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22 min read
by Mark Bird
VERY IMPORTANT: The test for this lesson will be a debate staged in your next class meeting. Before beginning the lesson, read the instructions for the “Apologetics and the Head” assignment at the end of this lesson. The review questions in this lesson will help students prepare for the debate.
Jia was excited. God had helped her demonstrate to Lee that the New Testament was reliable. Surely, he would soon accept the gospel. This was more than an intellectual puzzle; Jia was praying for an opportunity to share the gospel with her friend. As Lee approached Jia at a tea shop, she smiled and said, “Have you thought about last week’s conversation?”
Lee smiled, “I can see that you are very serious about your book! You have convinced me that the early Christians really believed that Jesus was the Messiah and that he did the miracles recorded in the gospels. I am convinced that the New Testament is an accurate record of what the early church believed. However, there is still a problem. Even if the early Christians truly believed that Jesus rose from the dead, today we know that the Resurrection is impossible!
“Yes, the early Christians believed in the Resurrection, but that doesn’t make it true. Remember, people in the ancient world believed in many myths. They believed that the earth is flat; they believed in ghosts; they believed in the resurrection. But we live in a scientific age! Jia, you know that the earth is round! You know that ghosts do not exist! How can you seriously believe that a dead man rose from the grave?”
► How would you respond to Lee? Is there sufficient historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
In this lesson, we will look at two pieces of evidence that show Jesus was who he claimed to be. First, we will look at messianic prophecy. We will show that Jesus fulfilled precise predictions made hundreds of years before his birth. Secondly, we will examine the evidence for the Resurrection. We will see that the Resurrection is more than a beautiful story; it is an historical event.
► Please answer two sets of questions.
Set One:
Set Two:
It is fairly easy to predict some things in the immediate future. Based on today’s weather, I can make a good guess about tomorrow’s weather. Based on the news, I may even be able to predict the next president.
It is much more difficult to predict something one hundred years in advance! I don’t know who will be living in 2130; so I can’t predict the president’s name, place of birth, or manner of death.
The Bible prophecies concerning the Messiah belong to this second category. Prophets predicted specific events hundreds of years in advance, and these predictions came to pass exactly as predicted.
There are about sixty specific messianic prophecies fulfilled in the life of Jesus. In this lesson, we will look at twelve of these prophecies. The Jewish rabbis who lived before the birth of Jesus considered these to be messianic prophecies.
► Divide the class into two groups. For each prophecy, have someone in Group 1 read the prophecy. Then, have someone in Group 2 read the fulfillment.
| PROPHECY | FULFILLMENT |
|---|---|
| Tribe of Judah – Genesis 49:10 | Luke 3:23, 33 |
| House of David – Jeremiah 23:5 | Luke 3:23, 31 |
| Born at Bethlehem – Micah 5:2 | Matthew 2:1 |
| Introduced by a messenger – Isaiah 40:3 | Matthew 3:1-3 |
| Teaching and healing ministry – Isaiah 61:1, 2; 32:3-4; 35:5 | Matthew 9:24; Luke 4:17-21 |
| Lives before Temple and Jerusalem is destroyed – Daniel 9:26 | The Temple and Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70 |
| Called Lord and God – Jeremiah 23:6; Isaiah 8:6 | John 29:28; Luke 2:11 |
| Enter Jerusalem on a donkey – Zechariah 9:9 | Matthew 21:1-8 |
| Silent before his accusers – Isaiah 53:7 | Matthew 27:12 |
| Suffers wounds – Isaiah 53:5 | Matthew 27:26 |
| Body pierced in crucifixion – Zechariah 12:10 | John 19:34 |
| Buried with the rich – Isaiah 53:9 | Matthew 27:57-60 |
Is it possible that these predictions were fulfilled by chance?
Impossible. We have listed twelve of several dozen prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. A very conservative estimate of the probability of these twelve prophecies being fulfilled by chance is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (1 in 1017).
Imagine covering all of France with coins two feet deep. Mark one of the coins with a red “X.” Blindfold a man and have him pick one coin. His chance of picking up the coin with the red “X” is 1 in 1017. Impossible!
Is it possible that Jesus deliberately fulfilled these predictions?
Impossible. Jesus could choose to be a teacher or choose to be silent before his accusers; but he could not choose his family, his place of birth, or how the Romans would pierce his body after crucifixion.
Is it possible that God gave these predictions?
Absolutely. If these prophecies were not fulfilled by chance or by Jesus’ deliberate choice, the predictions must have come from Someone who could look into the future.[1] Since only God knows the future, these predictions must have come from God. Whoever fulfills these predictions was chosen by God.
[1] Some skeptics argue that these prophecies were written after the events they describe. However, it is easy to demonstrate that these prophecies were made at least 200 years before the time of Christ. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) was written about 200 years before Christ. Because the Old Testament prophecies were translated from Hebrew to Greek by 200 B.C., they must have been written earlier than this date.
The Resurrection of Jesus is either the greatest hoax or the most glorious miracle of all time. Christianity stands or falls on the answer to the question, “Did Jesus physically rise from the dead?” Paul said that if Jesus did not from the tomb, our faith is vain and we are a miserable people. Why? Because if Christ did not rise, we have no hope of eternal life.[1]
To answer the question, “Did Jesus physically rise from the dead?” we will look at three issues:
From the answer to these questions, we will see that there is sufficient evidence to believe that Jesus physically rose from the dead. This is more than a legend; it is historical fact.
Did Jesus Die?
When we discuss the Resurrection, we need to demonstrate first that Jesus died. Some opponents of Christianity, such as Muslims, deny that Jesus actually died. What is some evidence for his death?
Loss of blood before the crucifixion
Before Jesus was crucified, he was flogged by a Roman solider. Roman floggings were brutal and often killed victims. A medical doctor wrote:
"Roman floggings usually consisted of thirty-nine lashes. …The soldier would use a whip of braided leather thongs with metal balls woven into them. When the whip would strike the flesh, these balls would cause deep bruises or contusions, which would break open with further blows. The whip had pieces of sharp bone as well, which would cut the flesh severely.
The back would be so shredded that part of the spine was sometimes exposed by the deep cuts. The whipping would have gone all the way from the shoulders down to the back, the buttocks, and the back of the legs."[2]
Even before the crucifixion, Jesus experienced so much pain and lost so much blood that he collapsed. They had to find someone else to carry his cross. Jesus was in critical condition even before he was hung on the cross.
Evidence from the cross
On the cross, a person could breathe only by pulling up with their arms and pushing up with their legs. After a person had been on the cross long enough to grow weak, Roman soldiers would break his legs so that the victim could not push himself up. This caused the victim to suffocate.
The Jewish leaders did not want to leave Jesus on the cross during the Passover observance. Because of this, the soldiers came to break the legs of Jesus and the two thieves. However, they did not break Jesus’ legs because he was already dead. Roman soldiers who were assigned to crucifixion duty knew well how to determine if a victim was dead. They knew Jesus was dead.[3]
One way that Roman soldiers confirmed that a victim of crucifixion was truly dead was to thrust a spear into the victim’s side. Blood and water flowing out was a sign of death. If the person was still alive, only blood would spurt out. When the soldier pierced Jesus’ side, “at once there came out blood and water.”[4] This confirmed to the soldier that Jesus was dead.
The centurion was able to confirm to Pilate the Jesus was dead. Jesus’ body was then wrapped in bandages and was laid in a tomb. No one was in doubt that Jesus was dead.
Why Was the Tomb Empty?
Both Jewish and Roman historians acknowledged that Jesus was killed by crucifixion. The next question involves the empty tomb. The apostles preached that Jesus rose bodily from the grave. They taught a physical resurrection. They knew that the tomb was empty.
The Gospels confirm the empty tomb. The Roman guard did not deny that the tomb was empty; the Jewish leaders did not deny that the tomb was empty. Imagine that the disciples had invented the story of the Resurrection. It would have been easy for the Roman or Jewish leaders to produce the body - and this would have been the end of Christianity. Instead, news of the empty tomb inspired many people to believe in Christ.
Unbelievers have tried to give other explanations for the empty tomb. They say:
The disciples stole the body.
As soon as the tomb was found empty, Jewish leaders suggested that the disciples stole Jesus’ body.[5] In the second century, a Jewish writer, Trypho, said,
"Jesus, a Galilean deceiver, we crucified, but his disciples stole him by night from the tomb and now deceive men by asserting that he has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven."[6]
► Is this a good explanation? Why or why not?
There are at least two pieces of evidence against this theory.
First – to steal the body, the disciples would have had to overpower a trained Roman guard, move a heavy stone, and sneak away with the body. These same disciples ran away in fear when Jesus was arrested. It is inconceivable that they would now have the courage to face a Roman guard.
The Roman guards faced a death sentence if they failed in their duty. They had every reason to be vigilant. There is no reason to believe that they were overpowered by the weak disciples, or that they fell asleep on duty.
Second – if the disciples stole the body, they knew the Resurrection story was a lie. In the words of Josh McDowell, “Who would die for a lie?” Yes, people have died believing that a lie was the truth, but very few people would die knowing that they were dying for a lie.
To believe that the disciples stole the body requires us to believe that eleven men risked their lives for a story that they knew was untrue. They did not gain riches or power from this story; they were hunted and killed because of this story. Think how the disciples died:
These men gave their lives for the conviction that Jesus rose from the dead. They did not die for a lie.
The Roman or Jewish authorities removed the body.
Some skeptics suggest that the Romans or Jews removed the body. They say that the Romans or Jews hid the body so the Christians could not find it.
► Is this a good explanation? Why or why not?
This answer makes no sense. The Jews wanted to destroy this new religion; the Romans wanted to keep peace between the Jews and Christians in Jerusalem.
As the Christian religion began to spread, the Romans or Jews could have produced the hidden body to prove that Jesus was still dead. They had every motivation to prove Jesus was not raised from the dead. There is no reason for them to hide the body.
Jesus did not die; he was unconscious when he was buried.
The “swoon theory” is popular among many Muslims today. They say that Jesus did not die on the cross. Instead, he fainted because of the pain and loss of blood. The soldiers thought he was dead, so they buried him. In the tomb, Jesus revived and came out of the tomb. His followers believed he had risen from the dead.
► Is this a good explanation? Why or why not?
For this theory to be true, think of all that must happen:
This does not match anything we read about the crucifixion and resurrection. The only option that makes sense of all the facts is that Jesus rose just as he said he would.
[1] 1 Corinthians 15:14-22
[2] Adapted from Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (MI: Zondervan, 1998), 195
[3] John 19:31-33
[4] John 19:34
[5] Matthew 28:11-15
[6] Quoted in Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho
List three explanations that skeptics give for the empty tomb. For each explanation, give one reason that the explanation is insufficient.
The evidence for the Resurrection does not end at the tomb. Jesus appeared to hundreds of people in the weeks after the Resurrection. The Resurrection transformed their lives – and continues to transform lives today.
The Evidence of the Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus
One of the most complete lists of post-Resurrection appearances is Paul’s list in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Paul wrote this list around A.D. 55, twenty to twenty-five years after the Resurrection. This list of witnesses includes Peter, the twelve disciples, and James.
Paul mentioned a group of more than 500 people who had seen the risen Jesus. Most of these people were still living. If Paul’s account was wrong, they could point out his error! Paul knew that people would not challenge his word.
The four Gospels record the testimony of those who saw Christ after the Resurrection. These early Christians risked their lives for their testimony. Many died for their belief. If the Resurrection had not taken place, they would have known it. They would not have died for what they knew was a lie.
One of the remarkable aspects of Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearances is the record of women as the first witnesses. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were some of the first people at the tomb.[1] Today, this might not seem important; but in the ancient world, this is a strong support for the truth of the Gospels.
In the first century, a woman’s testimony was not accepted in court. Because of their low social status, women had no legal standing. Even the disciples at first rejected the testimony of these women.[2]
If the Gospel writers were inventing this story, they would have not included women as witnesses of the empty tomb. A fiction writer would have used credible witnesses such as respected religious leaders to testify to the Resurrection. Instead, the writers of the Gospels wrote the story exactly as it happened.
In historical research, we give great credibility to eyewitnesses. The same should be true when we study the historical truth of the Resurrection. These were the first eyewitnesses. Their testimony should be considered as a valuable witness to the truth of the Resurrection.
The Evidence of Transformed Lives
Another evidence for the Resurrection is its impact on other people. Many in the first century were convinced of the truth of the Resurrection. Their lives were transformed by the risen Christ. Just a few names will illustrate this point.
Paul, the greatest enemy of Christianity became its greatest advocate. He traveled through the Roman Empire testifying to the truth of the Resurrection.
James, Jesus’ half-brother, was a skeptic during Jesus’ earthly life. However, seeing Jesus alive after the Resurrection convinced James of the truth of Jesus’ claim to be Messiah. James became the leader of the Jerusalem church.
Ongoing Impact in the Church
To celebrate the Resurrection each week, early Christians moved their day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. Because the Resurrection occurred on the first day of the week, they worshiped on the first day of the week. Early Christians celebrated Easter to commemorate the literal, physical Resurrection of Jesus.
Art from the first centuries show the Christian conviction that “Jesus is Lord.” This coin includes symbols that were popular in the early church.[3]
First, it intersects two letters from the Greek alphabet: χ (chi) and ρ (rho), the first two letters of the Greek word “Christòs” or “Christ.” Then, it adds α (alpha) and ω (omega) the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet, signifying that Jesus is the beginning and end of all things.
The walls of the catacombs show another summary of early Christian beliefs, the fish symbol. The Greek word for fish was ἰχθύς (ichthus). Each letter reminded early Christians of some aspect of belief about Jesus of Nazareth. The fish symbol became a simple creed for early Christians: Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Savior.
ἰ = Iesous (Jesus)
χ = Christos (Christ)
θ = Theou (God’s)
ύ = Uios (Son)
ς = Soter (Savior)
You can see how highly the early Christians esteemed Jesus. They worshiped Christ as the Living Lord. The best explanation for their worship is a literal bodily resurrection of Jesus, the one they believed had conquered death as the Lord of Life.
[1] Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1; John 20:11-18
[2] Luke 24:11
[3] Image: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com, retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Double_Centenionalis_Magnentius-xr-s4017.jpg#/media/File:Double_Centenionalis_Magnentius-xr-s4017.jpg May 2, 2020, CC BY-SA 3.0
[4]Image: "CE30928 Moneda", taken by Angel M. Felicísimo on Feb 7, 2016, retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/elgolem/24386520264, licensed under CC BY 2.0, cropped and desaturated from the original.
[5]Image: "ICTHUS", retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ICTHUS.gif, public domain.
The messianic prophecies that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus demonstrate that he was the predicted Messiah. Long before the birth of Jesus, Jewish rabbis agreed that these prophecies would point to the Messiah. The fact that detailed prophecies concerning the Messiah were fulfilled hundreds of years after the predictions demonstrates that God inspired the prophecies, that God guided the birth of Jesus, and that God sent Jesus as the Jewish Messiah!
► Why is the Resurrection so important to the Christian faith?
The Resurrection is central to the Christian faith because it proves that Jesus is who he claimed to be — the Son of God, God in the flesh. Only God has the power to raise the dead, and God would not raise a liar. We will later show that Jesus claimed to be God. The Resurrection testified to the truth of Jesus’ claim.
The Resurrection gives validity to Jesus’ claim that his death would “ransom many.”[1] The Resurrection shows that Jesus has power over death. Because of this, Jesus is able to give life to his followers as he promised.
[1] Matthew 20:28
Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853) was one of the founders of Harvard Law School. For many decades, his Treatise on the Law of Evidence was considered the greatest book on legal evidence.
Greenleaf was also a Jewish agnostic who believed the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a hoax. When a student challenged him to study the evidence, Professor Greenleaf determined to prove that the Resurrection was simply a myth. Instead, he became convinced that the Resurrection is an historical fact.
Because he recognized the powerful evidence for the Resurrection, Greenleaf became a committed Christian. His writings have inspired some of today’s greatest apologists – including Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel, whom we have studied in this course.
After studying the evidence for the Resurrection, Greenleaf wrote, “If the evidence for the resurrection was set before any unbiased courtroom in the world it would be judged to be an historical fact—Jesus Christ rose from the dead!”
Greenleaf’s most famous book was called, The Testimony of the Evangelists: The Gospels Examined by the Rules of Evidence. In this book, Greenleaf applied the rules of legal evidence that are used in a law court. He concluded that any fair court of law would recognize the Gospels as legal evidence. This leading legal scholar of the early nineteenth century recognized that an examination of the historical evidence shows that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was fact, not fiction.[1]
[1]“If the evidence for the resurrection was set before any unbiased courtroom in the world it would be judged to be an historical fact—Jesus Christ rose from the dead!”
- Professor Simon Greenleaf, Founder of Harvard Law School
[2]Image: "Simon Greenleaf", retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simon_Greenleaf.jpg, public domain.
“Lee,” Jia responded, “I understand your hesitation to believe in the Resurrection. It seems impossible! But you are ignoring historical evidence for the truth of this story. It isn’t true that people in the ancient world expected dead people to come back from the grave. Yes, some of them believed in ghosts – but they believed that the ghosts were dead people. No one believed that the ghost was really a person returned from the grave.
“The people of the ancient world may not have known modern science, but they knew that dead people stay dead. The disciples were shocked by the Resurrection. None of them expected to see Jesus alive. [3]They believed only after they were confronted with overwhelming evidence that, ‘He is not here, for he has risen.’[1]
“The apostle Paul, a Jew who fought against the Christian faith, became a believer after he met the risen Lord. Remember, Paul wrote his letters while hundreds of people who witnessed his death were still alive. If Paul’s testimony was false, they would know! But Paul wrote without fear of contradiction:
"…Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me."[2]
“Lee, Paul knew that Jesus Christ rose from the grave. Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins and who demonstrated his power over death by the Resurrection. And if we believe on him, we can share in his victory over death. We can have eternal life!”
[1] Matthew 28:6
[2] 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
[3]“…modernists like to imagine they are the first people in history to notice that dead people stay dead. But the disciples knew that dead people stay dead. Dead Messiahs stay dead. Everybody knows that. Yes, they believed in a resurrection at the end of time, but not today. Easter was a surprise…. That is the foundation of the church, of Christian faith, of Christian life and hope and love and laughter and witness. Easter is not just unlikely, it’s impossible. But it happened.”
- Adapted from an Easter Sermon by N.T. Wright April 11, 2009
1. Apologetics and the Head: The test for this lesson will be different than previous lessons. Instead of writing answers to questions, you will present the answers in a class debate. The class leader will pretend to be a skeptic who denies the truth of the Resurrection. You will present the evidence for the Resurrection that you have learned in this lesson.
For example – if the “skeptic” argues that Jesus did not really die on the cross, you will give reasons that we can be sure Jesus was dead. If the skeptic says that the Resurrection story was invented by the disciples, you can point to the testimony of the women as a reason to believe the story. As you prepare for this debate, organize the information from this lesson in a way that will help you answer questions that skeptics may have about the Resurrection.
2. Apologetics and the Heart: In Romans 1:4, Paul says that the Resurrection testifies that Jesus was the Son of God. Then in Romans 6, Paul shows that we who “die with Christ” are united with him in his resurrection. This has a powerful implication in our daily Christian life. We are now “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11).
Think about your daily Christian life. Do you struggle with repeated temptation in some areas? If so, meditate on the truth of Romans 6. You are dead to sin and alive to God. Because of the Resurrection, you can live in daily victory over sin. This week, take time to thank God daily for continuing victory over sin.
3. Apologetics and the Hands: At the end of Lesson 5, you asked an unbeliever to allow you to share the blocks that support the Christian faith. Talk with this person again and share the information you have learned in this lesson. Ask them if you can share the evidence for the truth of the Resurrection. Before your meeting, pray that God will prepare his or her heart for the truth. Report on your conversation at the next class meeting.
(1) List three specific messianic prophecies fulfilled in the life of Jesus.
(2) What does the fulfillment of many specific messianic prophecies demonstrate about the origin of the prophecies?
(3) List three explanations that skeptics give for the empty tomb. For each explanation, give one reason that the explanation is insufficient.
(4) Why is it significant that the Gospels include women among the first witnesses to the Resurrection?
(5) Why is it significant that the early Christians worshiped on the first day of the week and celebrated Easter each year?
(6) Write 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 from memory.
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