Of all the miracles and acts of God in the Bible, the Virgin
Birth and Resurrection have, through the centuries, been the most attacked,
denied, and vilified. In recent years, Creation has joined that august company
of “doctrines to be denied”. But
ultimately, since the occurrence, the Resurrection stands alone as the most
maligned miracle of the ages.
While it is not the purpose of this message to defend or
explain the Resurrection, the Tomb is of little consequence without some
knowledge, evidence, and belief in the resurrection. It is somewhat akin to the city of Bethlehem. Not much more than a small Village in the
Judean hills a few miles from Jerusalem; it has very little to commend itself
as a major tourist attraction today.
The story of Ruth and Naomi, Boaz and the place of King
David’s birth give it some significance.
But the major reason Bethlehem is known worldwide, and continues to be a
major destination of tourists and travelers, is because Jesus was born there.
If it were not for one singular event, Bethlehem may only
exist today as an archaeological site, sifting for evidence of King David.
In the same way, the Tomb owes its importance and popularity
to one singular fact, it is the place where Jesus arose from the dead. Take that away and the tomb is just another
cave in one of the many hills that make up the city of Jerusalem.
But this we can say with authority, it does not matter if
you believe this one is the place or another – the pure fact is we have stood
in two of them and they are just plain empty!
The Resurrection is the foundational doctrine of the New Testament. It is the miracle on which all other miracles
rise or fall. It is mentioned or
discussed 104 times in the New Testament.
The Resurrection makes Christianity the only major religion
in the world with a living Originator.
Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism; etc. - all their originators and
founders. All are dead and gone! Only Christianity has a living founder. The apostle Paul said, “if the resurrection is not true, then we Christians are of all men
most miserable” (I Cor. 15:19).
But we need not be miserable, for He is risen! Jean & I can personally attest to the fact that
the tomb is empty and no one can find his bones! God has given us “man infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) of its reality. The best news the world ever received came to
us from a graveyard. The resurrection of
Christ is the Amen of His promises!
Without the Resurrection, we would have little evidence for
placing our unconditional trust in Him.
Even the Gospels cannot explain the Resurrection; it is the resurrection that alone explains
the Gospels.
In Acts 1:3 we read, “To
whom also he showed himself after His passion by many infallible proofs”. Were there skeptics? I think I might have been one that Easter
morning.
The body was missing.
Of all the attempts to disprove the Resurrection, no one has ever
claimed that the body was present and accounted for in the Tomb. It is just the opposite. It is the undisputed fact that the body was
gone, that gives the skeptics such a difficult time (Matt. 28:6; John 10:1-10).
The most anxious to recover the body, never found it. (Nat. 28:12-15). The elders would have spared no expense or
effort to locate and display the corpse of Jesus. We can be sure they left no stone unturned in
their search – but to no avail.
Jesus in body was seen – He was alive and well. As one preacher said, “The victim of Calvary
is loose and at large.” In 1 Cor.
15:5-8, Paul gives us an account of that morning when Jesus came forth from the
grave. He said Peter saw Him, Peter the
one who followed at a distance, as they took His Lord from the Garden to
Caiaphas house. Peter saws the tears in his Lord’s eyes and wept. After the Resurrection Jesus asked Peter, Do You Love Me?
(John 21:15). A question we need to ask
ourselves.
The grave cloths are also infallible proof. John says they were ‘lying’. The Greek word is keimai. It is used in Luke
2:12 and 16 of Jesus “Lying in a manger”.
The word means outstretched like a person who is lying down. The clear implication is that the grave cloths
were positioned as if Jesus’ body had passed through them, only they were
empty. How long would it take to unwrap
the body, then re-wrap the cloths without a body to give it a form and why
would someone do that?
If someone were stealing a body, I suspect they would not
take the time to rewrap the burial cloths and lay them neatly on the slab in
the tomb; and the face napkin specifically placed. And what about the guards?
And the seal? Were they sleeping? Sleeping would have been an offense punishable
by death. More likely they we playing a
game of darts or dices. Is it possible,
with guards on duty, that someone came with oxen and donkeys and rolled back
the stone?
Perhaps the most infallible proof of all is the disciples
themselves. The Bible, history, and
tradition indicate the followers of Jesus (except John) all died painful, martyr’s
deaths for teaching the Resurrection.
If they would have had any knowledge that Jesus did not raise from the
grave, they would have been in line to say so.
Few people are willing to die for the truth, let alone a lie.
Regardless of the infallible proofs, and many more could be
cited, it has not kept the skeptics from proposing some of the most
preposterous explanations imaginable.
Most of them hinge on what is known as the “swoon theory”. They are variants on concept that Jesus did
not really die but simply passed out from the loose of blood and beatings and
later resuscitated.
In his book Resurrection Hank Hanegraff list a number
of such theories: One elaborate hoax has
Jesus manipulating His crucifixion so that he would be on the cross the day
Passover was to begin, knowing that He would be taken down from the cross
before the onset of Sabbath. A second
was He took a drug that made him appear dead and was taken down from the cross
by Joseph Arimathea and other believers.
A third written by D. H Lawrence (author of the Lady
Chaterly’s Lover) concocted his own swoon theory. In his fanciful account, Jesus survived and
ends up in Egypt where He falls in love with a priestess named Isis. Problem- Isis was a mythological goddess of
Egypt, not a priestess.
It gets worse. One account has Jesus imbibing in snake
poison to fake His death. At least two
accounts have him married to Mary Magdalene (like the plot of the Da Vinci Code. Another says Joseph of Arimathea as His
uncle. One even had our Lord as a defender at Masada where He died fighting the
Romans.
In light of today’s world events, it is of interest to note
how the Muslims explain the Resurrection.
They place Jesus as second, only to Mohammed, as a
prophet. There are several variations to
the central view, which is that Jesus was never crucified – thus, no need for a
Resurrection. The more popular thesis is
that God made someone to look like Jesus and that person was the one who was
put to death.
A variety of names are offered as to who the unfortunate
substitute was: from Judas Iscariot, to Pontius Pilate, to Simon of Cyrene, and
even to one of His inner circle.
However, the majority contend that Jesus escaped the cross by being
taken up to heaven and that one day He will come back to earth and play a
central role in future events.
Based on some of the alleged sayings of Mohammed, Muslims
believe that, just before the end of time, Jesus will come back to earth, kill
the Antichrist, kill all pigs, break the cross, destroy the synagogues and
churches, establish the religion of Islam, live for forty years, and then He
will die and be buried beside Mohammed…..
And now you know the rest of the story.
Our litany of theories is endless. I have belabored the point to show how
shallow and ludicrous men’s philosophies are in regard to the dynamic truth of
the Word of God. In addition to that, it
helps us appreciate what God has revealed about the Tomb in which Jesus was
buried.
There is one indisputable fact – the tomb is empty. I know, because I stood in the empty tomb and
No one has facts to prove differently!
HE IS RISEN!!!!
Blessings,
Gramps
