19/04/2025
You see it more and more these days. Organized groups work to discredit the claims and evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Secularists, skeptics, and those downright hostile to the gospel rationalize that if Jesus never really rose from the dead, then the whole Christian faith is a sham. Some even go so far as to speculate that He never died in the first place.
Beaten, broken, nailed to the cross, pierced with a sword that punctured the lining of His heart, and left hanging for hours unable to get His breath— some detractors actually posit that Jesus was merely unconscious when He was placed in His tomb and later was resuscitated by His friends or regained consciousness on His own. What utter foolishness.
But, what is the evidence for the veracity of the resurrection? What convincing proofs exist to back up the claim that two thousand years ago a man was crucified, buried, and rose again three days later?
Ancient prophesies predicted the resurrection of the Messiah. All four Gospels written by four separate authors agree on the same story, and all four were eyewitnesses to the event. Other witnesses over several days' time, including women, attest to seeing both an empty tomb and the resurrected Christ. If this story were legend, Jewish writers would certainly not have included a woman's testimony.
One of the best arguments lies in the ongoing testimony of the disciples themselves. Even in the face of ex*****on, the early disciples held tight to the belief that Jesus rose from the grave. If they had perpetrated some hoax to advance their cause, it is highly unlikely they would have held on to that lie to the point of death.
Perhaps the greatest evidence of all may be this line from an old and familiar hymn: "You ask me how I know He lives— He lives within my heart!"
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” -1 PETER 1:3