"He is not here; he has risen. . ." (Matthew 28:6) These powerful words refer to one of the greatest turning points in history. The one who had been so cruelly beaten and violently killed had come back to life a mere three days after his death. And this Jesus lives today, offering the forgiveness of sin and new life that ONLY he can provide.Now, how can we know that Jesus is alive? I mean, the resurrection of Jesus occurred some 2000 years ago. So how can we know it really happened?
That is a good question ... and a reasonable one! If you want to study this question more in depth, I would suggest you check out http://www.leestrobel.com/ or articles at http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html or http://www.geocities.com/athens/delphi/8449/res.html.
But for now, consider the following lines of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ which show that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was one of the greatest FEATs* of all time:
Fatal torment: There is no doubt that the gospel record clearly indicates that the torment (scourging, beatings, crucifixion) Jesus suffered resulted in his death. For example, when the criminals who were crucified on either side of Jesus had their legs broken (this cruel act was practiced to hasten the death of crucifixion victims), they did not break Jesus' legs. Why? Because it was clear that he was already dead. And just to be sure, a soldier pierced the chest of Jesus. Out of the wound flowed a mixture of blood and water, physiological evidence that he was indeed dead. So since Jesus suffered fatal torment, this rules out the "anti-resurrection" theories that state he did not really die on the cross - and when the disciples saw him later, it was a "revived" Jesus they were seeing and not a resurrected Jesus!
Empty tomb: The gospel record clearly indicates that the tomb of Jesus was empty. Because the tomb was empty, the enemies of Jesus who were behind his crucifixion were forced to come up with an explanation. This led them to concoct the story that the disciples came at night and stole the body (see Matthew 28:11-15). That a group of "running-scared-for-their-lives" disciples would have had the courage to steal a body guarded by a group of battle hardened and well-equipped and trained Roman soldiers is just too much to believe! Not to mention the fact that the disciples would have had little reason to do so in the first place! The evidence is clear - Jesus' tomb was empty because he had risen from the dead!
Appearances of the resurrected Christ: Jesus appeared across the course of many days to scores of followers. Sometimes he appeared to just one. At other times he appeared to groups of disciples (one group numbered 500! - read 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). During his appearances, he gave many convincing proofs that he was indeed alive! This leads then to the final line of evidence.
Transformed lives of the disciples: Consider Peter. The night of Jesus' arrest and trials, Peter denied Jesus three times. Two of these denials were to a servant girl! He was afraid for his life and wanted to be totally disassociated from Jesus. However, a mere fifty days later on the Day of Pentecost, before a crowd numbering in the thousands, Peter stood and boldly proclaimed Jesus and his allegiance to him! In a matter of just a few weeks, Peter was transformed from a wimpy, spineless abandoner of Jesus to a bold, fearless preacher who proclaimed that Jesus Christ was alive and Lord of all. How do you explain that radical change apart from the resurrection? You don't! Peter came to realize that Jesus once crucified was indeed alive forevermore! And it changed his life forever!
I trust you will have a great Easter celebrating one of the greatest moments in human history - the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
*The FEAT acronym is Hank Hanegraaff's (see http://www.equip.org/)
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