History's Greatest Event
No more significant words were ever spoken by angels and written by men than, "He is not here; for he is risen, even as he said" (Matt. 28:6; Mk. 16:6; Lk. 24:6), for they announced and documented the resurrection of Christ from the grave. Years after they occurred, Paul said Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and subsequent appearances constituted the core of the gospel message (1 Cor. 15:1-11). This is the greatest and most meaningful event in the history of the world and there is no subject that Christians should be as familiar with as this one.
Our purpose will be to examine the historical record and briefly examine these cornerstones of our faith, with emphasis on the resurrection and appearances and their significance.
"Christ Died"---Matt. 27:35-56; Mk. 15:24-41; Lk. 23:33-49; Jo. 19:18-30
After plotting the death of Jesus (Jo. 11:47-57) the Jewish rulers carried it out with great cruelty and disregard for law. After being scourged and carrying the instrument of death to Golgotha, Jesus' hands and feet were impaled to the cross with spike-like nails and for six hours he hung in agony before succumbing to the physical trauma. Make no mistake about it: Jesus died; the Jews and Romans made sure of that (Mk. 15:42-45; Jo. 19:31-37).
"He Was Buried"---Matt. 27:57-66; Mk. 15:42-47; Lk. 23:50-56; Jo. 19:31-42
In the presence of witnesses, Joseph of Arimathea took the Lord's corpse, prepared it for burial, placed it in his own private tomb, and rolled a large stone over the entrance. To ensure that no one removed the body, the Jews requested and received from Pilate a guard of probably 4-16 Roman soldiers that was posted outside the tomb and an official seal was affixed to the stone. The evidence is compelling: the dead body of Jesus was entombed in such a way that any human removal of the body was precluded.
"He Hath Been Raised On The Third Day"---Matt. 28:1-8; Mk. 16:1-8; Lk. 24:1-12; Jo. 20:1-10
But the tomb could not contain the body of the One who was destined to become the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18). Early on the first day of the week, several women who had followed the Lord out of Galilee (Lk. 26:55-f) came to the sepulcher in order to anoint his body, wondering who would roll away the great stone from the grave for them. But by the time they arrived an earthquake had occurred which paralyzed the Roman guards and an angel had come and removed the stone from the grave; not to allow Jesus to leave the tomb but to permit the women access to it in order that they might see the body was already gone. An angel invited them into the tomb where the resurrection was announced and they were told to go and inform the others so they might meet Jesus in Galilee. The women left the tomb in bewilderment, yet with great joy, not fully comprehending what they had seen and heard. As instructed, they hurried to tell the others who, when told, thought it was foolish talk because they had never expected their Lord's resurrection (Lk. 18:34). But when Mary Magdalene told Peter, he and John immediately set out to investigate for themselves. In Jo. 20:5-8, three significant words are used to describe how each man "saw" the tomb and its contents. John out-ran Peter to the tomb and "saw" (Greek, blepo) the linen cloths, i.e., gave a cursory glance at what was inside. However, when Peter arrived he, with characteristic boldness, went in and "beheld" (Greek, theoreo, "indicating the careful perusal of details in the object," Vine, p. 1010) what John saw: the neat (and unusual, if the body had been stolen) placement of the grave clothes. John, following Peter's lead, then came in but this time he "saw" (Greek, horao: "It especially indicates the direction of the thought to the object seen." Vine, 1009) and, consequently, believed ("Peter had more sight, John more insight," Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 5, p. 310.) They both left the tomb convinced the body that had been inside was no longer there and that it had disappeared in a highly unusual manner. More than five credible witnesses (the women, Lk. 24:10, plus Peter and John) saw, and were convinced by, irrefutable evidence within a short time after the resurrection had taken place that there had to have been a non-human explanation for Jesus' empty tomb. Two thousand years have passed and no theory that has attempted to explain away the empty tomb has withstood careful scrutiny.
"He Appeared To..."---The Resurrection Validated
Sometimes ignored in a discussion of the resurrection of Christ is His appearances. But 1 Cor. 15:1-ff makes it clear that the appearances are as much a part of the gospel as is the death, burial, and resurrection and is thus as important because they confirm the fact that He who had been dead was now, indeed, alive.
1. Mary Magdalene, Jo. 20:14-17; Mk. 16:9
2. Other women, Matt. 28:9-10
3. Cephas, 1 Cor. 15:5; Lk. 24:34
4. Two disciples going to Emmaus, Mk. 16:12-13; Lk. 24:13-32
5. The eleven "and them that were with them" (Thomas absent), 1 Cor. 15:5; Mk. 16:14; Lk. 24:33,36-43; Jo. 20:19-24
6. Five hundred brethren at once, 1 Cor. 15:6
7. James, 1 Cor. 15:7
8. The twelve (Thomas present), 1 Cor. 15:7; Jo. 20:26-29
9. Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, the sons of Zebedee, and two others in Galilee at the Sea of Tiberias, Jo. 21:1-23
10. Disciples on a mountain in Galilee, Matt. 28:16-17; Mk. 16:15-28
11. To the eleven at Jerusalem, Lk. 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8
12. Apostles at ascension, Lk. 24:50-53; Acts 1:9,10
13. Paul, 1 Cor. 15:8; Acts 9:3-5; 22:6-10
"Christ Died For Our Sins"---The Significance of The Resurrection
But does it matter whether or not the resurrection actually occurred? Can one enjoy a relationship with Christ and all the attendant blessings and view the resurrection as something other than an actual historical event in which Christ's body was resurrected? Consider the following.
In Phil. 3:10, Paul spoke of the importance of knowing "the power of his resurrection" and affirmed that is was for our sakes that He died and rose again (2 Cor. 5:15). The nature of this power and how it was for our sakes is explained in detail as one reads Paul's other epistles, especially Romans. Numerous times in his treatise on justification by faith Paul states not only the importance of this event, but also of its spiritual impact upon all those whose obedient lives demonstrate they truly believe it to have actually happened. It is no wonder he says in Rom. 5:10 that "we are saved by his life" (Paul's "the death of his son"/"his life" contrast in the context indicates it is the resurrected life that he has in mind, not the sinless life lived on earth.)
At the outset of the Roman epistle Paul affirms that Christ was "declared to be the son of God with power...by the resurrection from the dead" (1:4); none can truly accept Jesus as the son of God who deny His resurrection! The apostle also says that our Lord "was raised for our justification," and that belief in this historic event is reckoned unto us for righteousness (4:24-25). "Justification" and "righteousness"--- those great terms which indicate God's declaration of our freedom from sin---are impossible apart from a belief in the empty tomb, and this belief must be "in thy heart" (10:9), i.e., a part of our very being. His death, burial and resurrection are made analogous to what baptism is to signify to all believers: a dying to a life of sin (6:1-11)---something which would be pointless apart from the resurrection. Paul says that bearing fruit is contingent upon our being united with "him who was raised from the dead" (7:4), and also that if the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us, our bodies will be made alive to his service (8:11). As a consequence of His resurrection, Christ now sits enthroned at God's right hand making intercession for us (8:34). But prayer is pointless and meaningless if, in fact, there was no empty tomb and thus no intercessor.
And then there is the matter of the consequences of denying the bodily resurrection of Christ.
Consider first of all Paul's discourse to the Corinthians on the resurrection (1 Cor. 15) in which, among other things, he enumerates (vss. 12-19) the consequences of a non-resurrected Lord. Without an empty tomb ...
(1) Our preaching is vain (kenos, "empty, with special reference to quality", Vine, 1193), 14
(2) Our faith is vain (kenos), 14;
(3) the apostles were false witnesses, i.e. liars, 15
(4) Our faith is vain (mataios, "void of result" Vine, 1193), 17
(5) We are yet in sins, 17 (see 1 Pet. 3:21---the salvation that comes as a result of being baptized is solely "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ")
(6) The dead in Christ have perished, 18, i.e., any hope of a great day of resurrection (Jo. 5:28-29) is ruled out if His hasn't occurred (1 Cor. 6:14; 15:12-ff; 2 Cor. 4:14; 1 Thess. 4:14) as well as the assurance that a day of judgment awaits us all (Acts 17:30-31).
(7) We are without hope, 19 (see also 1 Pet. 1:3)
And then there is the matter of Jesus' credibility. On some seven occasions during his ministry he told his followers he would be killed, arise from his burial place and then appear to them afterwards.
1-At the first cleansing of the temple and a sign is requested, Jo. 2:19
2-When first rejected by Jewish leaders and they demand a sign, Matt. 12:40
3-To the disciples in Galilee, Matt. 16:21; Mk. 8:31; Lk. 9:22
4-After the transfiguration, Matt. 17:9
5-While still in Galilee, Matt. 17:23; Mk. 9:31
6-While on the final journey to Jerusalem, Matt. 20:19; Mk. 10:34; Lk. l8:33
7-On the Mount of Olives, on the way to Gethsemane, Matt. 26:32; Mk. 14:28
If Christ knew such events were impossible but deliberately tried to convince others they would occur, he was a liar; if he really believed such were possible when in fact they weren't, he was a fool; but if they came to pass as he said, his Lordship is established.
Conclusion
In those first few years after Christ's ascension, his death, burial, resurrection, and appearances were made the cornerstone of sermon after sermon (Acts 2:24,31; 3:15,26; 4:10,33; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30,33,34,37; 17:31), to say nothing of their frequent mention in the various epistles. During this time thousands pledged their allegiance to him as their Lord. And we, today, need to take this to heart and unashamedly proclaim the fact of and the abundance of evidence for this greatest of all events in past history. It is only this message which can bring to lost men and women the salvation from their sins.
David Smitherman