How do we account for the strange phenomena of Christianity?
quote: “either Jesus really rose from the dead, or this is the weirdest, most unlikely thing that ever happened in human history – that people on such a large scale, across time and place and ethnicity and culture and language would believe it, have their lives changed by it, and even give their lives for it.”
If Jesus really rose from the dead, then the historical outworking of Christianity makes perfect sense; but if he didn’t, then it’s very difficult to account for.
If Christianity isn’t true, then it’s persistent and pervasive growth and endurance has to be one of the strangest phenomena of all of human history –
and, (to summarize the words of NT Wright): “any attempt to take account of that has to rely on ever more complex and fantastical hypotheses to explain away the data.
“But, if we allow that something remarkable happened to the body of Jesus, then everything falls into place – it all makes sense: that Jesus really did rise from the dead; that people really did witness him raised; and that it changed everything.
And it all falls back on tot hat first easter Sunday after Jesus’ crucifixion – the resurrection of Jesus.
Last week we looked at the death of Jesus; but in separating the death of Jesus in the sermon last week from the resurrection of Jesus this week, I didn’t intend to separate them from one another – because though there are things particular to each one, they are inseparable from each other.
Jesus’ death and resurrection two sides of same coin – they are two necessary and inseparable parts of one saving act.
Because, as we said last week, a so-called resurrection of Jesus without a real full death isn’t a resurrection at all. It’s a resuscitation from a fainting or passing out or a near-death experience. Without a death you don’t have a resurrection. You have something out of the ordinary perhaps but not something spectacular & utterly unique.
On the other hand, the death of Jesus without any resurrection – is just a death. It’s just a death – and ultimately just like any & every other human death that came before it, and no different than any & every other human death that came after it.
Jesus’ death without Jesus’ resurrection is just a death – there is nothing unique or special about it: it had no meaning, it didn’t accomplish anything, it brought no real victory; but, it was all in vain – his death was in vain and his
Jesus Death and Resurrection is everything for us.
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”
But we have good reason to believe it:
First reason: Compelling Eyewitness Testimony
Apart from compelling eyewitness testimony, the message of Christianity would never have gone anywhere.
People back then weren’t just gullible people who believed anything they heard we see skepticism even among the disciples who loved him – and resurrection went against the grain of many world-views at the time.
But people were convinced.
Because people saw Jesus alive after his resurrection. They saw him, talked with him, ate with him, touched him.
He appeared to the women at the tomb, to Peter & John and the other disciples, to James, to Cleopas and his friend – and, he occurred to more than 500 at the same time.
These were all eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection.
Two things about that: Is the reports of seeing Jesus were hallucinations, first, that’s not how hallucinations work.
Group hallucinations don’t normally happen – apart from a drug-induced state – but even if they would happen they don’t produce an experience of consistent testimony; Group hallucinations don’t produce the kind of consistency from one person to the next that would qualify as compelling eye-witness testimony – but this was compelling eye-witness testimony – because people believed their testimony.
Second: during the time of the initial spread of Christianity, these witnesses were still alive.
And, so those who were skeptical of it – those people could see for themselves and hear the reports of the eyewitnesses; and the consistent testimony of those eyewitnesses during the birth of Christianity enabled it to get off the ground.
And it didn’t just limp along; but it exploded.
Second Reason: Explosive Growth in the face of opponents.
We see here that in the account in Matthew that there were opponents who didn’t want what Jesus claimed would happen to happen.
And so they ask for a roman guard to be posted and guard the tomb to make it secure. The disciples aren’t going to overpower a Roman guard – and Roman soldiers aren’t going to fall asleep on duty – but when we are nevertheless left with an empty tomb, they are bribed to spread the false report – that they fell asleep and the disciples stole the body;
but, do you see the problem here? If they fell asleep, how do they know the disciples stole the body?
The disciples could be put to death for robbing a tomb; if there was actually any such evidence that they did;
but their very story collapses in on itself because either the guards stayed awake, which takes away any possibility that the disciples stole the body; or the guards fell asleep, which takes away any witness that the disciples stole the body.
And they obviously don’t believe their own story since they are bribing the guards to spread it — that’s how unpersuasive it is.
But Christianity grew in the face of opponents who wanted to disprove it and quench it out but couldn’t because of one pesky little fact: there was an empty tomb with no dead body.
These opponents could have stopped Christianity dead in it’s tracks by simply producing the body.
Because the claim of the disciples wasn’t that Jesus was alive in their hearts or hopes but that he was alive in reality.
A tomb filled with a dead body that had been guarded securely; was now empty.
Personal Transformation in the face of persecution.
The opponents of Christianity could have stopped it’s spread by producing a body; but suppose the body had been stolen by the disciples.
The opponents could never produce a body; and the disciples never gave up a body.
And that’s particularly compelling when you consider the persecution they faced for their claims.
Under serious persecution – and many of those initial eyewitnesses being tortured & killed for their claims that Jesus did in fact raise from the dead – none of them recanted.
None of them said, “hey wait a second, we were just kidding”.
None of them said, “Stop! We hid the body at X location, go check and let me go!”
But they were so compelled by the truth of the gospel; that they gave their lives for it.
They were radically transformed by it – into people of courage and conviction – because they saw the resurrected Jesus and were filled with the Spirit of Jesus to do the work of Jesus.
And since then, the message of the gospel has convinced countless people; and transformed countless lives – people who credit the living Christ as their Lord and Savior and give their lives to him and imperfectly but genuinely reflect his life in theirs and are transformed by the gospel hope and truth and grace that Jesus’ death & resurrection brings into their lives.
So what does the resurrection mean?
Romans 1:1-4 – especially vs 4.
Some people have wrongly interpreted this to mean that it was at Jesus’ resurrection that he became God’s son – this is a form of the heresy of Adoptionism which we looked at when we discussed Jesus’ birth.
The second person of the Trinity always existed as the Divine Son. And, the humane earthly person of Jesus, throughout every point fo his existence, was the divine Son of God.
He didn’t become the Son of God at his resurrection because this verse tells us that the person who was appointed the Son of God in power was – v3 – God’s Son.
Basically – God’s Son, at his resurrection, was appointed God’s son.
This means that this isn’t suggesting any change in essence of who Jesus is – that he didn’t then gain a divine essence or status that he previously lacked.
So what is it saying?
More specifically – God’s son, at his resurreciton, was appointed God’s Son in power – that not only that he was raised in power; but that he is the one with Power.
The main point, is that his resurrection marks a shift from Jesus’ humiliation, to his exaltation – his humiliation, which we discussed before – his birth to his death; his exaltation: beginning with his resurrection, including his ascending, being seated at the right hand of the Father, presently ruling over all things and finally coming again to judge all things.
He has no longer humbled himself; his identity is no longer veiled; though still fully human he is no longer subject to suffering and temptation.
Jesus’ resurrection appoints him as the Son of God with Power – it marks the shift from his humiliation to his exaltation. And as such it does 3 things:
- Vindication of His Identity.
Jesus’ resurrection vindicates all his claims about himself.
Strip from Jesus the resurrection and you aren’t left with a good religious moral teacher. That’s what many people say – who won’t believe in the resurrection but nevertheless try to salvage something from the life of Jesus.
But strip from Jesus the resurrection and you are left with a megalomaniacal fraud.
Either a liar – who purposefully deceived others. Or a lunatic who really thought he existed eternally, was equal to God, could forgive sins, should be worshiped, and obeyed, and followed, and died for.
Is that the kind of person you want to put stock into their moral advice? No – because those are all vices of the ugliest pride and arrogance.
If they’re not true.
But the resurrection vindicates all those claims. It proves everything he said.
It means that he is in fact, all those things he claimed to be; and it means that we in fact ought to obey him, worship him, follow him, give our lives to him and for him.
That’s why – at the end of the matthew passage – Jesus gives the Great Commission – in which he asserts that by virtue of his resurrection he does in face have all authority; over all nations; to be obeyed in all things; in all times.
(Vindication of His Identity)
2. Declaration Of his Victory.
Death & Resurrection one saving act; inseparable; but things particular to each.
In his suffering and death he paid for sins, and did the work necessary to accomplish his victory over sin and death.
In his resurrection, he declares that his payment for sins was accepted; that he didn’t die in vain; and he shows himself to be in fact victorious.
From the perspective of the early disciples, his suffering & death appeared to be in vain; and as a result of his death he appeared to be a failure;
but nothing could be further from the truth. as we looked at in previous weeks – it in fact it accomplished our forgiveness; it tore the temple curtain showing that it opened the way to fellowship with God;
But the resurrection shows to us – proves to us – what he accomplished on the cross.
And as such it’s the basis for our justification – that by believing in Jesus, we are in fact forgiven and made right with God because Jesus was raised from the dead.
It is God’s declaration: sacrifice effective; payment accepted; victory won.
But, even more than that, the resurrection is 3. the completion of his victory.
Because, if only his spirit ascended into heaven – then sin still wins some victory because his body still remains dead –
Death is the result of sin; and even our bodily death are captured in God’s redemption of us.
His body was raised, so that death could hold it no more; and that death would corrupt it no more.
Jesus still has a body; and he will have a body forever; and that body will never suffer, age, corrupt, or die; because sin and death have no victory over him; but he has all the victory over sin & death.
And Jesus resurrection in particular gives us two things – present power; future promise
Jesus’ resurrection shows us what happens to us if we are in fact united to him – just like we died to our sin by virtue of his death – so we are made alive in him by virtue of his resurrection.
Present power:
Regeneration: 1 Peter 1:3 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Sanctification: Ephesians 1:19-20 – prayer that we would know God’s incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms
This is the same power which he later says “is at work within us”.
Future Promise
Glorification:
Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection – the foretaste – the first glimpse which signals and guarantees that there’s more to come.
And if Jesus rose from the dead, then we know that we will rise from the dead. That our bodies won’t be forever subject to death and decay; but they will be made new; glorious; spiritual; imperishable; incorruptible; eternal; immortal.
Outwardly, we waste away; but inwardly, we are being renewed day by day; until the day when we are perfectly renewed.
1 Cor 15:20-23; 50-58