Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?

It has become quite popular, lately, to say that Jesus was a "good moral teacher" but to deny that he was really God. Some people even assert that Jesus never claimed to be God. This page will discuss these claims and the evidence for the resurrection.

Painting of Thomas putting his finger into the wounds of the Risen Christ

It should first be noted that "good moral teacher" is only an option if Jesus never claimed to be God. This observation was first explained by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity when he said,

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.1

This, I suspect, is why many people today are saying that Jesus never claimed to be God. Unfortunately, a careful reading of the eyewitness documents shows otherwise. Consider the following passages:2

Direct Claims of Deity Indirect Claims of Deity Actions That Imply Deity
Mark 14: 61-64 John 17:5 Mark 2:5-12
John 8:54-59 John 5:21-23 Matthew 28:19

So, since Jesus clearly claimed to be God (sometimes so boldly that his listeners wanted to execute him for blasphemy), the option of "good moral teacher but not God" is eliminated. As C.S. Lewis notes above, the only three options left are:

  1. Lord (God come to earth to be a good moral teacher (among other things))
  2. Lunatic (who believed he was God, even though he wasn't)
  3. Liar (who knew he wasn't God, but told everybody he was anyway)

The claim that he was a Lunatic seems to be somewhat absurd. After all, there is a reason that people say he was a "good moral teacher." His teaching was very articulate, his ideas have been readily embraced by people throughout history, and he gained a following that included some prolific, well educated authors. A simple study of the historical texts that talk about Jesus will lead anyone away from the conclusion that He was a "lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg."

The claim that he was a liar seems equally unlikely. Again, there is a reason that people try to say that Jesus never claimed to be God. Jesus was highly critical of sin of any kind, including lies.3 He was not looking for his own glory,4 and his accusers couldn't find a reason to execute him even when people were bringing false testimony against him.5 Again, a preconceived bias would be the only reason to come to the conclusion that Jesus was a liar.

Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?

There is a simpler way to determine if Jesus was God. The resurrection is a historical event that either did, or did not happen. A careful historian can determine, beyond any reasonable doubt, whether or not the event actually occurred. The evidence for the resurrection can best be remembered by the acronym FEAT because, if true, the resurrection is the greatest feat in all of history.6

Fatal Torment

Most historians agree that Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross and was buried in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea. Most medical professionals agree that the torment Jesus faced was fatal.

Empty Tomb

Most scholars also agree that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was found to be empty. If not, Roman and Jewish authorities would have been able to produce the identifiable remains of Jesus, thus ending the early Christian movement.

Appearances of Christ

Multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing, touching, and eating with Jesus after he was crucified. Many were even willing to die rather than change their story. First Corinthians 15:3-6 contains a creed that can be traced back possibly as early as the year Jesus was crucified7 listing many of these eyewitnesses.

Transformation

After Jesus was crucified, his disciples went into hiding for fear of their lives. Soon after that, they began to boldly identify themselves as his followers, which eventually led to the death of many of them. This small group of people was able to turn the Roman Empire upside down and convert many polytheistic Romans and staunch lifelong Jews (even in the very city where Jesus was crucified) that Jesus was God, and that he rose from the dead.