Considering All of the Options

by Greg Win

INTRODUCTION:

Let me ask you the same question that I asked at the beginning of our study: Why do you believe in God, the Bible or Jesus Christ? We’ve been stressing the need to know what we believe and why we believe it. Peter urged us to develop an "intelligent faith" (1 Peter 3:15). Such a faith is essential to be pleasing to God, and to succeed as a Christian. Our study has centered around the resurrection as the ultimate proof that Jesus Christ is God’s son (Rom. 1:4) and as the basis of our faith and salvation (1 Cor. 15:14,17).

Finally, we want to look at some attempted explanations of what took place following the death and burial of Jesus. Because of the central importance of the resurrection it has been the target of skeptics for centuries. We want to analyze their criticisms.

There are really only two general options available to us. The tomb of Jesus was either still occupied or it was empty on that notable first day of the week. We will examine both possibilities.

1. SOME SKEPTICS SAY THAT JESUS’ BODY NEVER LEFT THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS BURIED. THEIR CLAIMS VARY AS FOLLOWS:
   (Note: We will discuss their claims, but before we do, remember this. In our last lesson we proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the tomb was empty. The Jews, Romans and the disciples all agreed about this.)
1. Jesus was buried in an unknown tomb.
1. This argument suggests that Jesus’ body would have been cast into a mass grace, which was the common treatment for all crucified criminals. Therefore, no one could have proved if he was resurrected or not.
2. The weakness of this position is that it totally disregards the historical narrative.
3. This argument is further disproved by the archaeological discovery described in Death By Crucifixion (see point II, D).
2. The women simply went to the wrong tomb. There are many such tombs in the Jerusalem area, and the women just forgot where Jesus was buried. Seeing an empty tomb, they jumped to the conclusion that he had been resurrected.
1. Again, this blatantly ignores much of the evidence.  (Matt 28:1-6)
2. Would you forget were you buried a loved one in less than 72 hours? (Matt 27:61)
3. The claims of a resurrection are mere legends which developed many years after the actual crucifixion of Jesus.
1. This is impossible. The preaching of the gospel (including the resurrection) commenced within a few weeks of the crucifixion (Acts 2:22-36).
2. In 1 Cor. 15:3-8, Paul listed those who saw the resurrected Lord, and he says most of the over 500 witnesses were still living and could be questioned by any honest inquirer.
   (The book of 1 Corinthians was written in either 55 or 56 AD. Mike Willis, A Commentary of Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, Fairmount, IN., Cogdill Foundation, 1979, pp. vi,viii.)
4. His body actually decayed in the grave. What was seen by his disciples was only his spirit or ghost.
1. This would have been no resurrection at all by the standards of the Pharisees. They looked forward to a bodily resurrection.
2. This would make Jesus no different than Samuel, Moses, or Elijah who appeared in spiritual visions following their deaths.
3. This entire concept is plainly denied by Jesus’ own words and deeds.
1. Luke 24:37-43
2. Matthew 28:9
5. The disciples only thought they saw Jesus. In their highly emotional state of mourning over his death they became subject to hallucinations.
1. Only a few types of people are susceptible to hallucinations, but here we have many people involved (see Lesson #4, point II, D).
2. Hallucinations are very personal in nature, yet over 500 people saw the same thing at one time (1 Cor. 15:6).
3. These appearances involved different times, places, and groups of individuals.
4. All the appearances ended suddenly.
5. But most importantly, these disciples did not expect to see a resurrected Jesus. Hallucinations are generally based upon some expectation, either real or imagined. The disciples expected to find a sealed tomb! (Mark 16:2-4)
2. OTHERS WHO DOUBT THE RESURRECTION MAKE CERTAIN ATTEMPTS TO EXPLAIN THE EMPTY TOMB (a point already proven). THEIR ARGUMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
1. Jesus’ body was stolen by his disciples.
1. This is the most ancient theory. (Matt 28:11-15)
2. But noticing this text, let us ask: How could sleeping guards testify to what happened while they were asleep?
3. Considering the rigid discipline of the Roman army, falling asleep while on duty was highly unlikely.
4. Assuming that the guards were asleep, then the disciples would have had to pass through the guard unit, roll away the huge stone, and remove the body, all without waking any of the soldiers.
5. Most importantly, the apostles’ lives disprove this claim. Why would they suffer so much persecution (2 Cor. 11:24-28) for something they knew was a lie?
2. The body was moved by the authorities. They were aware of Jesus’ predictions of a resurrection and feared the results if any such claims were made (Matt 27:62-66). Thus, they moved the body for safe keeping and to prevent foul play.
1. If such were the case, they could have easily squelched the resurrection reports by simply producing the body of Jesus. Obviously they did not do this because they did not have the body.
2. Concerning the whereabouts of the body, "the silence of the Jews speaks louder than the voice of the Christians".
   - J. W. Montgomery, History and Christianity, p.35
3. The "swooned’ theory. Jesus didn’t actually die on the cross. He was mistakenly buried alive by this disciples who lacked the medical expertise to establish the point of death, etc. The cool, damp air of the tomb revived him and he came forth.
1. The weakness of this rather popular theory are many. It ignores:
1. The scourging and crucifixion. Victims simply did not survive.
2. The spear thrust into Jesus’ side which likely ruptured his heart.
3. The burial methods used. (see The Burial of Jesus, point I,B)
4. The huge stone which sealed the tomb.
5. The Roman guard force outside the tomb.
2. Someone has rightly observed that if the "swooned" theory is true, then it may well be the greater miracle than the resurrection itself!
4. The Passover Plot. This theory, popularized by Hugh Schoenfield in a book by the same title, suggests that an intricate scheme of deception had been devised by Jesus. Schoenfield characterized Jesus as a power hungry maniac who had deceived himself into believing he was the Messiah. Knowing of the great gain to be made personally from the supposed resurrection, he took Joseph of Arimathea into his confidence and feigned his own death by means of a drug administered when he was offered vinegar. This accounts for his rather rapid apparent death. It was planned that Joseph would take his body down, place it in the tomb, and wait for him to revive. The entire plot was upset when the Roman soldier unexpectedly thrust his spear into Jesus’ side, and he actually died. Joseph quickly altered his plans so the deception could be continued. He took another into his confidence, disposed of Jesus’ body, and allowed the confused disciples to believe that this third party was the resurrected Lord.
1. This theory biasly disregards many parts of the historical evidence.
2. It still does not account for how someone (Jesus, this third party or whom ever) came forth from the sealed tomb and escaped the eye of the Roman guards.
3. It incredibly assumes that all of the 500 plus eyewitnesses could have mistaken an imposter for the Master they had all known so well and loved so much.

CONCLUSION:
There is simply no other legitimate explanation that accounts for all of the facts – HE ROSE AGAIN!

I hope and pray that this study has helped to strengthen your faith in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. If you have gained from this study only a fraction of what I have gained from preparing and delivering it, then our time was very well spent.

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