Belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead separates Christianity from all other religions. No other religion claims that its founder and leader was raised alive from the dead and that his spirit is now a living presence with those who worship and serve him.
There is only one way to destroy Christianity and that is by disproving Jesus’ resurrection. Satan knows this and since day one continues to deceive many church leaders and religious scholars into disregarding or distorting the historical facts with conspiracy theories as recorded in Matthew 28:11-15. However, none have succeeded because they cannot find the dead body as evidence to support their theories.
When we carefully read the story of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, I think we will discover that there is far more “proof-positive” evidence for believing that Jesus was raised from the dead than there is for not believing such happened. Here are several snapshots from the story that provide convincing evidence to me.
When the two women came to the tomb early Sunday morning to prepare his body for decomposition,they came with a broken heart, crushed hope, and resigned to his death. The ugly terror of Friday was over, and the hopeless grief of Saturday was still with them. They came with zero faith that anything could or would change in their relationship with Jesus. He was now and forever dead and gone from their lives.
I can easily believe that the Jewish leaders, being faced with evidence of a great spiritual awakening that threatened their proud Judaism, would have loved to produce the dead body of Jesus, and give the lie to this resurrection rumor. But they could not.
Also, under Roman law the soldiers guarding the tomb were held accountable for the disappearance of the body they were guarding. And the penalty for such negligence and disappearance was imprisonment or death. We can be assured that they would be extremely eager to produce the dead body. But they could not.
Furthermore, it is inconceivable to think that the disciples might have stolen the body, as the soldiers were commanded to say. Why? Because at that moment, the disciples were a demoralized, defeated, and confused little group, hiding in fear of the authorities, after the crucifixion.
We have Luke, who was a physician and wrote a detailed record of Jesus’ life and ministry, telling us in Acts 1:3 that during the 40 days after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the risen Christ “presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.”
Finally, the Scriptural record reveals that following Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the fearful and doubting disciples were transformed and filled with Holy Spirit faith, courage, and boldness that endured for the rest of their lives. If the resurrection were a fabricated myth, how would you explain the changed behavior of the early Christians, of whom many were crucified or fed to lions because of their steadfast faith in Jesus’ aliveness.
There is overwhelming evidence that something supernatural occurred in Jesus’ resurrection. And it is amazing to me to see how God took great care in establishing the truth that Jesus’ resurrected body was a real body and not some illusion, or phantom spirit. Luke records in 24:36-43 that when Jesus appeared to his disciples during those 40 days before ascending into heaven, it was with the same body that hung from a cross and was put into the tomb. The marks of his physical torture and suffering were still visible on his body, and Jesus invited the disciples to touch his flesh and bones.
Just before his final departure and ascension into heaven, Jesus reminds the disciples that the Scriptures confirm that the crucified and resurrected Messiah was not an adjustment in God’s plan. This was God’s design all along, and everything written about the Messiah, in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled. So be it, and so it is!
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – April 14, 2021
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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