Jesus Resurrection: Seven Reasons to Consider the Historical Evidence

Are you looking for deep dive into the Easter Story? Do you have questions about Jesus death and resurrection? Read The Resurrected Jesus: Seven Reasons to Consider the Historical Evidence and find out more.

Christianity is full of some incredibly bold claims that challenge the boundaries of physics and science. For example, the creation story, the flood and the Virgin Birth.

Right at the top of this list is the Resurrection account. Its carried in all four gospels and is central to the Christian Faith. Without the resurrection, there is no risen Jesus. And without the risen Jesus there is no legit claim to have conquered death. Crucially, without Christ’s resurrection we would have no salvation from sin, and no hope for our own future resurrection.

In this blog we will discuss seven reasons to consider the historical evidence for Jesus resurrection, and provide evidence and explanation for this history making event.

According to archeologists, the tomb stone could weigh between one to two tonnes. One or two men could move it into place, as indicated in Matthew 27:60, Joseph of Arimathea rolled the stone to cover the tomb, as indicated in Matthew 27:6 and Mark 15:46. To close the tomb, the stone would have to be rolled down the groove at a decline so that it can rest at the entrance. To open it at an incline, the rolling stone would have to be rolled across the groove. At times, the groove was slightly sloped and not level. Rolling the one/two tonne stone uphill without being seen, before stealing Jesus body would have been very unlikely.

Finding a stone entrance to a Jewish tomb was rare in Biblical times. This is because, for most Jewish tombs, the doors to the tombs had certain types of hinges. In Jesus case, they sealed the tomb with a stone to make the burial site more permanent. They also did this to secure the body since the chief priests feared that Jesus’ disciples would come and steal the body

The guards at Jesus’ tomb are Roman officers, under the authority of the Roman Governor. Pilate had placed them at the disposal of the Jewish authorities (Matthew 27:62-65), who wished to ensure the tomb remained under guard: they feared that the disciples might steal the body and claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. It is unclear how much the guards saw and heard on resurrection day.

They witnessed the arrival of the angel who rolled the stone away and were overwhelmed by terror, becoming like ‘dead men’. We do not know if they heard the angel’s words, and realised the body which was now missing from the tomb had risen. They certainly realised something extraordinary had occurred – enough to warrant a report to the Jewish authorities. However, despite the deep impression these events must have left on them, they allow themselves to be bribed into denying them.Yet somehow, as we read in John 2, the tomb had been unsealed.

The detail of the folder grave clothes is is almost certainly there in scripture for an evidential reason.

There is no sign of a smash and grab of Jesus body. And, there is no sign of a struggle or even of the embalming process. The grave clothes would have been soiled and ruined yet, yet the facecloth was folded as if Jesus is done with them. Who has the time to fold a facecloth??

Its a really incredible piece of detail that is mentioned for us to pay particular attention to.

The holy women eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records. If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ’s resurrection. Women were second-class citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court.

Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdalene and other holy women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honored them as the first eyewitnesses to his resurrection.

The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this embarrassing act of God’s favor because that was how it happened” – This is absolutely consistent with how Jesus treated women up until His death too.

After the death of Jesus, two days before, the disciples had fled. Peter, had denied Jesus publicly and the others had fled. They were essentially in hiding, in fear for their lives.

And yet, after the resurrection Jesus appears to all of His disciples and even cooks them breakfast, which many believe was a demonstration of his actual bodily presence. He tells them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. And when that happens, Peter is the one preaching to a massive crowd in a public space.

So lets think about this, for a second People rarely lie to get into trouble, right? They lie to get OUT of trouble. People don’t die for stories that they KNOW to be a lie.

So why did Peter start boldly proclaiming Jesus as Messiah, when He KNEW it would likely get Him killed?! I believe the change in Peter was because He had reconnected with the risen Jesus & been restored by Jesus forgiveness.

Changed lives are yet another proof of the resurrection. James, the brother of Jesus, was openly skeptical that Jesus was the Messiah. Later James became a courageous leader of the Jerusalem church, even being stoned to death for his faith. Why? The Bible says the risen Christ appeared to him. What a shock to see your own brother, alive again, after you knew he was dead. James and the apostles were effective missionaries because people could tell these men had touched and seen the risen Christ. With such zealous eyewitnesses, the early church exploded in growth, spreading west from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. For 2,000 years, encounters with the resurrected Jesus have changed lives. And He is changing lives today.

I believe Jesus was demonstrating His risen form by appearing to and communicating to His believers. He was cooking them food and eating with them, to proved that HE was not a ghost or a spirit or an hallucination.

The conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible. As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity’s most determined missionary. He endured five floggings, three beatings, three shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty, and years of ridicule. Finally, the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus. What could make a person willingly accept—even welcome—such hardships? Christians believe the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead.

CS Lewis “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

So what should we do with this incredible story? Simply choose to believe. Invite Jesus into your life today.

Maybe your like Peter, you are feeling like your too far gone or have messed up too many times. Or maybe you feel like Mary – your heart is breaking & nobody believes you. Maybe you feel like Thomas, or James, or you identify with the disciples. You need courage to do what you know He’s asking you to do.

Friend, wherever you find yourself today you can come to Jesus for whatever you need. And He is full of love and compassion towards you just as He was to those first disciples!

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