The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is either the most important event in the history of the world or the biggest hoax ever perpetrated against humanity. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 1:25-26). He could only say that if he himself rose from the dead.

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (see Matthew 11:27; 28:18; Mark 14:60-62; John 4:25-26; 10:30; 14:9; 17:5). If he was none of these, C. S. Lewis said he would either have been a liar or a lunatic. If he was all these things, the greatest evidence of that fact would be that he raised himself from the dead.

Hundreds of millions of Christians around the world believe that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is one of the best-established facts of ancient history. Perhaps the best evidence to support this is to examine the alternatives suggested by skeptics.

Below are several of the most common attacks:

Hallucination Theory – This theory maintains that the disciples did not believe in Jesus because they saw him. Rather, they thought they saw him because they believed so intensely in his promise that he would rise again. The truth is, however, that they did not believe the first reports they heard about the resurrection. It was not until they touched him and ate with him that they were convinced.

Swoon Theory – This theory suggests that Jesus was critically injured but not dead when he was buried. The coolness of the tomb revived him, and he was able to get up, roll away the stone weighing 800 pounds and sneak past the guards undetected. He walked several miles with two disciples on the road to Emmaus and appeared to be perfectly healthy, not as a man in desperate need of medical attention.

Theft of the Body by Friends – If the followers of Jesus stole his body, why did many of them die for preaching that he rose from the dead? Hoaxes do not produce hallelujahs, and guilty secrets do not change lives.

Theft of the Body by Enemies – If the enemies of Jesus stole his body, what was their motive? They sealed him in the tomb and posted a guard to prevent anyone from saying he rose again. However, if they had taken his body, they would have displayed it in order to stop all talk about a resurrection.

Wrong Tomb Theory – This argument says that the disciples went to an empty tomb instead of the right one and this is how the resurrection story got started. But the burial place of Christ was well-known by both his friends and enemies. Such a mistake as this would never stand up to scrutiny.

No Burial Theory – Would the enemies put the Roman seal on an empty tomb and post a guard there? If Jesus was not buried, who took him? We have already seen that it is illogical to think that either his friends or enemies took the body. Plus, his body was being carefully watched by both his friends and enemies.

Spiritualist/Mental Telepathy Theory – This theory argues that Jesus did not appear to his disciples bodily, but it was just his spirit who communed with them. If this is true, we still have to account for the empty tomb. Also, this theory suggests a miracle to explain away a miracle.

The possibility of the resurrection being a hoax is extremely remote. You must desperately want to deny his resurrection if you believe Jesus stayed dead. If Jesus Christ had not risen, he probably would not even be remembered today. As it turned out, he appeared to hundreds of his followers over a period of forty days, and his enemies could not silence their joyful proclamations.

Today, Christianity is the number one religion in the world because so many believe Jesus is alive and will return as he promised (John 14:1-3). The Apostle Paul spoke of the hope we have as believers because of the Lord’s resurrection. He wrote, “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life again so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:7-9).

Jesus said of himself, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Why do I believe this? Because who else in all of history ever lived without sin yet died for my sin? Who else in history died yet took his life back again? Who else can I turn to for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life?

So, we come back to where we started. Was the resurrection of Christ the biggest hoax or is it our greatest hope? I have made my choice.

Have you?

Brian Giese

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Kewanee Voice.

***This column is sponsored by the Kewanee Ministerial Association