Can We Trust that the Resurrection Happened?: Part 2

Crown of thorns, cross, Question is the resurrection true

Last week we unpacked the evidence of Jesus’ physical death. The available evidence indicates that Jesus died on the cross. This is a significant point because there are claims that Jesus didn’t die. This week we’re going to look at Jesus’ tomb and decide if it is plausible that Jesus’ tomb was empty. Again, this is important because there are claims that Jesus’ tomb wasn’t empty. Obviously, if Jesus is still laying dead in His tomb, He couldn’t have returned to life, thereby conquering death on our behalf.

There are many arguments in favor of the empty tomb, that can help us trust the resurrection happened. We will examine three of them:

1)  Jerusalem Factor

2)  Enemy Attestation

3)  Testimony of Women

If you have trouble remembering the points, think of the acronym JET.

Trusting the Resurrection: Jerusalem Factor

The First thing to consider is that after the crucifixion, the disciples immediately returned to Jerusalem, basing their headquarters there. The question must be asked, if the disciples were lying, why would they return to where the crucifixion took place and attempt to deceive the very people who witnessed the death of Jesus? Wouldn’t it make sense to some far away land and spread their lies there?

Further, disproving the claims that Jesus no longer resided in His tomb would’ve been as simple as retrieving Jesus’ body from the tomb and putting it on public display. Doing so would’ve ended the Christian movement before it got started. If the tomb was not empty, why didn’t disprove this silly lie?

It's worth noting that everyone in power wanted Jesus dead: Caiaphas hated Jesus; the Sanhedrin didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they wouldn’t want Jesus proving them wrong; certainly, it wouldn’t look good for Pilate if a man he ordered dead were alive and well.

Trusting the Resurrection: Enemy Attestation

The first thing we should consider is that upon hearing of the vacancy at Jesus’ tomb, Caiaphas, the High Priest, immediately claimed the disciples stole Jesus’ body. While Caiaphas’ intent was to discredit the resurrection, he inadvertently acknowledged that the tomb was empty.

Moreover, Justin Martyr and Trypho mention Jesus’ empty tomb in their Dialogue with Trypho, chapter 108, as does Tertullian in his De Spactaculis, chapter 30. As you can see, the evidence meets the criterion of enemy attestation.

Trusting the Resurrection: Testimony of Women

Finally, we have the testimony of women to consider. To understand the significance of the biblical accounts of women claiming that Jesus’ tomb was empty, we must understand the Near Easter culture pertaining to women. Simply put, women were not considered reliable witnesses. Their testimony wasn’t valid. Why would the Gospel accounts tell of women finding Jesus’ tomb, knowing it would likely be rejected, if it didn’t happen?

Likewise, the Gospel accounts portray the disciples as cowards in hiding while women go pay their respects to Jesus. Again, this an unflattering representation of Jesus’ closest followers. For these reasons the testimony of women meets the criteria of embarrassment. Skeptics are fond of pointing out that the Gospels note report a different woman going to Jesus’ tomb. This is true. It is also insignificant. Yes, a minor detail is different. It is also true, and commonly ignored by skeptics, that the important details all match. Find virtually any historical happening by multiple witnesses and you can find minor discrepancies. That the gospels record one or more witnesses doesn’t disprove the resurrection account. Also, Luke claims at least 3 women went to Jesus’ tomb, John claims one; if there were three, it is also true that there was one.