Is it Time to Stop Believing in a Physical Resurrection of Jesus?
Are Christians crazy for believing that Jesus physically rose from the dead?
Each and every Easter, we are faced with the claim that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. That is if you can get past all the fluff of Easter bunnies and Cadbury Eggs. Beyond the commercialized and secularized version of "Easter" is the true Easter. The real reason why we celebrate each Spring.
But I think the question of “Is an actual resurrection of Jesus the best possible explanation for the claims of the apostles that Jesus historically and physically rose from the dead?" should be explored.
Skeptics and believers should wrestle with this question. Because as the apostle Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless” (1 Cor. 15:14).
So is an actual resurrected Jesus the best explanation for the claims of the apostles? Let’s look quickly at the many possibilities and let us all be willing to follow truth to wherever it leads.
The Claim: The Disciples said they saw a risen (resurrected) Jesus.
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that, He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.” 1 Cor. 15:3-7 (See also Matt. 28:16-17, Mark 16:14; Luke 24:33-37; John 20:19-20).
The Apostles said that they saw a risen Jesus. This is a fact that is largely undisputed by skeptical scholars.
So we have two options here:
Option 1: They didn’t actually see a risen Jesus.
Option 2: They did actually see a risen Jesus.
At the end of the day, these are the two options. They actually did see Jesus alive after his crucifixion and burial, or they did not. But what are the explanations behind these two options? Let’s look quickly.
Each and every Easter, we are faced with the claim that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. That is if you can get past all the fluff of Easter bunnies and Cadbury Eggs. Beyond the commercialized and secularized version of "Easter" is the true Easter. The real reason why we celebrate each Spring.
But I think the question of “Is an actual resurrection of Jesus the best possible explanation for the claims of the apostles that Jesus historically and physically rose from the dead?" should be explored.
Skeptics and believers should wrestle with this question. Because as the apostle Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless” (1 Cor. 15:14).
So is an actual resurrected Jesus the best explanation for the claims of the apostles? Let’s look quickly at the many possibilities and let us all be willing to follow truth to wherever it leads.
The Claim: The Disciples said they saw a risen (resurrected) Jesus.
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that, He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.” 1 Cor. 15:3-7 (See also Matt. 28:16-17, Mark 16:14; Luke 24:33-37; John 20:19-20).
The Apostles said that they saw a risen Jesus. This is a fact that is largely undisputed by skeptical scholars.
So we have two options here:
Option 1: They didn’t actually see a risen Jesus.
Option 2: They did actually see a risen Jesus.
At the end of the day, these are the two options. They actually did see Jesus alive after his crucifixion and burial, or they did not. But what are the explanations behind these two options? Let’s look quickly.
Option 1 - Explanation A:
They thought they saw Him due to hallucinations. This option assumes that the apostles and the 500+ others didn’t actually see Jesus. Instead, they thought they saw Him due to a hallucination. This may sound like the “a-ha” explanation. But in every option we look at, we must remember that an alternative explanation does not constitute a refutation.
Why is this alternate explanation not a refutation? Though it is true, we all experience hallucinations (visual, audible, smell, touch, etc.), it is virtually impossible to explain group hallucinations of the same kind at the same time in the same way.
For example, if I began to daydream in my office about a vacation on the island of Hawaii, I could not co-experience this same daydream with my wife in the same way at the same time.
Group hallucinations, even with the influence of drugs, do not occur this way.
One possibility for a hallucination of a risen Jesus would be due to grieving. But why this alternate explanation falls flat is because not everyone who experienced a risen Jesus was grieving. This is especially true for the apostle Paul who was a persecutor of the church.
Option 1 - Explanation B:
They didn’t see Him. They knew it. Therefore they lied.
This is a popular alternate explanation until you realize that liars make poor martyrs. It would make no sense for the apostles to lie about Jesus’ resurrection. They had nothing to gain from such a claim. 11 out of the 12 disciples would end up being martyred for their faith. Surely, if this was a hoax, at least one would have confessed and walked away. However, this isn’t what happened.
Not only that, but why would the apostle Paul was a persecutor of the church. James, the half-brother of Jesus and Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, were all skeptics, and it was only until after His resurrection did they believe in His ministry and claims.
Lying simply is not a viable option.
So what about Option 2? Did they actually see a risen Jesus?
Option 2 - Explanation A:
They saw Him because He didn’t actually die on the cross.
This is called the “swoon theory” because it purports that Jesus swooned or faked his own death. This theory has various versions, but this is the belief of Muslims. They believe that Jesus faked His death. Some say He had a doppelganger who took the punishment of the cross. Some say He had a twin brother who took His place on the cross.
The most consistent claim is this: that Jesus, after being beaten, whipped, and flogged (ripping a person’s flesh and exposing the bones and sometimes internal organs), he hung on the cross for six hours where he simply acted as if He were dead. Even while being stabbed with the spear to ensure His death, He still faked it.
This theory is flawed on so many levels. The short reason why this theory fails is that 1) the Romans were masters in execution. They were trained executioners and had their methods to guarantee death. 2) There is only one recorded case where someone survived crucifixion. Flavius Josephus was a contemporary of Jesus who documented many crucifixions. According to “Life 76”[1] in one instance, 3 colleagues were taken down from the cross. Even after professional medical treatment, 2 out of 3 victims died.
Faking death on the cross was simply impossible. Surviving crucifixion was simply improbable.
Option 2 - Explanation B:
Jesus died, and God rose Him from the dead.
The most probable explanation why the apostles claimed to have seen a risen Jesus is that He, in fact, did die and was raised from the dead. Theories of hallucination, lying, doppelgangers, and faking death do not begin to explain the conversion of James, Jude, and of course, Paul. These theories do not refute the most probable explanation of a supernatural resurrection. In fact, it only strengthens the case.
If you are not a Christian, I encourage you to continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads. The truth will set you free. If you are a Christian, be encouraged. Christ did rise from the dead. Your faith is real, historical, and changes everything!
For this reason, we celebrate Easter! He is risen indeed!
They thought they saw Him due to hallucinations. This option assumes that the apostles and the 500+ others didn’t actually see Jesus. Instead, they thought they saw Him due to a hallucination. This may sound like the “a-ha” explanation. But in every option we look at, we must remember that an alternative explanation does not constitute a refutation.
Why is this alternate explanation not a refutation? Though it is true, we all experience hallucinations (visual, audible, smell, touch, etc.), it is virtually impossible to explain group hallucinations of the same kind at the same time in the same way.
For example, if I began to daydream in my office about a vacation on the island of Hawaii, I could not co-experience this same daydream with my wife in the same way at the same time.
Group hallucinations, even with the influence of drugs, do not occur this way.
One possibility for a hallucination of a risen Jesus would be due to grieving. But why this alternate explanation falls flat is because not everyone who experienced a risen Jesus was grieving. This is especially true for the apostle Paul who was a persecutor of the church.
Option 1 - Explanation B:
They didn’t see Him. They knew it. Therefore they lied.
This is a popular alternate explanation until you realize that liars make poor martyrs. It would make no sense for the apostles to lie about Jesus’ resurrection. They had nothing to gain from such a claim. 11 out of the 12 disciples would end up being martyred for their faith. Surely, if this was a hoax, at least one would have confessed and walked away. However, this isn’t what happened.
Not only that, but why would the apostle Paul was a persecutor of the church. James, the half-brother of Jesus and Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, were all skeptics, and it was only until after His resurrection did they believe in His ministry and claims.
Lying simply is not a viable option.
So what about Option 2? Did they actually see a risen Jesus?
Option 2 - Explanation A:
They saw Him because He didn’t actually die on the cross.
This is called the “swoon theory” because it purports that Jesus swooned or faked his own death. This theory has various versions, but this is the belief of Muslims. They believe that Jesus faked His death. Some say He had a doppelganger who took the punishment of the cross. Some say He had a twin brother who took His place on the cross.
The most consistent claim is this: that Jesus, after being beaten, whipped, and flogged (ripping a person’s flesh and exposing the bones and sometimes internal organs), he hung on the cross for six hours where he simply acted as if He were dead. Even while being stabbed with the spear to ensure His death, He still faked it.
This theory is flawed on so many levels. The short reason why this theory fails is that 1) the Romans were masters in execution. They were trained executioners and had their methods to guarantee death. 2) There is only one recorded case where someone survived crucifixion. Flavius Josephus was a contemporary of Jesus who documented many crucifixions. According to “Life 76”[1] in one instance, 3 colleagues were taken down from the cross. Even after professional medical treatment, 2 out of 3 victims died.
Faking death on the cross was simply impossible. Surviving crucifixion was simply improbable.
Option 2 - Explanation B:
Jesus died, and God rose Him from the dead.
The most probable explanation why the apostles claimed to have seen a risen Jesus is that He, in fact, did die and was raised from the dead. Theories of hallucination, lying, doppelgangers, and faking death do not begin to explain the conversion of James, Jude, and of course, Paul. These theories do not refute the most probable explanation of a supernatural resurrection. In fact, it only strengthens the case.
If you are not a Christian, I encourage you to continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads. The truth will set you free. If you are a Christian, be encouraged. Christ did rise from the dead. Your faith is real, historical, and changes everything!
For this reason, we celebrate Easter! He is risen indeed!
[1] https://clas-pages.uncc.edu/james-tabor/archaeology-and-the-dead-sea-scrolls/josephus-references-to-crucifixion/
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