Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead?

Introduction

Luke. The resurrection is on everybody’s mind today. This being the day that is known in the religious world as Easter. And so I would like for us to focus today on the resurrection. And as was also mentioned, there are skeptics who are, especially today, very vocal about did Jesus really rise from the dead? And so we’re going to ask that question. We’re going to examine that question. Is it true? Or is it all just a fable? Because the entire New Testament is very willing to put its entire validity on the one claim that Jesus raised from the dead. In Acts chapter 17, Paul was standing before a group of philosophers, these were pagans, on uh Mars Hill in Athens. And they wanted to hear about this new religion he was talking about, this new thing they had never heard.

And so he began to tell them about the one God that they didn’t know, that created the heavens and the earth. And he said in verses 30 and 31, truly, these times of ignorance got overlooked. But now commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. God has given assurance of the fact that Jesus is who he claimed to be. The judge of the world, the Son of God, the Messiah, our Savior. God gave assurance of that to everyone on earth by the resurrection from the dead. The New Testament is not shy to base everything on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And whether that is a fact or not. It had no shame at all in doing that. Because those who said those things in the New Testament knew that it was, knew that it was true. The fact that we will one day have a future resurrection. You know what that’s based on? Whether Jesus has risen from the dead. So our future hope, our future salvation is conditioned on that promise and on that fact. And so the gospels contain eyewitness testimony. And what we’re going to do is we’re going to examine some of that eyewitness testimony, not only regarding the resurrection, but we’re also going to look at the death and at the burial of Jesus. These things are all challenged by skeptics. And we’ll also look at some other evidence that is extra biblical as well.

1. Eyewitness Testimony of the Death and Burial

What did the gospels tell us happened? Jesus was arrested. And he was taken and given a Jewish trial and then given a Roman trial under Pilate, the governor of Judea. And that Pilate found Jesus innocent, but sentenced him to die on a cross. First had him scourged with a brutal beating. Then Jesus was put on the cross at nine in the morning and died at three in the afternoon on a Friday. And that he was then put in a tomb from that Friday until the third day, which is Sunday, which, by the way, every Sunday is resurrection Sunday. Because we commemorate that and we remember that, and that is one of the reasons why we worship on the first day of the week, if not the main reason.

John, the apostle was an eyewitness. And he affirms that Jesus was crucified with nails, and that’s important for what we’re going to talk about later. You remember the whole thing about Thomas and the imprint of the nails in Jesus’ hands. And John, an eyewitness, also affirms that Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. So we’re going to be again reading in John 19, beginning in verse 31 to kind of set up the burial of Jesus. Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for that Sabbath was a high day, asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with him.

But coming to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified. And his testimony is true. And he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

Say, because I was there. I saw the fact that the criminals were passed, uh their legs were broken, but that Jesus was passed over. He was not uh maimed as the other ones were to hasten his death. I saw the blood and water come out come out of his side. I was there. So apparently John was very close in seeing these things happen. So, what are we going to do with this eyewitness testimony? Then we pick up reading in verse 38, after these things, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus, who had first come to him by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.

So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now, in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore, because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. So he tells us what happened that Joseph of Arimathea, being a prominent man, he was a member of the Sanhedrin. He came and asked for the body of Jesus. And uh Pilate agreed. This would be unusual. This would be unusual. And buried him in his own tomb, a brand new tomb, and that Nicodemus was also involved. He was also a member of the Sanhedrin.

2. A Rich Man’s Burial in a Rock-Cut Tomb

And involved in helping with the burial of Jesus with the spices. And John goes on to record the eyewitness accounts, not only of those who saw the empty tomb, but of those who saw the resurrected Christ. Now, this type of burial in a tomb would have been very unusual for Jews, and certainly for crucified victims. Normally, Jews were buried in trench graves, which would be a shaft five to seven feet deep, and it would contain a niche that would the body would be placed in there at the bottom that would be dug. There might be a casket, there might not, and mud slabs would be then placed over the body. And you could bury numerous people in a trench grave. Maybe marks, maybe not. Just anonymously bury lots of people that way.

And in fact, that was not uncommon. And that’s the normal thing. Now, a lot of times I’ve read that crucified victims sometimes weren’t even buried at all. But they would just be left on the cross for the birds or thrown out for the wild dogs to devour. In fact, John Dominic Crossen, who is one of the world’s uh foremost uh opponents of the resurrection, that’s what he says he thinks probably happened. Because that’s that was what was done with crucified victims. Jesus was probably put in the in a shallow grave, and wild dogs probably devoured his body. That is offensive. But that is what a lot of people think. They they have no trust in what the Bible has to say here at all. Now, if Jesus were buried in a trench grave or not buried at all, then certainly it would have been harder to prove that he raised from the dead.

But the Bible tells us that Jesus was buried in a tomb that was cut out of solid rock. This tomb belonged to Joseph of Arimathea for his own family. It was nearby, just outside Jerusalem. They had to get Jesus buried quickly. And so he had a way of doing that. And so he went and very boldly asked for the body of Jesus. This would have been a rich man’s burial. Most people could not have been buried this way. And this certainly would not be what you would expect of someone who is crucified. We don’t know which tomb Jesus was crucified in. Uh, buried in. I’ll get my words together sooner or later. But we know the kind of tomb. This shows a picture of a first century rock cut tomb.

You might recognize the man looking in there. He preached the gospel for us last year, Leon Malden. And you notice that large rock there that would weigh maybe a ton and a half that could be rolled in the front to cover the mouth or could be rolled out of the way. And there was sort of a groove for the rock to remain there. Inside of this type of a tomb, this is not actually the same tomb, there would be a burial bench where the body would be placed and would decompose for a year. So the Jews, now this type of tomb would be like a family tomb. So they would put a family member on the slab who has died and close the tomb up, and they would come back a year later, and all that would be left is bones, because the body would have decomposed by then.

So then they would take the bones and place them in a box, known as an ossuary. This is a typical ossuary, and if you can see that it is designed with ornate carvings, some more ornate than others. This one is actually attributed to Caiaphas, and that’s believed to be legit. The ossuary of Caiaphas that we read about in the New Testament. Here’s another, just sort of random. I just wanted us to get a view of several different samplings of ossuaries. This one has the reading on the sign on the side, Simon the temple builder. You didn’t have to have a very large box to place bones in. Because once everything else is decomposed, then it doesn’t take much to fill up a box with just bones.

3. The Burial Fulfilled Prophecy and Made the Tomb Known

These ossuaries would then be placed on the floor or placed in a niche called a loculi in the side of the tomb. And would be inserted there, and that’s where the remains would, well, remain. As I said, this would be a very unusual type of burial for a poor Jew, and especially for a crucified victim. But the fact that Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea accomplishes two things. First of all, it fulfilled prophecy. You remember in Isaiah chapter 53, that great prophecy that was written over 700 years before the time of Christ. That prophecy that talks about this one who was silent as he was led as a sheep to the slaughter and bore the sins of many and the transgression of the people to whom the stroke was due.

It is that type of language used in that magnificent but obscure prophecy that we that we find there in the book of Isaiah. Well, in the ninth verse of Isaiah 53, it says, His grave was assigned with wicked men. Yet he was with a rich man in his death. Because he had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in his mouth. A fascinating prophecy that he was assigned a grave with wicked men. He was on a cross between two thieves and criminals. He was a crucified man. You would have assumed this man is a sinner, and his grave would have been the same as the others’ graves would have been. And that’s what John Dominic Crossing assumes that his grave was the same as the others who were crucified victims.

But this prophecy tells us that though his grave was assigned with wicked men, he was with a rich man in his death. And we read about the rich man being Joseph of Arimathea who came to receive the body. We also read of the rich man Nicodemus, which one of those two this is talking about. I can’t say for sure. But the point is he was expected to have this kind of burial, but he got the rich man’s burial. He was buried with great honor. Because though he appeared to be a sinner to those who saw Jesus on the cross, the truth is he had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in his mouth. A second thing that this burial in a rock-cut tomb, the one of Joseph of Arimathea, in fact, accomplishes, is that it made his burial place known to anyone who wanted to know.

Now we don’t know today which one it is that Jesus was buried in. Maybe it’s still in existence, and we just don’t know what which one it is. But think about if you lived in the time of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea was a prominent man. He was a man of the Sanhedrin, a man of wealth. And the enemies were right there in Jerusalem. In fact, the enemies, as Matthew 27 tells us, set a Roman guard over that tomb. So did they know where it was? Absolutely. So it wasn’t that on the third day the enemies could say, well, they say he was risen from the dead, but we don’t even know which grave was his. People try to make that argument today. They got the wrong tomb.

No, the tomb was known. God made sure that the tomb was known and could be known by anybody who wanted to know. There was no doubt about which tomb it was. It was Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. You see, it was as if God was giving us the greatest evidence possible that Jesus was risen from the dead by not just having him buried in a trench grave or something, but having him buried in a rock cut tomb. The one that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. I get show bumps just thinking about it. Yet skeptics deny. They deny the resurrection of Christ. Even some who claim to be Christians, if you can believe that, deny the resurrection of Christ. They certainly were doing that in the days when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, because he dealt with that in chapter 15.

4. Skeptics Also Deny the Death and the Burial

He said, if Christ is not raised, then your faith is in vain. He said in another place in that chapter, let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. If Christ hasn’t risen from the dead, then nothing matters. And brethren, did you get that point? If Christ hasn’t risen from the dead, then nothing does matter. It is the very center of everything that our faith rests upon. Now, skeptics not only deny the resurrection, they also deny the death and the burial that the gospels describe. And I mentioned that earlier. Here’s what they say. First of all, they say Romans did not use nails in the early part of the first century to crucify victims. They only tied their victims to crosses and stakes. They didn’t use nails until the latter part of the first century.

That’s what many say. They also say that the Romans would never give a crucified corpse back to a Jewish family. Now, certainly that would be the rule that that would not happen. They would also say that there would be no way that a crucified victim would be allowed to be buried in a rock-cut tomb. That just wouldn’t happen. They’d be thrown out for the wild animals and so on. And they say the Jews would not want the body of somebody that had that had been crucified. That’s what John Dominic Crossing says. The Jews wouldn’t have wanted been associated with crucifixion. However, in 1969, there was a discovery, a very significant discovery of a tomb that is like the kind of tomb we’ve been describing. A rock-cut tomb dating the first century that had two chambers and twelve niches for the dead bodies.

And in that tomb, there was found the remains of a man that had been crucified. And this is his ankle bone. Part of it. And there’s a nail still through it. And the end of the nail is hooked, as you see. And apparently what happened is the nail hit a knot in the wood and could not be pulled back out, because they would reuse the nails, apparently. Which is probably why it’s hard for us to find the remains of people we know that were crucified. But they couldn’t get this nail out, so they cut off his ankle. And they gave the body to his family and also gave the ankle to his family, and there was the nail still in the ankle. It’s interesting, we normally think of when the feet of a crucified victim were nailed.

We picture it like, you know, the Passion of the Christ, where one foot is over the other and a nail driven straight between the two of them. But this, the only archaeological evidence we have of anybody who was crucified, is different. It shows that the nail went through the side of the ankle. So something like something like there you see in the picture. We even know the name of this man who was crucified? Yeah.

Because his name is on his ossuary box where his bones were discovered inside. Do you see that this extra biblical evidence, though we don’t rely on extra biblical evidence, it does help to support what we read in the Gospel of John and make sense of it. It really stands in contradistinction to what the skeptics are saying. It disproves when the skeptics say, well, the Romans didn’t use nails in crucifixion until the latter part of the first century. Well, you know, this man was buried. I mean, yes, but he was crucified and buried in the early part of the first century, around the same time as Jesus. And he was crucified with nails, at least his feet were crucified with nails. It also disproves the claim that Romans would never give a crucified corpse back to a Jewish family because this man was a Jew.

He was a crucified victim, and Rome gave the body back to the family. It also disproves that the body of a crucified victim would never be put in a rock-cut tomb. Because this man was a crucified victim, and where are his remains? Where were they found? In a rock-cut tomb. It also disproves that the Jews would never want the body back of somebody who’d been crucified, because this family wanted their Johannin back. It’s powerful evidence, I think. And it makes sense in light of John’s account. That when Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate, and we read that he asked for the body of Jesus and Pilate gave it to him, that is not an absolutely unbelievable account. It would have been unusual, but it wouldn’t have been totally unlike this instance here with Johannin.

5. If He Did Not Rise, What Happened to His Body?

Did Jesus really rise from the dead? If he did not, then what happened to his body? You can’t accept. Well, he was never buried. He was never put in a tomb. See, we can’t do that. That’s where the skeptics would like to cut it all off from at the root. But we can’t admit that. So what did happen to his body? You see, the empty tomb is something that you can’t just ignore, and it was something that could never be denied. In fact, it might be easy for us today to try to deny it. But the Jews in Jesus’ day, they did not deny it. They didn’t even go there. The argument that the tomb was not found empty is a recent argument in terms of history.

But the Jews historically and the Jews of Jesus’ day, they didn’t go there. They simply tried to make up excuses for or reasons for how the tomb was empty. And you remember that, don’t you? In Matthew 27 and in Matthew 28, where we read about the guard being placed there, and then in Matthew 28, we read about how the guards were paid money to lie about this matter and tell others that the disciples stole the body. If Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead, what happened to his body? The only reasonable explanation is the resurrection from the dead. In fact, this is the basis for Peter’s first gospel sermon, the first gospel sermon. Where after he had quoted from the Apostle Paul, I mean from David in the Old Testament, I’m just going to get it together sooner or later.

It’s not like I spent umteen hours on this or anything. So after he had quoted from Psalm 16, which is not Paul, it’s David, where David is prophesying of, you will not allow your holy one to undergo decay. He then says this. Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ. That he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh suffer decay. And so what is the point that Peter is making?

He is saying that David couldn’t have been talking about himself. You will not allow your Holy One to undergo decay, to suffer decay. Couldn’t have been talking about himself, because we had the tomb of David here outside of Jerusalem. And what’s implied there is if you went and looked inside the tomb of David, what could you have found? The remains. You could have found the bones of David. And so he had to be talking about, David had to have been talking about somebody besides himself who would not remain in the grave and who would not undergo decay. And what’s also implicit in this, this is that we also have the grave of Jesus, which if you were to go and look inside of it, which is actually the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, you would not find his remains.

6. Three Reasons the Disciples Did Not Steal the Body

You see, it could not be denied. And Peter goes on to say, and we are witnesses of these things. Eyewitness testimony again. Very, very powerful. So, skeptics say that the disciples stole the body. Does that make any sense? You know, really, let’s just think about that. I want to give you three reasons why that does not make any sense. That the disciples came and stole the body. The first reason is think about it just logically. Would it have been possible? So here the disciples come. And they wanted to steal the body of Jesus. It’s maybe the middle of the night. Oh, the soldiers are there, the guards. What are they going to do about the guards? Did they beat him up? Okay, unlikely, right? So, okay, here’s what some people say.

And here’s what the guards themselves were paid to say that the guards fell asleep. Really? So here they are guarding this tomb, and their lives are on the line. This is their one job is to protect this thing, and they fell asleep, every single one of them. And they fell so soundly asleep that are we to believe that the disciples came and, oh, look, the soldiers are asleep. And tiptoed around the soldiers and moved this rock that was a ton and a half heavy. And did it so quietly that they didn’t even wake up one of the soldiers? Because all it would take is wake up one and they rouse the others, and then the whole thing’s over. You see, it’s impossible that that could have happened.

A second reason why it doesn’t make sense. What did the disciples have to gain by doing this? What would they have had to gain by knowing that Jesus did not rise from the dead and deciding among themselves what we’re going to do is we’re going to lie about this. You see, it would turn them all into big liars. In fact, some of the biggest liars the world has ever known, because they would have perpetuated a hoax like has never been seen. And so, what would they have had to gain? Even if they did steal the body, well, skeptics say, well, they were trying to give themselves a better reputation in the community, or they were trying to establish some continual connection with their Messiah they loved so much, uh, that had died, and so forth.

But I think this verse that I’m about to show you stands as an example of what the disciples and the apostles had to lose. Paul, in Acts chapter 23, was standing before the Sanhedrin council. And it says there in verse 6, but perceiving that one group were Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection, and the other Pharisees who do, Paul began crying out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead. Paul says, I am on trial for the resurrection. And what that means is he had been preaching the resurrection. Namely, the resurrection of Jesus. And where did it get him? On trial. And ultimately, history tells us, beheaded. In fact, all except John, history tells us of the apostles that outlived Jesus, died a martyr’s death.

So where did it get them? You see, they had nothing to gain and everything to lose. A third reason why this doesn’t make sense that the disciples stole the body is because people don’t die for what they know to be a lie. You know, you think, for example, of people who blow themselves up in the name of Allah. Is it a lie what they’re dying for? Well, yeah. It’s a fantasy. They think immediately when I die, I’m going to just be in paradise with all the virgins that will be given to me and all of that stuff. And we go, well, that’s a lie. So how could somebody die for a lie? Well, they believe that it’s true. They believe that the instant they die, they’re going to be in paradise.

Ah, so do you see the difference? If the disciples stole the body, knowing that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead and that they had a plan concocted where they were going to just tell everybody that Jesus had risen from the dead, then they knew it was a lie, and they were willing to keep preaching this to the point that they would be killed. People don’t do that. As a rule, people just do not die for what they know to be a lie. Do you believe that Jesus raised from the dead?

Conclusion

I like that response. Let’s say it. Do you believe that Jesus raised from the dead? Yes. It’s either true or it’s a lie. It’s either one way or another. It’s not, there’s not a middle ground here. And you have to make a decision. It’s not intellectually honest to say, well, I just don’t know, and I’m not going to make a decision about that. No, you have to make a decision. Because the evidence is before us all, and I’ve given you some of that evidence. So what are you going to do with the evidence? Are you going to believe it? Are you going to reject it? Now, ultimately, whatever decision you make, you’re going to have to decide that on your own. And whatever you decide will ultimately determine where you’re going to spend eternity.

Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Truly, these times of ignorance got overlooked. But now commands all men everywhere to repent. Because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. If you are not a Christian.

If it’s true that Jesus was resurrected, what are you waiting for? If you are of age. And it’s true that Jesus died and was buried and was risen on the third day, then what are you waiting for? If you are a Christian and you’re not obeying the commandments of Jesus Christ, you’re not putting God first, you’re not even attending services except on Easter, maybe. If Jesus really raised from the dead, how can you not live for Christ? If you are a Christian and you have been living for Christ, then I commend you. Because I believe that Jesus raised from the dead. And if you believe that, then you have hope. If you don’t believe that, then, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, your hope is in vain.

But if you do believe it, your hope is not in vain. In fact, your hope, it’s not just some sort of wishful thinking or fanciful thinking. It’s based on the promises of one who proved his claims to be true by raising from the dead. And I think that if that is true, you have to respond. How can you not respond? I ask you to respond today, if you’re not a Christian.

If you are and you’ve not been living right, turn from your sin. We can pray for you. We won’t look down on you. We’ll be encouraged by you coming and asking for the prayers of the church. If we can assist you now, please come as we stand and sing the song of invitation.