Christ’s Resurrection – examining the evidence

Q: Archbishop J, how do we know if the Resurrection really happened?

The whole claim of Christianity hangs on a single question: Was Jesus really raised from the dead? There are some Christians who believe it is a non-question and are willing to believe in a mythological explanation. Some think it is unimportant because the Jesus movement is so big and well established: others have never raised this question. For me, I stand with St Paul: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Cor 15:14).

St Paul goes further: “More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15: 5–19).

I want to be clear on this point. If there was no resurrection of the dead body of Christ, then the core claims of Christianity are empty, and we should all walk away. The Resurrection is not one belief amongst others, it is the core belief that gives all the others their meaning and veracity. The gospels were written from the perspective of the Resurrection, not from the perspective of the Incarnation.

I fear that we have dumbed down the claim of the Resurrection and sought a soft option for Christianity. This is a fundamental mistake, turning the Church into a social club and me into a socialiser and a social worker at best. That is not what I signed up for.

Without the Resurrection, the Church would be a good human institution, the sacraments would be great anthropology, and Christian preaching good mythological exploration. The recovery of Catholicism, and its sustainability during this next very dark phase, is tied to Catholics believing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as core to their faith. Without this, we are pomp and ceremony without substance. We are deceiving people and ultimately the opium of the masses.

Witnesses of the Resurrection

No-one saw the event of the Resurrection. We know they put the dead body in the tomb on the evening of the crucifixion. We know very early the second morning the tomb had no body. We also know many witnesses testified they encountered the risen Lord. Those are the facts. We also know from the gospels that the Jews claimed the body was stolen by His disciples during the night (Mt 28:11–15).

A first century Jew would avoid the dead body as it would make him ritually unclean. Women could attend to the body without making themselves ritually impure. Therefore, they are the ones who go to the tomb early in the morning (Mk 16:2; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1; Mt 28:1). The “linen cloths” are the first challenge to this theory. They were neatly folded in the tomb. The cloths would have stuck to the wounds of the bloodied body of Jesus, making them very difficult to remove; more natural to move the wrapped body.

More importantly, the disciples were in complete disarray that night and could not have hatched such a plan on such a night. Also, someone would know where the body was and tell another, and the game would be over.

Further, central to Peter’s preaching in public, 50 days later, was the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 2: 22–24). No-one ever came forward to say they knew where the body of Jesus was buried. The transformation of Peter is the greatest witness of the truth of the Resurrection. Simon Peter, the frightened coward who denies Jesus, becomes the fearless proclaimer of the Resurrection of Jesus.

The slaying of James and his own imprisonment did not deter Peter (Acts 12:2–12). Ultimately, he became a martyr, as Jesus had foreseen (Jn 21:18). The character of Peter would not have gone from a lesser version of himself to a much higher version while lying to himself and all Israel about God. That makes no sense. The transformation of Peter is too radical for it to be based on a lie. The first martyr St Stephen was stoned to death for his belief in the Resurrection. Stephen, Peter, and all the apostles who died as martyrs testified to the truth of the Resurrection. One would not die to uphold a lie.

Presiding over the death of Stephen was Saul, who was intent on destroying the early Church. St Paul was driven to the defence of the early Church three years after Christ’s death. At that time there was no rhetoric about a stolen body. He was given papers to destroy the Christians. Something happened, however, and he became the most fearless defender and apostle. The witness of St Paul is vital to the Christian tradition. The greatest adversary is transformed by his encounter with the risen Christ (Acts 9:4). The witnesses are not just from among the band of followers but also from the greatest adversaries.

St Paul always said he was the least of the apostles, yet he suffered more than the others for the sake of the gospel which, in its essence, is a proclamation of the truth of the Resurrection (2 Cor 11:16–33). No-one can doubt St Paul was absolutely convinced that Christ was raised from the dead.

He suffered greatly for his belief; he died because of his belief in the Resurrection. The women are our great witnesses. They accompanied Jesus on His travels (Lk 8:1–3). They were with Him at the foot of the cross (Jn 19: 25) and first encountered the empty tomb, and later the risen Christ (Jn 20:11). Some of these women had high social standing (Lk 8: 3).

Joanna was the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household. They all followed Jesus and were the first to see the empty tomb, the first to tell the apostles about Christ’s Resurrection. The Church has given Mary Magdalene the title, ‘Apostle to the Apostles’. For the first century Jew, the word of a woman was not admissible as evidence. It would have been more plausible for a prominent man to have had the encounter and tell the story. A legend could not rest on the women’s testimony. This points to its truthfulness.

Key Message:

The Resurrection is central to Christianity; without it we are no more than a social club.

Action Step:

Reflect on what you believe about the Resurrection of Jesus. Ponder the biblical text again.

Scripture Reading:

1 Cor 15: 15–19