Why I Believe in the Resurrection (and you should too)

By Noah Eck

Have you ever doubted that Jesus actually died and came back to life? If you have don’t worry, you’re normal. After all, someone coming back to life three days after being killed isn’t exactly something you see everyday. Many people assume that in order to believe in the resurrection, you have to throw away logic and reason but that simply isn’t true. With that being said, let’s take a look at the facts that make the resurrection reasonable to believe.

The Tomb Was Empty
Starting with undoubtedly the most important fact is that the tomb was empty on the third day just as Jesus predicted. There are four main explanations for the tomb being empty so I will sum them up for you.
1.Jesus’ enemies stole the body. This explanation doesn’t line up because his foes never claimed to have stolen the body and if they did, they would have produced the body in order to stop the spread of Christianity.
2.The disciples stole the body. This explanation assumes that the disciples overcame 10-30 experienced Roman soldiers, removed a 4,000 pound stone blocking the entrance, and somehow accomplished this without being noticed. Keep in mind that the disciples also couldn’t have bribed the soldiers, as failure to guard the tomb would result in their execution.
3.Jesus wasn’t dead, but only unconscious when they laid him in the tomb. Without getting into too many details, the Romans perfected the horrible art of killing people in the most painful way possible. They carried out countless crucifixions before Jesus was crucified so the belief that they accidentally didn’t fully kill Him doesn’t line up. Let’s assume that the horrible beatings and 6 hours on the cross didn’t kill Jesus. That would mean that he spent three days in a tomb with no food, water, or hope for recovery and then somehow rolled away a 4,000 pound stone and overcame at least ten guards in order to make His escape.
4.Jesus rose from the dead. God raising Jesus from the dead (in my opinion) is the most logical explanation for the empty tomb on the third day. Before His death Jesus claimed that it would happen which meant the Romans were prepared for any attempts to steal the body. It simply seems impossible to me for the body to leave that tomb without an act of God.

The First Witnesses
The first witnesses of the resurrection were women. All the Gospels note that the first individuals to discover the empty tomb were women. Matthew notes that “After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb…The angel told the women, ‘Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay” (Matthew 28:1, 5-6). Back then women were not held in high esteem. In Greco-Roman culture, a woman’s testimony was not credible in court. In Jewish circles, it took the testimony of two women to equate that of one man. If someone were to fabricate a story the last people one would place as the first witnesses would have been women, unless that’s how it actually happened.

The Missing Motive
Take a step back and really ask yourself, what did the disciples and other believers possibly have to gain from lying about the resurrection? Think about it, the early Christians gained absolutely nothing for fighting for the truth. In fact, they were constantly disrespected and violently attacked for proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. The Romans hated Christians and the persecution that they endured strengthens the evidence that they really believed in the resurrection.

Why Die for a Lie?
Peter was crucified upside down. Andrew was beaten and tied to a cross for two days and he continued preaching to those who passed by. James was beheaded. Phillip was thrown into a prison and then crucified for his beliefs. John was boiled in oil and somehow survived. These are just a few examples of what the disciples of Jesus suffered for proclaiming Him as the Messiah. With that being said, if the disciples were lying why wouldn’t they tell the truth when their lives were on the line? If you have ever told a lie and then was confronted about it you probably know where I’m coming from. The most logical explanation for why the disciples continued preaching until their final breath is that Jesus appeared to them after the crucifixion and proved to them that He has power over death.

500+ Witnesses
In 1 Corinthians 15:6 Paul wrote a letter which said, “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.” If the resurrection were a lie then this letter would have ended Christianity. My reason for believing so lies in the fact that Paul addressed this letter to the Greeks, many of whom were skeptical about Jesus’ claims. Now if these skeptics were interested in debunking the resurrection then they could simply talk to the hundreds of witnesses who were still alive at the time. Think about it, if a couple hundred years in the future my great great grandkids decided to lie and say that I flew a passenger airplane at the age of thirteen it would be much easier to make that claim since everybody who actually knew me was dead. Now, if my friends were to make such a claim today, it would be much more difficult because the people who have met me and know me are still alive and able to debunk such a ridiculous claim. This means the fact that people like Paul and the other disciples were making the claim that Jesus was the Messiah while people who actually met Him were still alive, strengthens the evidence that He truly did conquer death.

In a nutshell, those are the reasons why I believe in the resurrection. If you still aren’t convinced, I would encourage you to do some research as there are more points that I haven’t mentioned. For more articles be sure to subscribe to odcspress.org