Fifth in a series on the problem of miracles in Christianity and evidence for the Resurrection:
Previous discussions have focused on miracles, especially as they pertain to Christianity. In contemporary culture, miracles are dismissed or ridiculed as mere myths — even among some Christian churches — or perhaps, at best, as mere allegories. However, to demonstrate the reality of miracles, it is not necessary to show evidence of all but solid, irrefutable substantiation for one.
Thus, we come to the central miracle upon which the Christian faith stands or falls: the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
There is no reasonable dispute about the fact that Jesus lived, was sentenced to death under Pontius Pilate, crucified, and died. This evidence is extensive, not merely from his followers’ writings and teachings, but confirmed by pagan and Jewish sources as well. All sources independently testify that Pilate sentenced him to crucifixion, and his death was reported to the Prefect. All eyewitness testimony also mentions Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish ruling council, who offers his family tomb for the burial of Jesus. Furthermore, the Jewish leaders petitioned Pilate for a Roman guard of the tomb — highly unusual for a criminal shamefully executed by crucifixion as a troublemaker and a threat to Rome.
By the way, was the tomb genuinely empty? If not, then the whole basis for the apostolic preaching that Jesus had risen from the dead is immediately proven to be a hoax — one could check the tomb (of a well-known Jewish leader) to demonstrate the teaching of this new religious cult was a lie.
So, there must be a reason for this most unusual finding. There have been several proposed:
- The disciples stole the body.
Let’s think this one through: the disciples, who abandoned Jesus in terror and were hiding in fear of the Jewish leaders, somehow found the courage to go to the tomb, overcome the Roman guards, roll away a massive stone, and drag the now-decomposing body away.
What purpose would the stolen body serve the disciples? Where would they hide it? How do you then proclaim a resurrection for which there is no living body? Keep in mind Lazarus, who rejoined his sisters and dined with them, and Jesus after he was raised (furthermore, the Jews had plans to kill Lazarus to deny the miracle). A true resurrection requires a living, breathing human being in the flesh.
- The guards were asleep.
Unarmed fishermen — cowards all — could never overcome armed and trained Roman guards. But perhaps the guards were asleep (the story they received bribes to repeat)? A Roman guard who slept on duty would receive, at best, severe discipline or, more likely, a death sentence. And if sleeping, they would never awaken as men manhandled a massive stone and tiptoed away with a lifeless body. And the disciples, faithful Jews all, knew that touching a corpse made them ceremoniously unclean, unthinkable for an observant Jew.
- Grave robbers
Grave robbing was not uncommon at this time — hence, those with social standing or wealth used heavy gravestones to guard against this. So, in addition to the insurmountable barriers of a heavy gravestone and Roman guards, there was one more crucial piece of evidence against this: the grave clothes. Robbers would not carefully unwrap the grave clothes of the corpse (standard in Jewish burial rituals) in the tomb. They would take the wrapped corpse (if they took it all — they were primarily looking for objects of value) to unwrap elsewhere to facilitate the quickest getaway. And they sought out graves of the wealthy — not that of an impoverished itinerate preacher.
Jesus was seen independently, bodily, and in many contexts after his resurrection. He embraced Mary Magdeline near the tomb, spoke with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, dined with his disciples, and allowed Thomas to examine his wounds to dispel his doubts. Hence, we have the eyewitness testimony of many separate individuals, in many places and at different times, that the grave was empty and their Savior had risen bodily, as He had promised.
Some have postulated that these visitations were hallucinations — but mass hallucinations by multiple individuals in different locations and contexts do not occur. The apostles were transformed from clueless cowards to courageous evangelists who boldly spread Christianity — the message of the resurrected Christ and His salvation — through the whole ancient world, were tortured and persecuted, and all but one martyred. One does not endure such persecution and death for a lie, a hoax, or a hallucination. They did so because they had seen Jesus rise from the dead, in the flesh, Son of God and Son of Man.
Are miracles possible? The most important miracle of all time is proven beyond doubt and casts the bright light of truth on all His works, teachings, miracles, and His sacrifice for man’s salvation.
