The Evidence of the Resurrection

John 20 KJV 1900

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

The Bible teaches that Jesus was crucified and died for the forgiveness of sin and lives today.

It took place around AD 30. He was buried in the tomb of Arimathea.

OBJECTIONS TO THE RESURRECTION:

DID JESUS OF NAZARETH EVEN EXIST?

too good to be true

what proof that He

Evidence in history- 39 extrabiblical sources that speak of the reality of Jesus

Flavius Josephus-

Pliny

the talmud

Ignatius- pupil of John; lived 70 years after crucifixion

“He was condemned: He was crucified in reality, not just in appearance, not in imagination, not in deceit. He really died and was buried, and rose from the dead.”

Paul- wrote 8-20 years after death of Jesus- creedal statement by Paul. I Corinthians 15:3-8: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” DOCUMENTS TAKE MORE THAN 20 YEARS TO BE CORRUPTED

Witnesses- from 25-60 years after His death

they would have objected to misinformation if Jesus had not risen

Peter: II Peter 1:16: “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

JESUS WAS JUST A MAN

compassionate…charismatic…but not divine

Jesus claimed to be God

John 8:58: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:21-23: “Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.”

claims to be equal with God (John 10:24-39)

to have power to forgive sin (Mark 2)

performed miracles and signs to support claims (Matthew 8:2-4; Mark 7:3-37;

miracles of nature- calming sea

Acts 2:22: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:” (Nicodemus believed this as well, John 3)

JESUS IS EITHER WHTA HE CLAIMED, OR HE WAS MADMAN, OR WORSE

CS Lewis: Lunatic, a liar, or Lord.

fulfilled many ancient prophecies- 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 to 3rd power

more than 50 prophecies fulfilled in His death

Mark 8:31: “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

JESUS’ FOLLOWERS MADE IT ALL UP

the disciples made it up

However, a deception on this scale is impossible.

these disciples ended up dying for Jesus and the claims of His resurrection

people do not knowingly die for a lie

these were not naturally bold and courageous people (hid from Jesus as His crucifixion)

after the coming of the Holy Spirit, their whole lives changed— NOT TO PROPAGATE A LIE BUT TO PREACH THE TRUTH

Lee Strobel- people will only die for their religious beliefs…not for a lie...

these disciples also doubted

Luke 24:11: “And their words seemed to them as idle tales (delirious stories told by sick people), and they believed them not.”

John 20:25: “The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” AN HONEST DOUBTER- would believe if it were proven

women also believed that his body was stolen

Matthew 28:1-10: “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they ca…”

the disciples did not believe the report of the women until they saw the Lord Jesus

IF A PERSON IS HONEST, GOD WILL GIVE THEM THE EVIDENCE TO BELIEVE

James, the half brother of Jesus,

Matthew 13:55-56: “Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?”

I Corinthians 15:7: “After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.” Becomes the head of the church of Jerusalem; goes from unbelief to belief in Jesus Christ

Josephus states that James was stoned to death for His belief

Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee

persecuted believers

converted by a risen Savior

From Saul to Paul

THE WITNESSES WERE UNRELIABLE

there are no impartial witnesses

first witnesses were women

in the 1st C this was not a legal norm

worthless

could not serve as a witness in court

so, if you wanted to fabricate a story, would you choose women to be your first witnesses?

John Warwick Montgomery: …it passes the bounds of credibility that the early Christians could have manufactured....the story of the resurrection

THE SILENCE OF THE OPPOSITION- no body!!!

THE PHYSICAL RESURRECTION IS NOT THAT IMPORTANT TO THE EARLY CHURCH

Christianity began as a moral and philosophical movement; the resurrection of Jesus was a later mythological theory rather than an early historical reality

yet, there was a sociological change due to the resurrection

early church practices celebrated resurrection- baptism and the Lord’s supper gave testimony to the life and sacrifice of Jesus

Luke 24:30-35: “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.”

THEORIES ON THE BODY

Hallucinations of the followers

he appeared to more than 500! Same hallucination?

Gary Collins: only one person can see a hallucination at the same time

Jesus did not really die on the cross

yet, the Roman soldiers, experts in death, thought he did

if true, then, Jesus would have survived massive blood loss, spearing, beating, and suffocation

NONE OF HIS BONES WERE BROKEN

NO ONE preparing His body for burial thought he was living

2,000 lb. rolling stone

IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY?

Galatians 1:6-7: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

6- another- heteros- an opposite gospel

7- another- olos- the same

Another gospel is not the same gospel.

Exclusive nature of salvation---

John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Gandhi: The soul of religion is one, but it is encased in a multitude of forms.”

Inclusivism: one religion is best but salvation is possible in other religions; an inability to say anything else is wrong

Plualism: The view that all maor religions are equally valid and all lead to God and salvation

DA Carson: In general, pluralism is ‘the process by which the number of options in the private sphere of modern society rapidly multiplies at all levels, especially at the level of worldview, faiths, and ideologies.”

Religious Tolerance is the current mood of the world. Thus, no one religion is inherently superior to other religions.

Pluralism leads to universalism, that all people are headed to Heaven.

Ecumenical Jihad- Peter Kreeft- WE ARE ALL GOING TO HEAVEN AND WE WILL GET OUR BELIEFS STRAIGHTENED OUT WHEN WE GET THERE; SO, WHY ARE WE FIGHTING HERE IF WE WILL BE UNIFIED THERE? He saw Buddha in Heaven, changing his beliefs.

Follow the great leader— the pope— and fight the culture together.

THREE APPROACHES TO RELIGION:

INCLUSIVISM

PLURALISM

EXCLUSIVISM- there is not salvation in any other gospel, other than in faith of the finished work of Christ on the cross

WHAT’S WRONG WITH PLURALISM?

IT IS SELF-DEFEATING

is inclusive but states that Christianity is not true in an absolute way

rejects Biblical Christianity

Paul Copan- …cannot survive if Jesus Christ is the unique way to God. So, the pluralist has to try to explain away the evidence for the incarnation and the resurrection. The pluralist has to reject the Trinity and salvation only coming through Jesus. He simply cannot allow the Christian faith to be what it claims to be.”

IT CONFUSES TASTE AND TRUE

does not distinguish between matters of opinion and matters of truth- a person’s desire does not change reality

Mortimer Adler- “Pluralism is desirable and tolerable only in those areas that are matters of taste rather than matters of truth.”

IT CAUSES TOLERANCE TO TRUMP TRUTH

it does not recognize any view as being objectively true. But should society tolerate every view, belief, and behavior? NAZISM, RACISM, 2+2=5???

while all people have equal worth, not all ideas do

IT IGNORES THE LAW OF NON-CONTRADICTION

something cannot be A and non A in the same sense and at the same time

worldviews teach radically different things at different times

Avicenna: “Let him who disbelieves [in the law of non-contradiction] be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten and burned is not the same thing as to not be beaten and burned.” YOU CANNOT BE A AND NON-A AT THE SAME TIME.

SYNCRETISM

a selection of certain things liked which are then melded into something entirely new, yet something that must be immediately accepted into the pluralist culture as being value and equal to other existing beliefs.

God love

God wrath

God justice

a non-pluralistic argument

OVERCOMING PLURALISM

Is exclusivity wrong? Not necessarily. Exclusivity is required in many things: marriage; government (one system embraced and implemented at the same time); mathematics; economic policy

ADLER: The truth or falsity of entertained propositions is absolute and immutable. The correctness of the judgments we make about them is relative and immutable.”

Francis Shaeffer: He is There and He is Not Silent

The presence of truth in all religions does not constitute ultimate proof in any of those religions.

EXCLUSIVE NATURE OF THE GOSPEL:

THE VIRGIN BIRTH PROVES THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY

contract claim- claim stage- consummation stage- JEWISH MARRIAGE TRADITION- the grooms comes to purchase- the groom comes to claim- the groom and bride consummate then marriage

I am not giving you my son if there are many other ways to be saved...

THE CLAIMS OF JESUS HIMSELF

John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

John 3:16-18: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Jesus warns of being wrong

Matthew 15:14: “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

Matthew 23:15: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”

Luke 11:35: “Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.”

Matthew 26:39: “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” IF THIS WAY OF SALVATION IS INCLUSIVE…IF IT BE PLURALISTIC…LET THAT HAPPEN…NEVERTHELESS, IF IT MUST BE EXCLUSIVE, NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE.

Silence of Heaven signifies that there was no other way.

THE ANATHEMA OF PAUL

Galatians 1:6: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:”