Is there evidence for the Resurrection?
At Easter we remember the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection three days later. But did Jesus Christ really rise from the dead? If He didn’t, Christianity has no meaning and would be just a religion following some good principles but with no life, no power, no forgiveness of sin, no relationship with God and no promise of eternal life.
The accuracy of the Scriptures gives us a sure foundation. By the end of the 19th century, archaeological discoveries had confirmed the accuracy of the New Testament manuscripts.
So let’s look at some of the evidence.
After His body was placed in a solid rock tomb, a huge stone was rolled against the entrance with Roman soldiers stationed to guard it. But three days later the tomb was empty with only Jesus’ grave clothes left behind.
The Roman guards fled fearing execution. The followers of Jesus said He had risen from the dead and reported that He appeared to them during a period of 40 days. The apostle Paul recounted that Jesus appeared to more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom would still have been alive then and could have refuted Paul’s statement if incorrect. Both Jewish and Roman sources admit that the tomb was empty on that first Easter morning. Historian Paul Maier observes that “if all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, there has been no shred of evidence discovered in literary sources or archaeology that would disprove this statement.”
Jesus also appeared to those who were hostile to Him. Saul of Tarsus for example despised Jesus and persecuted His followers. His life dramatically changed when Christ appeared to him, and he later became the apostle Paul, one of the greatest witnesses for the truth of the resurrection.
The disciples were all prepared to die for their conviction that Jesus was alive. All except one were martyred because of this belief. No one knowingly and willingly dies for a lie. Within weeks of His death thousands of Jews became convinced Jesus was the Son of God and began following Him. Even today, over 2,000 years later, devout believers are being martyred for their faith.
The evidence of explosive growth of Christianity in China, Africa, India Southeast Asia and South America cannot be ignored. Often hundreds of thousands gather at Christian meetings where many receive healing – the blind see, the deaf hear and the lame walk. In 2000 in Lagos, Nigeria 1.6 million people gathered in one meeting to hear of God’s love, with empty wheelchairs lining the stage at the end of the meeting because of the miracle working power of the living Jesus.
The empty tomb compels us to seek the One who still says to us today “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).