Jesus is alive: He Has risen

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Of all the stories surrounding Christianity, number one has to be Jesus' resurrection. There are many examples of good people helping others, of some unexplained miracles taking place, and of outstanding religious leaders in history -- but only the Christian faith dares to believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

Therefore, it is understandable to ask the simple question, "How do you know that Jesus was resurrected from the grave?" Christians are quick to state their convictions about this matter, but critical minds do not readily accept faith statements as valid proof of anything. Even though Christians have built their religion upon the conviction that Jesus really did come back to life and have centuries of religious history to support their faith, contemporary people want more proof.

Unfortunately, there are no eyewitness accounts of Jesus' resurrection living today, but such was not the case for people in the first century. While no one may actually "prove" that Jesus rose from the grave, there is ample evidence in the Bible to support Christianity's bold faith assertion, and the biblical accounts of Jesus' resurrection certainly outweigh the rumor that someone sneaked him out of the tomb while no one was watching.

The Bible lists five resurrection appearances of Jesus on Easter and another six during the 40 days afterward before He ascended into heaven. With appreciation to A. T. Robertson's "A Harmony of the Gospels" for establishing the correct chronology, let me list these, along with the scriptural references chronologically. The first five occurred on Easter.

• To Mary Magdalene -- Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18.

• To the other women -- Matthew 28:9-10.

• To two disciples on the road to Emmaus -- Mark 16:12-12; Luke 2413-32.

• To Peter -- Luke 24:33-35; I Corinthians 15:5.

• To 10 apostles with Thomas absent -- Mark 16i:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25.

The other six appearances occurred during the 40 days before Jesus ascended into heaven. Again, they are listed chronologically.

• To the disciples with Thomas present -- John 20:26-31; I Corinthians 15:5. This appearance of Jesus to the 10 apostles with Thomas present is significant, because it was Thomas who "doubted" Jesus' resurrection. At this point, Jesus does two important things to prove he is not a ghost: He has them touch him and He eats in their presence. Thomas is so convinced he does not need to touch Jesus -- just seeing him was enough to overcome his doubts.

• To seven disciples beside the Sea of Galilee -- John 21.

• To 500 brethren -- Mark 16:15-18; Matthew 28:16-20; I Corinthians 15:6.

• To James, Jesus' earthly brother -- I Corinthians 15:7.

• To disciples -- Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8.

• At His ascension -- Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-12.

Although these are the only biblical references, it is obvious that Jesus was seen by a lot of people while he was still on earth for 40 days before ascending to heaven -- Acts 1.

In addition, Acts 1 lists two unidentified people to fill the vacancy left by Judas, and the implication is that there were many others who were witnesses to Jesus' ministry and resurrection. If only a few women and men witnessed Jesus' resurrection, it would be easy to discount their testimony as being a part of a religious hoax, but the Bible claims that hundreds actually saw Jesus after His resurrection. That made a tremendous impact during the first century that people were willing to die under intense persecution rather than to deny Jesus' resurrection.

As an aside, I Corinthians was not written until at least 20 years after Jesus' ascension, and Paul's record is consistent with the records of the four gospels writers.

Proving Jesus' resurrection will never be accepted by people who choose to disbelieve, but for those who have accepted the veracity of the Bible by faith and have felt the presence of Jesus in their lives, it is foregone conclusion: JESUS IS ALIVE!

Religion on 04/19/2017