The Resurrection
Jesus' Resurrection is a Crucial Fact
Jesus' resurrection is a crucial fact. (1Co 15:17)
The Biblical Evidence
Jesus raised others from the dead, thus proving that God has the power to raise people from the dead. (Lk 7:12-15, Lk 8:49-55, Jn 11:17-44)
Jesus foretold his own death and resurrection. (Mt 17:9, Mt 20:17-19, Mt 26:31,32, Jn 2:19-22)
Jesus was crucified and died. (Mt 27:50-53, Mk 15:37,38, Lk 23:46, Jn 19:30-34)
Jesus' grave was secured by a large stone and Roman guards. (Mt 27:59-66)
The guards were bribed not to tell what they saw. (Mt 28:11-15)
The women knew the way to the correct tomb, since they had been there before. (Mt 27:59-61, Lk 23:50-55)
Jesus' grave clothes were left behind in His, otherwise, empty tomb. (Jn 20:6,7, Lk 24:12)
Jesus appeared to His disciples. (Mt 28:1-10, Mt 28:16-20, Jn 20:19-29, Jn 21:1-24, Lk 24:13-35, Lk 24:36-43, Ac 1:1-3)
Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at the same time. (1Co 15:3-9)
Jesus appeared to the zealous persecuter of Christians, Saul, who was converted as a result. (Ac 9:1-20)
Jesus Lives!
We know He died because the public watched His flogging and crucifixion. A Roman flogging is a gruesome sight. The flogging instrument is a stick with several leather thongs hanging from it. Pieces of metal or bone are attached to the leather thongs. During the whipping, the back is torn open and body tissue is ripped and left hanging in ribbons. Crucifixion was perfected by the Romans as a means of torture. One spike is driven through each wrist where two bones join near a major nerve center. A spike is also driven through both feet. The victim feels excruciating pain as they hang from the cross. If left alone, death is caused by dehydration and exhaustion. If a quicker death is decided, the victim's legs are broken. This makes it impossible to push up for adequate breathing and death results from asphyxiation.
We know He died because the soldiers did not need to break His legs. After Jesus died, the soldiers came to break His legs. They saw, however, that He was already dead, so one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear to make sure. Then His body was taken, wrapped in grave clothes, and put in a tomb.
We know His dead body was not stolen because Roman guards watched His tomb. The tomb was blocked with a large stone and secured by placing the feared Roman seal on the stone. If the guards failed to do their job, they would have to pay with their life. Later the guards were bribed by the chief priests and promised to be protected if they would say that the body was stolen by the disciples while they slept.
We know He was raised from the dead because many people saw Him. He was seen by His disciples and by a crowd of over 500 people. He appeared many times over a period of forty days. They saw Him eat and listened to Him speak. His doubting disciple, Thomas, examined the holes in His hands and side.
We know He was raised from the dead because His enemies could not produce His dead body, and it is obvious they would have if at all possible. All that was left at the tomb was His grave clothes. There was no dead body to be found.
We know He was raised from the dead because His disciples were killed for continuing to preach His resurrection. History records that all of the disciples except John (who was exiled to Patmos) died for their belief in the resurrection. These men would know for a fact whether or not the resurrection was real because they were eye witnesses. Men do not die for something if they know it is a lie.
Jesus lives!