The resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead after having been crucified and placed in a tomb is the foundation on which Christianity stands. Without it, the whole system collapses and we are just left with ethical and moral teaching. If it did happen, we have no reasonable alternative but to believe who Jesus said He was.

As well as the cosmic significance of the death and resurrection, these events provide the great justification for the great claim that Jesus was the divine Son of God.

There are many reasons for believing in the truth of the Gospel accounts, including:

• The Empty Tomb:  The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) independently report that on the Sunday after Jesus’ crucifixion, a group of women went to his tomb and found it empty. The early Christian preaching in Jerusalem presupposed an empty tomb. It would have been difficult for the disciples to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection in the very city where he was buried if his body was still in the tomb and it would be easy for the authorities to refute that by producing the body. But they didn’t.
  The narrative of the empty tomb is part of the early passion tradition, which most scholars believe predates the Gospels. Even the opponents of early Christianity acknowledged the empty tomb, offering explanations like the disciples stealing the body (Matthew 28:11-15), which indirectly confirms the tomb was indeed empty.
• Post-Resurrection Appearances: The Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), written around 55 AD, provides an early creed stating that Jesus appeared to Peter, then to the twelve disciples, then to more than 500 people at one time (many of whom were still alive when Paul wrote), then to James, then to all the apostles, and finally to Paul himself. This is a very early source, within about 25 years of the event.
• The Gospels also record multiple appearances of Jesus to various individuals and groups after his crucifixion. While there are some variations in the details, the core claim of encounters with the risen Jesus is consistent across these accounts. The nature of these appearances is described as physical encounters where Jesus could be seen, heard, and even touched (e.g., John 20:27). Explanations, such as mass hallucinations, are not credible given the nature and the number of the appearances.
•  The Transformation of the Disciples: The disciples of Jesus were initially fearful and in hiding after his crucifixion. However, they were radically transformed into bold proclaimers of the resurrection, willing to face persecution and even death for their belief. This dramatic shift is difficult to explain unless they genuinely believed they had encountered the risen Christ. Their willingness to suffer and die for this belief suggests it was not a fabrication.
•  The first witnesses of the empty tomb and the risen Jesus were women:  Since women were not considered valid witnesses at that time, this is not something which a writer would have made up. Therefore it makes it likely to be true.
•  The start of the Church: In other cases of a reform movement starting at around that time, when its leader died then either the movement would fizzle out or they would choose a new leader. In this case, although James the brother of Jesus, led the early Church. there was never any suggestion that James was the Messiah. The only reason they id what they did is because they firmly believed that Jesus had been raised. And they would have believed that based on eye witness testimony of those who had seen Him.

In this video, Bishop N. T. Wright presents some of the evidence for the truth of the resurrection, the greatest miracle claimed by Christianity, and the one on which the whole belief system depends.