He is not here, He is Risen

Matt 28:6, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”

Resurrection of Jesus is the key doctrine in Christian faith. Paul says about it as “If Christ has not risen, our preaching is vain.” (I Cor. 15:14). But throughout the history of humanity people tend to refute the resurrection of Christ more than any other doctrines in Christian faith. Why it is hard to digest, here are few reasons…

• Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or life after death (Act 23:8; Mat 22:23-33)
• No evidence from people in human history other than Christ
• Christ’s resurrection account differ in all four gospels
• The post resurrection appearances of Christ to only familiar people whom Jesus had relations during his ministry (Not to Pilate or the high priest…)

The above reasons led people to conceive false theories on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will look into few of them and find refutation from the word of God.

1.      Swoon (Resuscitation) Theory

The theory says, the disciple saw the fainted (swooned) Jesus on the cross. In fact He did not die on the cross at all. The tomb in its pleasant healing climate healed Jesus, after few days Jesus regained his strength back and came out of the tomb.

Refutations:

• The death of Jesus was confirmed by Roman soldiers and then handed over to the disciples. Romans would never let a person removed undying.
• Linen wrappings were unwrapped in the tomb – Jesus would not have escaped in the unwrapped linen bondage. (Mat 28:6-8)
• Physical condition of Jesus after cruel beating, crucifixion and hours of hanging would never let anyone to walk after three days.
• Therefore the resurrection is true it is not resuscitation.

2.      Hallucination (Ghost) Theory

The theory says, “The post resurrection appearances were only supposed appearances (subjection visions), not the physical resurrection because it never happened.”

Refutations:

·         Thomas had to touch and confirm the physical resurrection of Jesus (John 20:27)

·         Disciples initially thought Jesus was a ghost (Luke 24:37)

·         How do more than 500 people can see a ghost during his ascension (I Cor. 15:6)

3.      Impersonation Theory

The theory says, “The post resurrection appearance said in the scriptures are not Christ at all, someone with the identical face represented Christ after his death. That is why in some cases the disciples were not able to recognize Jesus.”

Refutation:

· The disciples were with Jesus for more than 3 years they could easily identify a stranger replacing Jesus.

·  Thomas has to put his finger in the wounds of the cross (John 20:27)

·  In all occasions disciples were able to accept Jesus because of their intimacy.

4.      Theft The Body Theory

The theory says, “The disciples of Christ had stolen the body of Christ and proclaimed that He is risen.”

Refutation:

· That was the statement made by Roman soldiers to escape from execution. They paid money to affirm this claim as the scripture says (Mat 28:13)

·  The guards outside the tomb were to watch it over for three days to disclaim the words of Jesus – It is impossible to steal the body from their security.

·  Huge stone was placed in the entrance of the tomb.

· The ladies burial preparation near the tomb and angel’s appearance (Mark 16:1-4)

5.      Wrong Tomb Theory

The theory says, “The disciples did not know the original tomb where Jesus was buried, so they went in search of a wrong tomb. Therefore they were not able to find the body of Christ.”

Refutation:

· The disciples loved Jesus and it is impossible to find him in a wrong tomb after three days

·  The tomb was brand new – it is not possible to go into a wrong tomb.

What is the Evidence of Resurrection?

 

Resurrection of Jesus from all through the history brought anger and anxiety to the rulers and people (Act 4:1-3). The above theories and refutations are not just the soul reasons to prove the resurrection of Jesus. The disciples after witnessing Jesus resurrection were able to be strong witness for Christ (Act 4:31), who were once feeble.

Act 2:23-24 and Act 4:10 Peter boldly confessed that it is because of the resurrection of Christ people are healed from sickness and saved from sin and darkness. Peter even quoted after experiencing this power from above "God has raised this Jesus to Life, to which we are all witnesses" (Act 2:32) and “You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of the fact.” (Act 3:15).

Paul was so firm in his faith as he writes the resurrection chapter 1 Corinthians 15:13-15. We read some important verses here, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God...”

Resurrection of Jesus is so important in Christian faith, preaching and practices. We believe that we will one day raise like Christ with the resurrected, incorruptible and eternal bodies to live with him forever.

Today we the believers are the witnesses of Christ’s resurrection – Must share this fact to heal and save people who are in bondages. In fact the above theories are man made theories, but the power of God in us can prove the resurrection of Christ more clearly than any refutation we provide for. May God strengthen and empower us to share this good news to all people in this resurrection day.

WE PROVE CHRIST IS ALIVE…

WE ARE THE WITNESSES OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION

AMEN.