In The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, Gary Habermas and Michael Licona present five historical facts that are evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. These five facts are below.
1. Jesus died by crucifixion
2. Jesus’ disciples believed that he rose and appeared to them
3. The church persecutor Paul was suddenly changed
4. The skeptic James, brother of Jesus, was suddenly changed
5. The tomb was empty
The amazing thing about these five facts is that almost everyone agrees to them, even those who do not believe that Jesus rose. We will examine facts 1, 2, 3 and 5 in our upcoming studies. We begin with Fact 1: Jesus died by crucifixion.
What evidence do you have that Jesus died on the cross? Find as many different sources as you can.
Examples of some passages from 7 different sources. Remember that the Bible is not one source but many authors wrote the different books of the Bible.
Author Passage
Matthew Matthew 27:45-56
Mark Mark 15:33-41
Luke Luke 23:44-49
John John 19:28-37
Paul 1 Corinthians 2:2
Author of Hebrews Hebrews 12:2
Peter 1 Peter 2:24
Does the fact that these are Christian authors make their testimony more or less valid? Why?
It makes there testimony more valid. They actually saw and experienced the events about which they wrote. Those who were not around Jesus would have to write second or third hand accounts. These people wrote what they knew first hand.
FACT: Jesus did die by crucifixion. It is a fact of history. Even non-Christian writers during the period after Christ was crucified agree that he died by crucifixion.
Josephus (Jewish historian c. 37-100 A.D.) — “When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified…” (Habermas, 49).
Tacitus (Roman historian c. 115 A.D.) — “Nero fastened the guilt [of the burning of Rome] and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus” (49).
Lucian of Samosata (Greek, probably late 2nd cent) — “The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day–the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account” (49).
The Talmud (Jewish commentary, probably late 2nd cent) — “On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged” (49).
Are these sources best used with believers or unbelievers? Why?
Perhaps these sources will convince an unbeliever to at least listen to what the Bible says. A believer already trusts the Bible to be true and does not need extra-biblical proof.
The Skeptics
Some have come up with theories that deny the fact that Jesus died by crucifixion. One of the most popular is the swoon theory. People who believe this say that Jesus faked his death on the cross or fainted and after recovering for a couple of days in the tomb he came out and claimed to have risen from the dead.
What are some serious problems with this theory based on the historical evidence we have looked at?
There is no historical evidence of this at all. Besides, how impressed would the disciples and others be by Jesus coming to them limping and crawling on nail pierced hands and feet with a spear hole in his side? He would have looked terrible and not convinced anyone that he had risen from the dead. Imagine Thomas or the others touching the nail marks and Jesus wincing in pain, but it didn’t happen that way because Jesus really rose from actual death.
Let’s go to the biblical evidence. What physical suffering did Jesus endure from the time of his arrest to his death?
Matthew 26:67-68
· Struck with fists and slapped by the Jews
Matthew 27:26-35
· Flogged by the Romans
· Crown of thorns beat into his head with a staff again and again
· Forced to carry his cross
· Nailed to the cross
Crucifixion basically killed a person by making it so painful to get a breath that the person would eventually die because they could not breathe anymore. The person had to push up on nail-pierced feet to breathe so when a victim was no longer pushing up to breathe, the soldiers knew he was dead.
The Romans were pretty good at killing people. Those soldiers knew when someone was dead and when they were alive.
Read John 19:31-36
Why would the soldiers break the legs?
The person on the cross could not push up to breathe on broken legs and would quickly die.
Why, humanly speaking, did they not break Jesus’ legs?
He was already dead.
Why, biblically speaking, could Jesus not have a broken bone?
He had to fulfill Exodus 12:46 because Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover lamb.
The blood and water that flowed from Jesus’ side indicate that the spear pierced his heart. There was no doubt to the soldiers that Jesus really died.
Looking at it historically and medically, Jesus died because some Jewish leaders wanted him out of the way. They convinced Pilate to have him crucified and soldiers put him on the cross to die. He died because of the physical beatings, nails, and hanging on a cross.
Do you agree with this statement? Since Jesus is the all-powerful Son of God, he could have come down from the cross and walked away. If so, why didn’t he come down? If you don’t agree, what held him to the cross?
Jesus’ love for his Father and for all people held him on the cross. He was there willingly suffering and dying to forgiven all sin and give us eternal life.
Jesus suffered physically. In what other way did Jesus suffer? See Matthew 27:46.
He suffered the full punishment of hell—forsaken by God.