The Apostle Paul tells us in (1 Corinthians 15:14-20) that if Christ is not raised from the dead then there is no point in being a Christian. Claims about other gods and men in history who have died and been resurrected have been made. People who try to make the resurrection of Jesus just another claim like the others have a big problem. None of the others changed the world forever. Is there proof for the resurrection of Jesus that makes the Christian claim different?
The Greatest Proof For The Resurrection Of Jesus
Putting ourselves in the shoes of the disciples, what would it take to make us be willing to die for Jesus after we had abandoned him at the time of his apprehension, and then watched him be put to death? Seeing their risen Savior alive and well after witnessing him being crucified placed a fire in this group of previously scared men that made them willing to suffer and die for him.
The false gods and fake claims have faded away with history. The disciples on the other hand insured the Christian faith will never be forgotten. Would you have been willing to die for a supposed resurrection that you know didn’t happen? For the apostles seeing was believing.
(Acts 1:3) After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.
(1 Corinthians 15:6) After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
You will notice Paul says most of the people who Jesus appeared to were still living. This would further explain how the Church was able to grow so fast. Jesus not only appeared to his disciples, but many others as well. There were many living witnesses even in Paul’s day who were willing to risk it all for what they knew to be true.
Non Biblical References To Jesus And The Crucifixion
Many people will refuse to accept the words of the Bible as proof of anything. If you are willing to do a little research, you will find the Bible is as reliable as any documents in history. For people who have a hard time accepting the Bible, there are outside sources that verify the Scriptures.
Tacitus (56 AD – 120 AD) was a Roman historian who specifically mentioned Christ and his crucifixion at the hands of Pontius Pilate. He also speaks of the early Christians being tortured.
Josephus (37 AD – 100 AD) a Jewish historian, writes about Jesus on two separate occasions. Along with making a reference to James the brother of Jesus, he also writes about Jesus being crucified by Pilate.
Lucian (125 AD – 180 AD) was a Greek satirist and rhetorician who wrote about Christians who worship a man who was crucified.
Mara bar Serapion, a philosopher from an early Roman province, in a letter to his son, makes reference to the wise king of the Jews who was executed. Most scholars date the letter as being written around 73 AD.
The Deniers
The following are just a few of the many excuses people have made in their attempts to deny the resurrection.
• The body was stolen.
• They made a mistake and went to the wrong tomb.
• They must have been hallucinating when they saw Jesus.
• Jesus didn’t really die on the Cross.
Some will choose not to believe in the resurrection of Jesus because it can’t be proved by pictures or a video recording. Everything we know about people and events in history comes to us by historical documents, books, and oral traditions. Some of the same people who deny Jesus choose to believe many other things from the past based on a lot less evidence or proof. The fact is none of the above excuses can explain why the early Church could not be kept quite. It grew like a wildfire that has never been put out!
