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.
