Historical Evidence of the Resurrection

“The resurrection is a fact better attested than any event recorded in any history,
whether ancient or modern.” - Charles Spurgeon

Beloved Kinney,

I want to offer two very simple, but powerful, proofs for the resurrection of Jesus. As you
have conversations with the non-Christians and skeptics in your life, consider bringing
up these proofs.

Proof #1: The Empty Tomb
The gospel of John teaches that Mary Magdalene shows up to Jesus’ tomb on a
Sunday morning a little over 2,000 years ago. She was one of the women standing by
the cross as Jesus hung there. The last time she saw Jesus was when he was hanging
dead on a cross.

When she came to the tomb, she saw the stone rolled away. This was not a dinky
stone. It was a massive piece of rock that normally required several men to roll away.
So she assumed his body was taken by the authorities. She quickly went to tell two of
Jesus' closest followers—Peter and John.

They immediately ran to the tomb and found it…empty. They saw the linen cloths that
wrapped Jesus’ dead corpse lying in the tomb, but his body was not there!

The empty tomb is a powerful testament to the resurrection of Jesus. But even more
is…

Proof #2: People Saw Jesus Alive
Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus alive. If the gospel writer wanted to fabricate
a story of the resurrection, they would not have included this part of it. In those days a
woman wasn’t a credible eyewitness in court. Yet Mary was the first one to see Jesus.
Why? Because it happened!

Then Jesus appeared to his disciples. The fact that they saw him die and then saw him
alive again can be the only explanation for their willingness later on to die as martyrs for
the gospel. Why would they willingly die for what they knew was a lie?

Later, the risen Jesus showed up to more than 500 people at one time (1 Cor. 15). This
makes Christianity distinct from any other world religion. The central figure of our faith
died a public death, was buried in a public tomb, and was seen again publicly. No other
religion in the world has the public witness of Christianity.

Jesus really is alive! You can bank your life, and eternity, on that.

Love,
Pastor Josh