Three Apologetics for the Resurrection
"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sin."More so than ever, the doctrine of the resurrection of our Lord is under constant attack by skeptics. Calls for proof of the resurrection are loud but do we know how to defend our belief in this essential and important belief? If not, we certainly need to! Peter, writing to the Church in what is now modern day Türkiye, told them to:
"...in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..." -1 Peter 3:15
Evidence and Proof
Peter does not tell us to provide proof for the hope that is in us; he tells us to make a defense when we are asked for a reason for the hope that is in us. Any apologist worth their salt will be the first to admit that we cannot prove some of the claims of the Bible. We definitely cannot prove the resurrection occurred. Any skeptic worth their salt should never expect actual proof for these as well!
Think of the criminal court system in the United States. Our assumption of the defendant is that they are innocent until proven guilty. When a jury delivers a verdict in a case, they do not deliver their verdict based off empirical proof or something recreated in a lab to decide if guilt is proven. Rather, they make their decision based off the evidence that is provided. I cannot recreate the resurrection in a lab with repeated results therefore I cannot prove the resurrection. But I can provide evidence to deliver a verdict on the historicity of the resurrection.
The Testimony of Women
The first people to witness the risen Lord were women. The Gospel accounts mention Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Joanna as well as others to visit the tomb the morning of the resurrection. It is well known that the testimony of a woman did not hold much weight in court in the ancient world. If a woman's testimony contradicted a man's testimony, the man's testimony was generally accepted unless two women testified against him.
The Gospel accounts making women the first witnesses to the resurrection simply does not make sense if you were faking a story that you wanted to be true. Not only that, but the male authors included this fact knowing it would be somewhat embarrassing to their character and devotion that they were hiding in fear while the women desired to provide a proper burial for Jesus.
The Appearance to Over 500 at One Time
In 1 Corinthians 15:6, Paul wirtes;
"Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep."
Paul is making a claim that at some point between the resurrection and the ascension, Jesus appeared to over five hundred followers at one time. With this claim, he also mentions that most of those people are still alive and would easily corroborate that claim. Paul would not include this fact in his letter if it were not true. All it would take is for one person who was part of that multitude to make the opposite claim and it all falls apart.
Some might try to brush this evidence away by saying the resurrection of our Lord was merely a mass hallucination. However, what we know about mass hallucinations or mass hysteria would say otherwise. Not only did the Christ appear to multiple different people at different times, but He also appeared to multitudes. What's more is that over five hundred people having the same hallucination at the same time is not an idea that is supported by psychological literature.
Paul's claim of this appearance to the multitude is strong evidence that suggests the resurrection of Jesus was a real historical event and that people saw the risen Lord. He was even seemingly ready to provide a list of names of this multitude if his claim was challenged.
Martyred for a Lie
Finally, what I believe is the strongest evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is the martyrdom of the early church. What reason would the Apostles of Jesus have to risk death for something they knew was untrue? Many people die for something they think is the truth but no one would willingly die for something they knew was a lie. The Apostles would have no benefit for this lie either. They were kicked out of the synagogues and lost their social standing in Jewish circles.
All but one of the Apostles faced brutal deaths at the hands of the Jewish leaders or the Romans. Beaten and tortured, they continued to preach the Good News to anyone who would listen until they were beheaded, lanced through, crucified upside down, flayed alive, or pushed off great heights. Why? Because they knew it was the truth. In the face of great pressure they did not succumb to the threat of death because they could not deny what they witnessed and it was worth it.
Chuck Colson, Special Counsel to Richard Nixon and one of the Watergate Seven, once wrote,
"I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible."
The idea that the Apostles and followers of Christ all lied about the resurrection is merely preposterous. No group of people could keep a lie straight for the rest of their lives; much less while facing disgrace, torture, and death for that lie. The evidences for the resurrection of Jesus are even more abundant than these three but I hope you find use in them when discussing with skeptics.
He is risen!
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