So
you don’t believe that Jesus was raised from the dead?
First,
you probably know, as a historical fact, that Julius Caesar came to Britain in
person. You believe it because it is an accepted historical fact. But do you
know that that “fact” is based on a very brief mention in a single document. By
contrast, the resurrection of Jesus is documented in 100’s of historic
documents, yet you don’t accept it??
Next,
bear in mind that a number of “learned judges”, on both sides of the Atlantic,
have gone on record as saying that they find the evidence compelling – that if
such an abundance of evidence came before them in court, they would have no
difficulty in stating that the case for the resurrection was proven.
So,
which of the main “alternative theories” do you favour?
Theories
that try to explain the empty tomb;-
·
The
“swoon” theory – this says that Jesus didn’t really die, and the cool of the
tomb revived Him. This ignores the evidence that the Roman spear pierced his
heart (hence the water and the blood of John’s account); no one recovers
naturally from a destroyed heart. It also implies that a squad of experienced
Roman soldiers couldn’t tell if someone had died. And thirdly, it ignores the
medical practice that to prevent death a patient has to be kept warm, not cool (a
significant danger after any trauma or shock is hypothermia). Jesus had been
flogged to the point of death before being crucified – which is why he died
relatively quickly – and was surely in no condition to revive without medical
attention, anyway.
·
The
“wrong grave” theory – this says that the disciples went to the wrong grave,
and hence found it empty. This theory could explain
the empty tomb, but not the resurrection appearances of Jesus; nor can it
explain why the authorities didn’t “produce the body” and kill off Christianity
at its start.
·
The
“stolen body” theory – this says that either the Jews,
the Romans or the disciples stole the body and hid it. Again, this only
explains the empty tomb. If the Jews or Romans had stolen the body, they could
easily have stopped Christianity in its tracks … they didn’t. And if the
disciples stole the body, why did they go on to be martyred (all but one were
put to death for their faith) for something they knew to be a lie? Further, if
the disciples stole the body, how could they have got past the Roman guard?
Theories
that try to explain the resurrection appearances of Jesus:-
·
The
“hallucination” theory – this says that the disciples didn’t really see Jesus,
they saw a hallucination. But hallucinations happen to one person … the records
are that Jesus appeared simultaneously to groups of people (2 on the Road to Emmaeus, 10 and 11 in the upper room, and according to Paul
500 at one time. The other problem is that it supposes that the disciples
wanted to see a risen Jesus; yet the Bible says that even though Jesus had
predicted His resurrection, the disciples didn’t really expect it to happen.
General
theories:-
·
The
“myth” theory – this claims that absolutely everything about Jesus is mythical,
stories invented by the Church and not based on any fact at all. But Paul in 1
Corinthians 15 states that many of the people who had seen Jesus after His
resurrection were still alive (at the time of writing); several of these people
were travelling around the young churches, and would be quizzed by the churches
about their evidence. This myth theory doesn’t begin to explain the change in
the disciples, from timid men hiding in fear, to fearless proclaimers of the
Good News. Another argument … if the disciples “invented” the resurrection
story, why did they say that women were the first to see Jesus; women were of
little account then, and a woman could not give evidence; it would be an act of
folly to invent such a story, expecting it to be believed.
·
Some
other theory? Get in touch and explain it, and I’ll try to respond.
A
final word.
There is one “most common” reason why many people don’t believe if the
Resurrection. It is nothing to do with logic. It is simply that, if true, the
implications are massive, and would challenge the way they choose to live their
lives!
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