the other soldiers in the crucifixion detail.
John 19:31, “Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”
John 19:32-33, “So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.”
John 19:34, “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”
John 19:35, “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.”
Let’s now call to the witness stand those who belonged to the burial party of Jesus of Nazareth.
John 19:38, “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret {one} for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.”
John 19:39, “Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds {weight}.”
John 19:40, “So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.”
The body of Jesus was wrapped in eight-inch to one-foot-width strips of linen that were wrapped tightly by the gummy consistency of the spices.
During the wrapping, the spices were pushed into the folds so that ultimately the body was encased in a hardened wrapping of linen, from the shoulders to the ankles.
The head was wrapped in a face cloth that was wrapped about the top of the head and tied under the jaw to keep the jaw from sagging.
This preparation of the body in this manner would have left the appearance of Jesus’ body looking like an Egyptian mummy.
These men who prepared the body of Jesus would never have wrapped the burial clothes around Jesus and laid Him in the tomb if there was the slightest sign of life in Him.
Therefore, as a jury member, you have heard the eyewitness testimony as to the death of Jesus, which refutes the so-called “Swoon Theory.”
Now, with the death of Jesus of Nazareth firmly established, we come to the cornerstone of the defense’s case: the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
The apostle John stands and speaks first.
John 19:41, “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.”
John 19:42, “Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”
The tomb of Jesus was a cave, one of many that pockmarked the area around Jerusalem.
A large one ton stone, circular in shape, was rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb and was set into an inclined groove leading down to the mouth of this opening.
The stone was held in place, away from the opening by a wedge at the bottom and when the burial preparations were completed, the wedge was removed, allowing the pull of gravity to roll the stone into place, sealing the opening of the cave, which kept the body safe from would be robbers or wild animals.
In the burial of Jesus, extra precaution was taken because of the insistence of the chief priests and the Pharisees.
The Romans placed a seal on the tomb and posted a guard to insure that no fanatical follower of Jesus would try to steal the body.
The enemies of Jesus did not want an empty tomb since that would verify Jesus’ promise that He would rise from the dead.
In this regard, let’s call Mary Magdalene to the witness stand who is another eyewitness.
John 20:1, “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.”
The displace stone and broken seal is the first piece of historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
This brings us to the second piece of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, namely the empty tomb.
John 20:2, “So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’”
John 20:3, “So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.”
John 20:4, “The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first.”
John 20:5, “and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in.”
John 20:6, “And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there.”
John 20:7, “and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.”
John 20:8, “So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed.”
John 20:9, “For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.”
Here we have at least two eyewitnesses, namely, Peter and John.
Now, the prosecution would jump up and state that Mary stated that she thought someone took the body away.
This leads us to three possible alternatives in answering the question as to why the tomb was empty.
The first possibility is that Jesus was really alive and got out of the tomb under His own strength but this would have been a physical impossibility for a man to roll back the one ton stone from inside the cave, especially for a man who had just suffered through a crucifixion.
The second possibility is that Jesus was dead, and somebody took the body and hid it somewhere.
There are only two groups of individuals who could have moved the body, namely, Jesus’ friends or His enemies.
The last thing the enemies of Jesus wanted was for His body to leave the tomb and in fact, all their efforts with the extra security precautions around the tomb give every indication that they did not want to remove the body from the tomb.
Also, if the enemies of Jesus removed the body then why didn’t they produce the body when the disciples of Jesus proclaimed He had risen from the dead.
So if the enemies of Jesus did not take His body then that leaves only one alternative, His disciples, which is exactly what the Pharisees claimed.
Matthew 28:2, “And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.”
Matthew 28:3, “And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.”
Matthew 28:4, “The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.”
Matthew 28:5, “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.’”
Matthew 28:6, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.”
Matthew 28:7, “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”
Matthew 28:8, “And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.”
Matthew 28:11, “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.”
Matthew 28:12-13, “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.’”
Matthew 28:14, “And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.”
Matthew 28:15, “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.”
So we see that the second theory that the disciples of Jesus took the body was a story falsified by Jesus’ enemies.
Thus, far we have seen as evidence, the displaced stone and empty tomb but now we come to exhibit three, namely, the grave clothes, the most tangible, material evidence.
John 20:3, “So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.”
John 20:4, “The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first.”
John 20:5, “and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in.”
John 20:6, “And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there.”
John 20:7, “and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.”
There are 3 different Greek words in this passage for the English word “saw.”
The first “saw” in verse five is the Greek verb blepo, which denotes a casual glance.
The next “saw” in verse six is the verb theoreo, which indicates a careful observation of details.
What Peter observed carefully was that the grave clothes, the hardened mummy-like wrappings were still intact.
This gave the appearance that a body was still within the wrappings, revealing the contour of Jesus’ body, but they were like a hollow cocoon and the head cloth was shaped as though still wrapped around a head, but there was no head.
The third “saw” in verse eight is the verb eidon, which means that John had come to an understanding that Jesus had risen from the dead as the result of perceiving the grave clothes.
So far we have heard from the eyewitnesses of the crucifixion, death, burial and the discovery of the empty tomb.
But now to solidify the case of the defense we have over five hundred eyewitnesses who state that they saw Jesus alive after His death including the apostles.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
1 Corinthians 15:6-8, “After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”
Not only do we have the testimony of eyewitnesses recorded in the Word of God but also the testimony of changed and transformed lives of innumerable individuals throughout the centuries, up to this very day, both men and women, of all races and backgrounds.
Therefore, since you have heard the eyewitness testimony and the presentation of evidence, what is your verdict?
If you are an unbeliever, your response to the testimony of the witnesses and evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ should be one of faith in Jesus Christ.
Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
If you are already a believer, your response to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ should be one of obedience and total com¬mit¬ment to Him.
Mark 12:30, “AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.”