Blinded by Unbelief
Yes, it’s two days after Easter. But it’s a good time talk about Jesus’ resurrection. In my teenage years, as an atheist, I just assumed Christians believed in God and Christ because they needed an emotional crutch. An invisible ally to call on for help. Never once did I think seriously about Jesus rising from the dead. Since becoming a Christian, I’ve heard a lot of theories trying to ‘debunk’ Christ’s resurrection.
Today, I’d like to debunk the debunkers.
Theory #1: Jesus revived in the burial cave and came out.
- The stone was so heavy 3 women used to daily manual labor didn’t think they could move it. Sorry, but a badly wounded man wouldn’t have been able to move it either.
- The whipping Jesus endured led to massive blood loss. Many people did not survive scourging by the Romans. He’d had no medical attention. Lying unconscious in a sealed cave for all those hours without food or water wouldn’t have helped him any.
- Most of Jesus’ disciples were ordinary working class people. But they weren’t ignorant about death or bodies suffering near-fatal injuries. They saw it often in their culture. A half-dead Christ would have aroused their pity, not their worship.
Theory #2: Jesus didn’t die on the cross—he just fainted.
The Roman soldiers killed people for a living. They clearly had experience with dead bodies.- When the soldier thrust his spear into Jesus’ side, a living man would have twitched, or gasped or groaned. That’s how the Roman checked that Jesus was truly dead.
Here is the one fact that destroys theories #1 and #2:
Death on the cross comes by suffocation, when the crucified victim can no longer lift themselves to breath. If a criminal fainted, death would come in a few minutes. That’s why the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves in John 19:31-37; to cause the two thieves to die more swiftly.
Theory #3: The apostles stole the body.
Jesus was arrested, condemned to death, nailed to a Roman cross and died. This series of events shattered the apostles. They’d been taught the Messiah would be a triumphant, conquering king, who would kick the Romans out of Israel.
Jesus dying? On a cross? Killed by the occupying Roman army?
His death proved 100% they’d been wrong; Jesus could not have been the Jewish Messiah.
Hiding, discouraged and terrified, the apostles were emotionally devastated and heartbroken. These men had faithfully followed Jesus for 3 years. Now the dream had ended. The only thing his disciples wanted to do was avoid getting arrested too.
Theory # 4: The Romans moved the body.
Why?
Theory #5: The Jewish authorities moved the body.
Again, what for?
- They’d already sealed the tomb and posted an armed Roman guard (Matthew 27:62-66). Nobody messed with Roman soldiers.
- By the way, if any Roman soldier fell asleep while on guard duty, the penalty was death.
- When the disciples started proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead, the Jewish leaders could have crushed Christianity in it’s infancy by producing his body. So why didn’t they? The answer is simple; they didn’t have it.
My Spiritual Point:
The apostles’ joy and renewed faith sprang from encountering the living Christ. Hearing about the empty tomb only sparked questions and confusion, But meeting Jesus again, alive and healed, transformed the apostles’ lives forever.
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5 NKJV)
These images come from Pixabay.com.
Resources:
Josh McDowell wrote Evidence That Demands a Verdict and Frank Morison wrote Who Moved the Stone? They were critics who became converts, atheists who set out to disprove the resurrection of Christ. But they couldn’t do it. Instead both proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection was a well-documented historical fact. And both became Christians
