Welcome to Part 5 of 10 our Frequently Asked Questions series. These are the top ten questions I receive As a pastor.
Question: Hey Pastor, dead people don't come back to life. How can we be sure the resurrection actually happened?
Answer: Great question! Let's get into it.
You're right that dead people don't normally come back to life. That's exactly why the resurrection is such a big deal. If it happened, it changes everything. If it didn't, Christianity collapses.
That's not me being dramatic. That's the Apostle Paul: "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1 Corinthians 15:14). The Christian faith doesn't hide its most important claim. It puts it right out in the open and says, "Check it out."
C.S. Lewis put the stakes this way:
"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."
So let's check it out.
Four facts almost everyone agrees on
When historians study the resurrection, there are several facts that the vast majority of scholars accept, including many skeptics. Here are four of them.
1. Jesus died by crucifixion. Roman soldiers were professional executioners. They didn't make mistakes about whether a man was dead. Even non-Christian historians of the ancient world, like Tacitus and Josephus, mention Jesus' execution.
2. The tomb was empty. The first Christians preached the resurrection in Jerusalem, the very city where Jesus was buried. If His body was still in the tomb, the authorities could have ended the whole movement by rolling it out for everyone to see. They never did. Instead, they claimed the disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:11-15), which admits the tomb was empty.
Here's another detail. The Gospels say women were the first witnesses. In that culture, a woman's testimony was not taken seriously in court. If you were inventing a story, you would never make women your star witnesses. The Gospel writers included it because that's what happened.
3. The disciples were convinced they saw Jesus alive. Paul passes along an early creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, listing people who saw the risen Jesus, including "more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living" (verse 6). Paul is basically saying, "Don't take my word for it. Go ask them."
4. Their lives were radically changed. On Friday, the disciples were hiding behind locked doors, terrified. A few weeks later, they were boldly preaching in public, "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it" (Acts 2:32). Many of them were later persecuted and killed for that message.
People will die for something they believe is true. But nobody willingly dies for something they know is a lie. The disciples were in a position to know.
Add to that two famous skeptics. James, Jesus' own brother, didn't believe in Him during His ministry (John 7:5). Paul was persecuting Christians. Both became leaders in the church after they said they encountered the risen Jesus.
What about other explanations?
People have offered alternatives over the years. Maybe the disciples stole the body? Then why would they suffer and die for what they knew was a hoax? Maybe Jesus only fainted on the cross? A man beaten nearly to death and crucified wouldn't push away a massive stone and convince His friends He had conquered death. Maybe the disciples hallucinated? Hallucinations happen in individual minds. They don't happen to groups of hundreds, and they don't empty tombs.
Each theory explains one fact and crashes into the others. The explanation that fits all the facts is the one the disciples gave: "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said" (Matthew 28:6).
Why it matters to you
The resurrection isn't just a great argument. It's a living hope. Because Jesus rose, His claims are true. Because He rose, our sins are truly forgiven. Paul says if Christ hasn't been raised, "you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17). Flip that around: because He has been raised, you are not.
And because He rose, death is not the end for those who trust Him. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die" (John 11:25).
I've stood at a lot of gravesides as a pastor. The empty tomb is the only thing that gives me something real to say in those moments. Our hope isn't wishful thinking. It's anchored in a historical event.
So the question isn't really, "Did it happen?" The evidence is strong. The question is the one Jesus asked Martha right after He said those words: "Do you believe this?" (John 11:26).
