Jesus’s resurrection is “of first importance” for the Gospel message (1 Cor. 15:1-3), and is at the very heart of historic Christianity.
Let’s examine some of the declarations and explanations that the Scriptures give for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ:
The Resurrection of Christ was Clearly Foretold by the Prophets
1Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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,”
Luke 24:27, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Read Luke 24:44-47) - There is a theology of resurrection in the Old Testament (cf. Job 19:25–27; Ps 49:15; 73:23–28; Isa 25:8; 26:19; Ezek 37:1–14; Hos 13:14; Dan 12:1–4 etc.). But the connections between Psalm 16:10 and Psalm 22, and Isaiah 53:10-11 and Daniel 12:2–3 reveal that the Messiah, in particular, would be raised from the dead.
The Resurrection of Christ was Frequently Promised by Jesus
The Crucifixion/Resurrection Predictions by Jesus come in three sections: - (1) Mk. 8:31-33; Matt. 16:21-23; (2) Lk. 9:22; - Mk. 9:30-32; Matt. 17:22-23; Lk. 9:43b-45; - (3) Mk. 10:32-34; Matt. 20:17-19; Lk. 18:31-34. We’ll choose one from each section:
Matthew 16:21, “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
Matthew 17:22-23, “Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful.”
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time in Luke 18:31-33, “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."
The Resurrection of Christ was Actually Accomplished by God
In a host of different places the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that the Resurrection of Christ was an act of God. The early Christian preachers boldly proclaimed to their astonished congregations that it was God who raised Him up (Acts 2:24, 32, 3:15, 4:10, 5:30, 10:40, 13:30, 33, 34) The writers of the New Testament epistles also refer to the Resurrection as the achievement of an Almighty God (Rom. 4: 24, 6: 4; Col. 2: 12; 1 Thess. 1:0; Heb. 13: 20; 2 Pet. 1:21). The Resurrection is a demonstration of the immeasurable greatness of God's power (Eph.1:19, 20).
The Resurrection of Christ was Historically Witnessed by People
Christ’s resurrection was bodily (Luke 24:41-43; John 20:27), yet his resurrected body underwent a transformation. It was raised immortal, incorruptible and imperishable (1 Cor. 15).
The resurrected Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18), to the other women (Mat 28:8-10), to Peter (Luke 24:34), to ten disciples (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25), to the Eleven, including Thomas (John 20:26-29), at His ascension (Luke 24:50-53; Acts1:4-12), to the disciples on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:13-35), in Galilee (Matt. 28:16-20; John 21:1-24), to five hundred people (1Cors 15:6), to James and the apostles (1Cors 15:7), to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-6; 1Cors 15:8).
The Resurrection of Christ was Faithfully Proclaimed by the Apostles and All Believers
One of the most convincing aspects of early Christian defense of the faith was the early Christian preaching which gave their testimony to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 4:33, “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”
Acts 8:1, 4, “And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 8:4, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”
The Resurrection of Christ Must Be Personally Experienced by Believers
Just as the death of Christ is something more than mere history for the believer, so Christ's Resurrection is a personal experience as well as a factual historical event. Christians are identified with Christ's death, and they share His Resurrection (Rom. 6: 15). The historicity of the Resurrection is vital to the believer's justification (Rom. 4: 24, 25) and sanctification (Rom. 6: 4). It is not only a truth which Christians confess by word of mouth, important as that is (Rom. 10: 9). It is an experience of everyday life by which a believer proves the power (Rom. 8: 11; Phil. 3: 10) and presence (2 Cor. 13: 4, 5) of the Risen Christ.
A Summary of Evidence for the Bodily Resurrection of Christ
- The Disappearance of the Roman Guards - Matthew 28:4, “And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.” Matthew 28:11-13, “While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’”
- The Silence of the Jewish Authorities - The church was founded on Jesus’ resurrection; disproving it would have destroyed the whole Christian movement. Yet the Jewish authorities focused their efforts on post-event intimidation: threatening, beating, flogging, imprisoning, and even killing the disciples when they refused to give up their faith.
- The Transference of the Stone - John 20:1, “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.” John uses the word "airo" to describe what had happened to the stone. The word "airo" means to pick up and carry away. The stone had been transferred from the door, picked up, despite weighing as much as two ton, and flung up and away from the opening of the door. This is the first thing that caught the attention of these ladies. This two-ton door was not merely rolled away, but it was, as it were, unhinged and flung aside.
- The Absence of the Body – There are only three possibilities which might explain the absence of the body. (1) Jesus’ friends took His body, (2) His foes took it, or (3) His Father raised it!
- The Presence of the Graveclothes – John 20:6-7,“Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.” The graveclothes were lying on the stone shelf, still wrapped in the shape of the body. Jesus had passed through the graveclothes and left them behind as evidence that He was alive. They lay there like an empty cocoon. There was no sign of struggle, the graveclothes were not in disarray. Even the napkin (which had been wrapped around His face) was folded carefully in a place by itself.
- The Evidence Being First Presented by Women - Matthew 28:1, 8, “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Women were unlikely witnesses to the resurrection because (in general) their testimonies weren't highly valued in that culture and were not admissible in a court of law.
- The Appearances of Jesus – The scriptures inform us of 12 separate appearances of the risen Lord to what Peter calls "chosen witnesses." In Acts 1:3, in the NKJV, Luke writes: "To whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs..." One cannot casually dismiss this body of living witnesses who claim to have seen with their physical eyes the resurrected person of the Lord Jesus Christ. What are the possibilities as for as explanations? Actually there are only three. One, they were fabrications. Two, they were due to hallucinations. Three, they were true.
- The Experience of Transformed Lives – Matthew 28:8, "And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples." Luke 24:50-53, "And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And it came about that while He was blessing them, He parted from them. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising God."
- The Emergence of the New Testament Church – The resurrection of King Jesus was the launching of God’s new creation upon a surprised world, pointing ahead to the redemption and the renewal of the entire creation. Jesus is risen; therefore God’s new world has begun. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This passage reveals that the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21-22 is not wholly future. But neither is it wholly present. The whole creation will not be completely free from corruption until the Second Coming (cf. Rom. 8:19-23).
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallejuah!