Evidence for the Resurrection of Christ
John 20:19-23 – Victory Fellowship
April 17, 2022 - Rev. Roderick Grabski
Resurrection Sunday (Easter)
I. INTRODUCTION:
When considering the accounts of all the Gospels, Jesus’ death on the cross was accompanied by six miraculous events that lead to the concluding evidence of His Resurrection:
1) The Miraculous Darkness
2) The Tearing of the Temple Curtain
3) The Miraculous Earthquake
4) The Miracle of Opened Graves
5) Jesus’ Undisturbed Grave Clothes
6) Revivals to Life in the Calvary Graveyard
7) Resurrection Sunday: Evidence of the Resurrection
Illustration: A jury doesn’t need to witness a crime firsthand in order to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
There is a hole in history that only the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ can adequately fill. Like a good jury, we don’t need to be
at the actual seen to allow the evidence of Christ’s resurrection
speak for itself.
II. THE EVIDENCE SPEAKS:
1) The Gospel Accounts are NOT Identical.
Each of the four gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, offers an account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These accounts contain several divergences in detail:
Was there one angel who appeared at the tomb (Matt. 28, Mark 16), or two (Luke 24, John 20)?
Did Mary Magdalene go to the tomb alone (John 20), or with others (Mark 16, Luke 24)?
Critics have raised questions about these and other areas of divergence:
Was it still dark out? (Yes – John 20); (No – Matt. 28; Mark 16)
Did Mary Magdalene tell anyone? (Yes – Matt. 28, Luke 24, John 20) (No – Mark 16)
Were the angels (or angel) inside the tomb or outside? (Two angels inside – Mark 16, John 20); (One angel outside – Matt. 28)
Was the first appearance to the disciples in Galilee?
(Yes – Matt. 28); (No – Luke 24; John 20).
2) How do we account for these variations? Are they a stumbling block to believing that Jesus rose from the dead?
3) According to an established rule of investigative practice, if a reasonable explanation fits the available evidence then divergences in detail do not necessarily constitute contradictions.
4) So the real question is not, “Do the gospel accounts diverge at points?” but, rather, “Can those divergences be put together into a logical whole?”
1) In his book, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (College Press, 1992), retired judge Herbert Casteel, a trial judge for 26 years in Missouri, offers one example of how the various accounts could fit together:
Very early a group of women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Joanna set out for the tomb. Meanwhile two angels are sent; there is an earthquake and one angel rolls back the stone and sits upon it. The soldiers faint and then revive and flee into the city. The women arrive and find the tomb opened; without waiting, Mary Magdalene, assuming someone has taken the Lord’s body, runs back to the city to tell Peter and John. The other women enter the tomb and see the body is gone. The two angels appear to them and tell them of the resurrection. The women then leave to take the news to the disciples. Peter and John run to the tomb with Mary Magdalene following. Peter and John enter the tomb, see the grave clothes, and then return to the city, but Mary Magdalene remains at the tomb weeping, and Jesus makes His first appearance to her. Jesus next appears to the other women who are on their way to find the disciples. Jesus appears to Peter; He appears to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus; and then appears to a group of disciples including all of the Eleven except Thomas.
According to Judge Casteel, the minor variations found in the four gospel accounts actually argue for their reliability as containing eyewitness testimony: People who conspire to testify to a falsehood rehearse carefully to avoid contradictions. This is why false testimony appears on the surface to be in harmony, but discrepancies appear when you dig deeper. On the other hand, true accounts may appear on the surface to be contradictory, but are found to be in harmony when you dig deeper.
5) The Disciples Died for their Testimony.
1) 2 Peter 1:16: We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2) In fact, many witnesses to the resurrected Christ went to their deaths rather than recant their testimony. Indeed, from the time of the resurrection forward, these witnesses devoted themselves, no matter the cost, to the proclamation that Jesus the Messiah rose from the dead.
3) This is different from, say, a Jihadist Muslim blowing themselves up. They do so because they hope that will get them into paradise. They kill themselves and innocent people, not because they are forced to recant – but for the selfish notion of going to paradise. The Christian Apostles died at the hands of persecutors wanting them to recant of seeing the Risen Lord.
6) Skeptics were Converted.
1) Jesus’ Family (Mark 3:21, 31-35)
2) James the brother of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:7; Acts 15)
3) Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:3-6, 20)
7) Key Social Structures cherished by the Jews for Centuries were Changed.
1) No longer animal sacrifices
2) Law of Moses no longer condition of faith
3) Worship moved from Saturday to Sunday
4) The belief in the Trinity
5) The perspective of a suffering Messiah and not as a political figure to overthrow Roman Empire
8) The Sacraments – Communion & Baptism.
1) We proclaim the death of Christ. (1st Cor. 11:26)
2) We are baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)
9) The Birth of the Church.
1) It survived the Roman Empire. We name our children Peter, Paul, and Mary and we name our dogs Caesar and Nero.
2) As of 2021, Christianity was by far the world's largest religion, with an estimated 2.54 billion adherents, nearly a third (32.3 percent) of all people on Earth," the Pew report says. "Islam was second, with 1.9 billion adherents, or 24.7 percent of the global population."
III. CONCLUDING MATTERS:
The EVIDENCE IS OVERWHELMING. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in human history.
Jesus Christ Changes Lives. He Changes Everything.
Has He Changed YOU?
Would the Circumstantial Evidence in your life convict you of being a Christian?
PRAYER
SONG: Glorious Day
John 20:19-23 19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
