Caleb Harrelson
[Originally published as the second section of Three Reasons the Resurrection of Jesus is True!]
The Empty Tomb
Skeptics like to claim that Jesus’ body would have been thrown into a mass grave or ditch after his crucifixion because he was not rich and was killed as a criminal and enemy of Rome. This was a real possibility, since many criminals were thrown into pits. Martin Hengels tells us that”
Crucifixion was aggravated further by the fact that quite often its victims were never buried. It was a stereotyped picture that the crucified victim served as food for wild beasts and birds of prey. In this way, his humiliation was made complete. ~Hengel, Crucifixion, 87.
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If Jesus was not buried in a known tomb, then accounts of his tomb being empty, and thus being physically resurrected, should be taken with great suspicion. However, there are several solid reasons we can be confident about the claim that Jesus’ tomb was empty.
- The Gospels claim that Jesus was buried in a known tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, who was on the Jewish Court that sentenced Jesus. If this claim is false, why did Christianity grow? Why is there no competing burial traditions in history?
- If Jesus was actually buried in a pit with other criminals, then this could have easily been refuted if false and Christianity wouldn’t have any credible truth claim.
Confirmation of proper burials: Archaeological and written evidence confirms that some Jews, even executed criminals, were crucified in the first century and sometimes received a proper burial. ~Josephus, 37–100 A.D. J.W. 4.317 & Philo of Alexandria, 20 B.C.- 50A.D.
- Jewish leaders’ argument that “his disciples stole the body” assumes the tomb was empty.
- If Jesus’s body was stolen, Paul’s conversion is completely illogical.
- If Jesus’ body was stolen, why would James, the half-brother of Jesus, believe that Jesus was truly resurrected and be listed as an eyewitness in 1 Corinthians 15:7? James was formerly skeptical of Jesus in John 7:5 but is then listed as a leader in the Jerusalem Church (Acts 15) and faced martyrdom for his faith in his half-brother, Jesus. ~1st Century Jewish historian, Josephus, Antiquities, Book 20, chapter 9, part 1).
- The claim that it was women who found and reported on the empty tomb is a sign of reliable history because it is an “embarrassing detail.” Their testimony was not considered valid in the 1st Century.
Historians call this the “criterion of embarrassment” that can be an indicator of accurate reporting. People will lie to make themselves look good, but who lies to make themselves look bad? If the disciples were making of the story of Jesus, they wouldn’t have listed women finding the empty tomb first.
Early Testimony & Conversion of an Enemy
Paul was an enemy of Christ and thought that worshipping Jesus was blasphemy (Acts 7–8). What motivation did Paul Have to convert?
According to cold case homicide detective J. Warner Wallace, there are three reasons that people are motivated to commit and crime or lie: money, sex, or power. The problem is that Paul didn’t have any of those motivations.
Paul is unmarried (1 Corinthians 7:8) when he wrote one of his earliest books, 1 Corinthians. He had enjoyed a significant position of power and influence as a Jewish Pharisee and teacher (Philippians 3:4–8). But when he converted to Christianity, Paul lost his reputation with the Jewish leaders and faced persecution the rest of his life. His conversion makes no sense unless he truly saw the resurrected Jesus.
Even secular/atheist scholars will recognize that Paul wrote Galatians, Romans, and 1-2 Corinthians very early while eyewitnesses were still alive. Such a timeframe when his claims could be easily refuted would make the corruption of the story very difficult.
Paul quotes a creed in 1 Corinthians 15:2–7 that most scholars agree goes back to within a month or year of the resurrection of Jesus. In that creed, Paul appeals to 500 eyewitnesses and names several other apostles. This eliminates the possibility of a hallucination being involved, since hallucinations are not a group event.
These eyewitnesses experienced an ‘impact event’ when they saw the resurrected Jesus. An ‘impact event’ is where something so important happens that you remember it in clear detail (like those that remember when 9/11 happened in the U.S.). Not all memory is created equal. Paul and the other apostles of Jesus would have a clearer memory in regards to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Lastly, younger contemporaries of the apostles (i.e. Clement & Polycarp) quote Paul’s writing as authentic in the late 1st century and lived into the early 2nd century. Thus, the total loss/corruption of the original message is impossible.
Conclusion
If the above points challenge you, I encourage you to keep digging and engaging with the truth!
If you understand that Jesus really did rise from the dead and that you have sinned against a perfect and Holy God, I urge you to place your faith in the risen Messiah who lived a life of perfection under God’s life, died the death you deserved to die for your sin and physically rose from the dead three days later as our victorious God, King, and conqueror of the power and penalty of sin. I would encourage you to read one of the Gospels and get plugged into a local biblically faithful church.
The points above are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the case for the resurrection of Jesus. Stay tuned for more posts on the resurrection in the future.
