Jesus is not just a historic teacher or an amazing and revered prophet. At least one billion people alive in the world today believe Jesus was a great prophet, but they are not Christians – they are sincere Muslims. There are other religions as well, that respect Jesus as a holy man. This essay deals primarily with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but first, there are a few other important considerations about Jesus to address.

This Leader Claimed to be the Son of God and Oneness with God

Many people, including other belief systems, are willing to acknowledge that Jesus was an outstanding ethical leader, an amazing teacher and a great man. But Jesus claimed to be more than that. He said He was the very Son of God who came down from heaven and visited earth. (John 6:38). He made direct and indirect claims about His deity, about Himself as the Son of God and the Oneness He had with God. He presented Himself as the only way to God. (John 14:6)

How could one who made such extravagant claims still be a credible, ethical leader or a powerful teacher? If a person today made such outrageous claims, they would be treated socially with contempt for telling such lies or treated medically for a psychiatric condition that caused such grandiose ideas. Such claims are so far beyond human experience anyone who made such claims would be discredited in all spheres of influence. But not Christ!

The fact that Christ, despite His claims of Deity, is still, 2000 years later, a respected figure and considered a prophet by Muslims and a great moral teacher by Hindus, even Divine, is a reason for you not to dismiss Him but to consider Him seriously.

This Leader Performed Multiple Miracles

Christ performed multiple miracles in private and in public. These miracles included the healing of illnesses and disabilities where all the external symptoms completely vanished, unlike the dubious claims of faith-healing today. He stopped storms by speaking to the wind. He fed thousands by multiplying a few loaves and fish. He gave life to those who had died and, in one dramatic case, life to a man whose body was decaying in a grave. (John 11) The miracles and the proofs of His Deity were so public and so convincing, His enemies plotted to kill Him sooner rather than later to prevent any more displays of supernatural power. Read the proofs of His Deity in the Gospel of John.

miracles of Jesus

This Leader Was Sinless and Impeccable in Character

The character of Christ speaks volumes. Read the first four books of the New Testament, known as the Gospels, and study the Man. Never was there one who displayed such grace. He was misunderstood, hated and despised, but He never retaliated. They stripped Him of His clothes and whipped His back until it was torn up like a ploughed field. The eyes that wept for others were blindfolded as they made Him the object of their humiliating game. Their vile spit dripped from His face. A crown of thorns was pounded into His forehead. The hands that healed the sick were nailed to a Cross. He provided no resistance. He uttered no threats. Instead, from the Cross, He said: “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.” John Stott summed up such gracious behaviour this way: “Jesus was sinless because He was selfless. Such selflessness is love. And God is love.”

nailed to the cross

This Leader is Alive Today – Resurrected from the Dead

Some teach that Christ demonstrated His powers by many miracles but that He did not actually and technically die. They have their explanations. Many even believe He ascended to Heaven.

But respect for Jesus is not enough. The fundamental doctrine of Jesus Christ in the Bible cannot be accepted in part and still be somewhat effective or have some salvation-value. The Gospel is stated clearly in various parts of the Bible. Consider one very succinct statement below about Christ. This is fundamental for salvation and your acceptance by God. Nothing less than full acceptance of these facts brings a person into acceptance with God and into His family. (John 1:12)

The writer of the words below was a well-known enemy of Jesus and His followers, but after being an eye-witness of the Resurrected Christ, he recorded this succinct statement about the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ:

“…For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, (4) that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, (5) and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (6) Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. (7) Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. (8) Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (9) For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 1Corinthians15:1-9

Unlike the leaders of other belief systems, Christ is alive. Christians and the Bible claim that Christ rose from the dead on the third day. His resurrection is the very foundation of Christianity.  1 Corinthians 15:17 There have been several explanations for why His body has never been found, but upon examination, they are seriously flawed.

Christians do not go on pilgrimages to get a glimpse of the dust or bone fragments of their dead leader. Millions, however, visit His empty tomb and sing hymns of praise and triumph.

Consider these Resurrection facts:

  1. The Broken Seal

After the execution of Jesus, His corpse was carefully placed inside a solid rock tomb, and a large stone was rolled down to close off the mouth of the cave-like tomb. The Jewish religious leaders were afraid that His disciples would try to steal the corpse and then claim resurrection. They requested the Roman Governor to seal and guard the tomb to prevent such an embarrassing scandal. Matthew 27:62-64

After careful inspection by a soldier representing the powerful empire of Rome, the Romans sealed the mouth of the tomb. A cord would be stretched across the large boulder and fastened to both ends by a sealing clay. Those clay seals were then stamped with the official signet of the Roman governor. Matthew 27:65-66

Any would-be grave robbers or vandals would face the penalty and power of the Roman Empire. A Roman contingent of soldiers (unit of 16 soldiers – four for each 4-hour shift) was stationed at the tomb to prevent an incident.

That very seal was broken, and the stone was rolled back.

  1. The Enormous Stone Removed Under the Watch of the Roman Guard

On Sunday morning, His followers returned to the tomb. They were shocked to see that the very large boulder had been removed. One or two grave robbers would be physically unable to push the two-ton stone up the grade – away from the tomb. Even if they could do it physically – what incentive would there be for the Roman soldiers to allow them to break the seal and remove the stone – a crime resulting in their certain death? Matthew 27:60heaven4sure subscribe

  1. The Tomb was Empty

The fact was verified by both the Jews and the Roman local governments. A corpse was placed inside that tomb. But within three days, another fact that alarmed the Jews – that same tomb was empty. The corpse was gone. The alarm bells went off for the authorities. Jesus was gone. Matthew 28:6, Luke 24:2-3

  1. Corpse Dressing and Wrappings Remained

Robbers – be they vandals or the disciples themselves, would have worked fast and vanished quickly to escape being caught by the Roman guards. But the reality was – witnesses to the tomb found the head napkin was neatly folded and deliberately placed. The cloth they wrapped and wound around the body from head to toe was left intact in a cocoon-like shape – as if it were still enclosing the body – but there was no body inside. John 20:6-7

Obviously, not the work of grave-raiders!

  1. Cover-up Hush Money Paid to Some Soldiers

The local earthquake (Matthew 28:2) that rolled the enormous stone away to expose the empty tomb frightened the soldiers. They colluded with the Jewish officials and accepted a money bribe. Matthew 28:11-15 The lie (ruse) they were to spread was they accidentally fell asleep, and His disciples stole His corpse. Where the rest of the Roman guard fled and where they hid is not known. Obviously, they knew their superiors could have them executed for such a botched guard-job.

  1. Increasing Number of Sightings of Jesus Alive

The Bible records that women were the first eyewitnesses of the Resurrected Jesus Christ. John 20:14-16 Back in that era, women were not deemed to be credible witnesses by the authorities. If the Bible writers were trying to fabricate a more ‘credible’ story – they certainly had nothing to gain by recording the accounts of the women that Sunday morning. But the Bible was just simply stating the truth.

That first day there were numerous eye-witness accounts of the resurrected Christ. Women, two people walking to their home near Jerusalem, Peter, the disciple who denied the Lord and then a room full of followers later that evening.

In the intervening days and weeks prior to the ascension of Christ, the eye-witness accounts increased in frequency – exposing the obvious lie being propagated by the government. On one occasion, over 500 people saw the Risen Christ with their own eyes.  1Corinthians 15:6

  1. Hostile Eye-Witnesses

One might say that a handful of followers colluded and propagated the same story about Jesus being alive again. But the evidence of His resurrection continued to grow. It could no longer be claimed that it was just a handful of deluded people. And then, when people, who were definitely not followers of Jesus but rather hostile towards Him, told their stories of having met the Risen Christ – and their thinking towards Him did a 180 – it was evidence that could not be ignored. James, a hostile eye-witness, became an Apostle. Saul of Tarsus became the first big-name evangelist to travel to other countries to spread the word of the Risen Christ. 1Corinthians 15:7-9Bible material

  1. No Corpse was Displayed in Jerusalem to Shut Down the Growing Rumours

The most powerful empire in the world certainly had all the means available to it to move swiftly in tracking down the grave robbers. If there had been one, they would have recovered the decaying corpse and put it on public display to squash, once-for-all, the embarrassing rumours of the resurrection. But it never happened. The most obvious suspects to steal the corpse – would be the disciples of Jesus. They knew who they were; the authorities had seen them with Jesus, often daily, in or near the Jerusalem Temple. No such arrests were made, and a corpse was never produced.

  1. Cowardly and timid disciples immediately transformed into brave local witnesses

Immediately after the crucifixion, the Bible says the disciples of Jesus were hiding in a room with the doors locked – afraid of the authorities. If Jews and Romans killed their leader, they figured they’d be next.

But these same terrified followers, once they knew Jesus was alive again, with unstoppable confidence, went back out onto the streets of Jerusalem to tell everyone about the Resurrected Christ. They didn’t run to a far-a-way country and, in exile, promote the stories about their leader. Acts 2:14

  1. Thousands of locals embrace the Risen Christ as their Saviour within two months of His Resurrection.

Despite the frowns of disdain and threats from the powerful governments of the day – locals accepted the indisputable evidence and embraced Jesus as their Lord. Acts 2:41

  1. Eyewitnesses would not recant. Some eventually died as martyrs.

Many will tell a lie or even support a lie, but how many will die for one? Even today, devotees of a cause or a religion are willing to die for something they themselves believe to be true. But the emphasis is on they believe to be true. But no one will die for something they themselves know to be a hoax – a concocted story to promote something. The eyewitnesses of the Risen Christ – knew He was no hoax or hologram. They saw Him. Some of them ate fish with Him at a lakeside location – after His Resurrection.

Ultimately, Jesus ascended. He rose from the Mount of Olives, outside the city of Jerusalem, and He returned to Heaven in His resurrected body. Acts 1:9-10  As you read this essay, He is alive in Heaven, and the wounds He sustained on the cross are still and will be eternally visible. Luke 24:40, John 20:19-20. They are the wounds He experienced on Planet Earth when He came in love to die for the sins of a guilty world.

The disciples came out of hiding and boldly preached Christ as Saviour and as the Messiah because they knew He was alive – they saw Him with their own eyes.

Implications for You

Beyond just an intriguing essay that attempts to prove to non-believers and skeptics that Jesus was raised from the dead, are there any implications for you? The most obvious one is that this planet has not seen the end of Christ, and everyone will be confronted personally by Christ Himself.

Those who are genuine Christians – not nominal Christians – have accepted the fact that Christ died for their sins to become their Saviour. They faced the facts and bowed their knee (or heart) to Jesus and embraced Him as their Saviour and Lord.

Those who refuse in this life to accept the facts and embrace Christ – will face the Risen Christ after death, when He Himself will confront them for their unbelief and rejection. After He exposes every sin they ever committed and reviews every opportunity they had to repent, from His nail-pierced hand, He will then consign them to eternal punishment.

…God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

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A Few Quotes from Academics about Jesus

I claim to be an historian. My approach to Classics is historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history . . .

M. Blaiklock
Professor of Classics
Auckland University

There exists no document from the ancient world, witnessed by so excellent a set of textual and historical testimonies . . . Skepticism regarding the historical credentials of Christianity is based upon an irrational bias.

Clark Pinnock
Mcmaster University

If the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt.

F.F. Bruce
Manchester University

For the New Testament of Acts, the confirmation of historicity is overwhelming. Any attempt to reject its basic historicity, even in matters of detail, must now appear absurd. Roman historians have long taken it for granted.

N. Sherwin-White
Classical Roman Historian

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  1. Multiple sources in public domain
  2. http://www.bible.ca/d-resurrection-evidence-Josh-McDowell.htm
  3. Holy Bible
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