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Did Jesus Really Die and
Was He Really Raised?
Do
you believe that Jesus Christ Died on the cross and then three days
later got out of the grave and was alive?
Of course you do, you are a believer, but there are many in our world
that not only do not believe in Christ but they have gone to extreme
lengths to prove that He was nothing more that a liar or madman.
Today I want to look at some of the theories that have been circulating
around about our Lord, some for 2000 years and some for 100 years. And I
want us to look deep into what we believe about Christ and His claim to
be the Messiah.
The Swoon Theory
The first theory that we will look at today is the one that attacks the
very death of Christ by claiming a swoon theory. The swoon theory is the
theory that Jesus never really died on the cross but that He was
crucified and came very close to death. After He was taken down from the
cross and laid in the tomb, after three days the coolness of the tomb
revived Him and He managed to, roll away the stone, out of the tomb and
appear to the disciples making them think He'd risen from the dead.
Let’s look at why this can't work.
First there was the physical abuse by scourging and the crown of thorns.
We have discussed these in detail several weeks ago, but I want you to
remember the physical toil that the “Little Death” took out of the
victim.
Next there was the fact that Jesus had to carry his own cross and was so
exhausted by lack of sleep and loss of blood that they required Simon
the Cyrene to carry His cross for Him.
Next was the Crucifixion itself. The arms are pulled apart and nails
driven through the wrist into a cross beam which is raised in place.
This dislocates the shoulders. The nails in the wrists sever the median
nerve resulting in a burning pain as well as paralysis in the hand. To
breathe Jesus had to press up on the nails in His feet, scraping His raw
back on the wood. The body gradually drains of blood causing the heart
to beat faster and faster. Dehydration is occurs. The breathing becomes
more labored and intense as well as frequent adding to the agony. The
blood loss results in extreme thirst as the body craves water to restore
the lost blood. The heart beats so hard trying to compensate for the
loss of oxygen (due to the lack of blood) in the body that it eventually
ruptures. At this point the chest cavity fills with fluid.
The soldiers who were in charge of the crucifixion were pros. They knew
when someone had died through crucifixion and these men made the call
that Jesus had died. To make sure they pierced Jesus' side and out came
blood and water, signifying that the heart had stopped beating and the
blood was settling in the chest cavity.
After he was pronounced dead by the Guards his body was wrapped in linen
for burial. This wrapping was done by taking long strips of fabric and
wrapping them tightly around the whole body from head to toe. Remember
that at the resurrection of Lazarus that Lazarus had to be unbound since
help was needed to get out of the linens.
Jesus’ body not only had to lie for three days without medical attention
in the cold tomb. He had to move the "large stone" that was placed over
the entrance to the tomb. The stone had to be large enough to cover an
entrance big enough for people to walk into. Even if they ducked to get
in, the stone was large enough that it would take more than one person
to move it in place.
Next there is the issue of the guards. Remember that Romans guards were
given the job to guard the tomb since there had been rumors that the
body of Jesus might be stolen; they were ready to meet the challenge. In
Roman society, if the prisoner of the guard escaped, the guard would
then take the prisoner's place in punishment. The guards had a strong
motivation to not let anyone take the body of Jesus.
Finally Jesus would have had to walk on pierced feet to get to the
disciples. Jesus appeared to several people after His resurrection. Does
this mean He walked on feet with holes that had been made by nails
several inches long?
The swoon theory falls apart quickly when you consider the physical
torment that the body of Christ endured. His death was voluntary: He
willingly dismissed His spirit and “gave Himself” as a ransom, as a
sacrifice to God, and as a propitiation for sin.
So we are all in agreement that Jesus was indeed put to death by
Crucifixion, so let’s look at some disagreements about the resurrection.
Jesus' Body Was Stolen
The first theory is that Jesus' body was stolen. This theory was
actually a fraud concocted up by the Jewish religious leaders and spread
by the Roman guards only hours after the resurrection. Let's read how
this happened in Matthew 28:1-15
The guards spread the story that the disciples had stolen the body in
the night and took it to an unknown location. In certain Jewish circles
this claim is still made today. It explains the story of an empty tomb
and the inability of anyone to disprove the claim that Jesus rose from
the dead.
There are some problems with this theory though. First of all is the
fact that Jesus had taught His disciples to be honest and men of
integrity. Stealing Jesus' body and then perpetuating a hoax would have
gone against everything they believed.
Second, some might argue that they were trying to make Christ's
prophecies about His resurrection come true. But that is a problem.
Let's put it this way: even though the disciples were honest, they
weren't necessarily what you would call honor roll students. It is clear
that at the time of Jesus death, they didn't even understood that He was
going to die, let alone that He was to be raised (John 13:36).
At the grave the disciples are confused. They didn't understand what was
going on. They didn't anticipate a resurrection (John 20:9).
The third problem to this theory is the changed lives of the disciples.
At Jesus' trial, death, and burial, they scattered and hid in fear of
being caught (Mark 14:50). The disciples were cowards. But when they saw
Jesus alive, they became bold and outspoken.
Jesus' resurrection was the theme of the earliest preaching by the
apostles. They placed belief in the resurrection at the center of their
faith. lf they had stolen Jesus' body, then they were killed most of
them brutally - for what they knew to be a lie. People will sometimes
die for what they think is true, but they won't die for what they know
is a lie. It's unbelievable that none of them ever denied belief in the
resurrection of Christ, in spite of suffering and persecution.
Finally, the greatest problem with this theory is if the body was
stolen, then how did Jesus keep showing up alive?
The Women Went to the Wrong Tomb
Another belief is that the women mistakenly went to the wrong tomb. The
tomb they visited was empty, and they jumped to the conclusion that
Jesus rose from the dead. They spread this rumor to the disciples, which
led to the widespread belief in the resurrection of Jesus.
There are serious problems with this creative resurrection theory also.
If the women went to the wrong tomb, then the disciples who went to
check to the women's claims, also had to go to the wrong tomb. But even
if they did repeat the mistake of the women, all the Jewish authorities
would have had to do to stop the rumors was to just point out that they
went to the wrong tomb. They would have said, "No, you have the wrong
tomb. See Jesus is in this tomb. Here is His body." That obviously would
have disproved the women's and disciples' claim that Jesus had risen
from the dead.
And again, the greatest problem is, if the body was stolen, then how did
Jesus keep showing up alive?
Jesus' Resurrection was a Hallucination
Finally some people claim that what appeared to be Jesus' resurrection
was actually a hallucination. They say, people thought that Jesus kept
showing up alive, but they were actually hallucinating because they
wanted to see Him alive, and they believed He would come back.
But if you remember the disciples didn't believe Jesus would come back.
They were devastated. They thought He was dead and gone.
Even after some of the disciples saw Jesus alive, not all of them
believed. They told Thomas Jesus was alive, and he didn't believe it in
John 20:24-29
Thomas didn't believe Jesus was coming back from the dead. He was a
skeptic that wanted proof. And Jesus gave it to him. Thomas didn't just
see Jesus alive again, he actually put his fingers in Jesus' nailed
pierced hands and spear pierced side.
The answer to every accusation against the resurrection of Christ is the
question of where was the actual body? Why didn't the Jewish or Roman
authorities produce it? All they had to do was take Jesus' corpse and
wheel it through Jerusalem. That would have stopped all resurrection
talk.
Jesus is Alive
Not only are the theories for alternative explanations of the
resurrection flimsy and biased attempts to avoid the facts, the
evidences supporting the resurrection are extremely strong. It is true
that Jesus is alive, never to die again.
Jesus Predicted It
Have you ever read the predictions of Nostradamus? I don't know about
you, but the ones I have read are so vague and confusing that they can
be interpreted to mean just about anything.
Or what about horoscopes? They are so generalized and indiscriminate
that they can apply to anybody at anytime. But Jesus' predictions were
totally different. Jesus' predictions weren't ambiguous or generalized.
They were very clear and specific. Listen to some of these predictions:
Matthew 16: 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the
elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be
killed and on the third day be raised to life .
Matthew 17:22-23 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them,
"The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will
kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life. " And the
disciples were filled with grief
Matthew 20:18-19 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will
be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will
condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked
and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
Matthew 26:32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into
Galilee."
And immediately after His death, even His enemies quote Jesus'
prediction about His resurrection.
Matthew 27:62-64 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief
priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir" they said, "we remember
that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I
will rise again. So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until
the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and
tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last
deception will be worse than the first.
Over and over again, Jesus not only predicted that He would be mocked,
flogged, and crucified, but that He would actually rise from the dead
three days later. And He did!
Eye-witnesses Saw It
Not only did Jesus predict that He would rise from the dead,
eyewitnesses saw it. Listen to what Paul- a former unbeliever - said
about this: 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: For I delivered to you as of first
importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised
on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared
to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five
hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some
have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Jesus was seen alive over a 40-day period after His crucifixion, by men,
women, skeptics, believers, individuals, and simultaneously by a group
of over 500 people.
Dr. Edwin M. Yamauchi, associate professor of history at Miami
University in Oxford, Ohio, emphasizes: "What gives a special authority
to the list (of witnesses) as historical evidence is the reference to
most of the five hundred brethren being still alive. Paul says in
effect, 'If you do not believe me, you can ask them.' Such a statement
in an admittedly genuine letter written within thirty years of the event
is almost as strong evidence as one could hope to get for something that
happened nearly two thousand years ago."
History Supports It
Finally, history supports the resurrection of Jesus. That the church
ever came into existence and that you are here today at this church is a
result of the resurrection of Jesus.
What do you think the main message of the disciples was after Jesus rose
from the dead? - "Turn the other cheek." "Give to the poor." "Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you." No. It was none of those
things. The main message of the disciples was "Jesus is alive!"
There are also historical documents outside the Bible that speak of the
resurrection. For example, the Toledoth Jeshu, a compilation of 5th
century Jewish writings, acknowledges that the tomb was indeed empty and
proceeds to try to explain it away. It confirms that Jesus was crucified
and buried, and it tries to explain how His tomb was empty. Even this
document - written by nonbelievers - believed that Jesus wasn't in His
tomb after three days. They just don't want to believe how it happened.
The resurrection of Jesus couldn't have been preached and believed for a
single hour in Jerusalem if it weren't true. There would have been too
many ways to discredit the claims and disprove the evidence.
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