What if I told you that the most extraordinary claim in history—one that billions stake their eternities on—rests on evidence you can examine for yourself? Does that sound hard to believe? After all, Jesus of Nazareth was born in ancient Judea over two thousand years ago. And we’re not just talking about the existence of the historical figure, which nearly all experts can agree on. The claim is that Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection, was executed in one of the most brutal ways to die, and then rose from the dead three days later.
“The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it” might satisfy the already convinced. But for those who don’t believe the Bible, that’s not going to cut it. They’ll need some good reasons to think this event actually happened—some evidence that will convince them it’s true. And even if you already believe it, it’s important to learn some persuasive arguments to help others know that it really happened. This article argues that the best explanation for several well-attested historical facts—including Jesus’ death by crucifixion, the empty tomb, post-resurrection appearances, and the early proclamation of the resurrection—is that Jesus truly and physically rose from the dead. By examining this evidence, we’ll see why the resurrection is not just a matter of blind faith, but a conclusion supported by reason and history.
This is vital because belief in the resurrection lies at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian. Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Those who merely believe in the existence of a higher power or even broadly in the God of the Bible, but disbelieve in the resurrection, are missing an indispensable element of what it means to be a Christian.
Moreover, it matters whether the resurrection of Jesus literally happened. Contrary to a few who have claimed the resurrection is simply a metaphor for love overcoming hate, the Bible teaches that Jesus physically rose from the grave. The apostle Paul goes so far as to say that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then the faith of Christians is completely worthless. A metaphorical savior can only metaphorically save you—we need a real resurrected Savior if we want to be raised to live after we die.
Thankfully, there’s a wealth of evidence that points to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. Let’s briefly examine some of this data. People are often surprised to hear that the majority of historians agree about a number of core facts about the historical Jesus, regardless of their own religious background. Let’s examine four of the most relevant facts, and why they point powerfully toward the truth of the resurrection.
1. Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. An actual death is necessary for a resurrection. We can be sure Jesus was dead because the Romans were experts at killing, and the centurions would face the death penalty themselves if they allowed a victim to escape alive!1 That’s why they stabbed him in the side with a spear, and blood and water rushed out.2 A number of ancient sources also testify to the execution of Jesus.3 Even John Dominic Crossan, a skeptical historian, says, “That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be.”4
2. Jesus’ tomb was empty three days after the crucifixion.5 Jesus was buried and proclaimed as risen in the very city where he was executed. But then all four gospel accounts report the tomb being empty three days later. If the tomb wasn’t empty, the enemies of Jesus would’ve had all the material evidence necessary to disprove the resurrection and quell the rise of Christianity. But since the tomb was empty, they had to make up a story claiming that the disciples stole the body (an impossible theory for reasons explained in the next point). We can also be confident the tomb was empty because the gospel reports include embarrassing details that wouldn’t be mentioned unless the authors were trying to report what actually happened.6
3. The risen Jesus was seen by the apostles. They touched him. They talked with him. They ate with him. And then they boldly proclaimed that Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to them in person. We know this because they were consistent with their claims and they were transformed from cowering, fearful people to bold witnesses for the risen savior. More than that, they were willing to endure harsh persecution and even die for what they believed. This also disproves the theory that they stole the body of Jesus, because no one is willing to die for something they know is a lie. Some try to explain these appearances away by claiming they merely hallucinated Jesus’ resurrection. But this doesn’t work because Jesus appeared many times to different groups of people—and even to enemies of the faith, like Saul of Tarsus.7 Also, hallucinations wouldn’t explain the empty tomb!
4. The resurrection was reported early. This was not some legendary development that arose generations or centuries after Jesus. Formalized statements of beliefs like the one found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 show that the early church was unanimous in its declaration of the resurrection. Even skeptical scholars will admit that this was formally codified by Christians within a few years of the crucifixion.8 The earliest followers of Jesus were convinced he had risen from the dead.
So, if Jesus was dead on the cross and then buried, his tomb was empty three days later, he was seen by the apostles, and this was reported early, what hypothesis could explain all of these facts? Many have attempted to provide naturalistic theories like the disciples stealing the body or hallucinating the resurrection. But all of these fall short because each only attempts to explain one or two of the facts, and there’s no independent reason to believe them (outside of trying to avoid a miracle). The best explanation that accounts for all of these facts is the one that the eyewitnesses accepted—that Jesus really did rise from the dead.
One more thing: nonbelievers shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the testimony of the gospels themselves. There are great reasons to believe they were written by eyewitnesses who walked and talked with Jesus and were honest about what they saw. They had intricate and accurate knowledge of the life, teachings, and historical context of Jesus. And they were unafraid of sharing details that painted themselves in a bad light—a hallmark of careful factual reporting.9 The Bible is a book that both reports historical facts and teaches theological truth.
This is just a sampling of the evidence that supports Jesus’ resurrection—evidence that convinced Jesus’ disciples then, and millions of followers since. If Jesus truly rose, it changes everything. It shows that Jesus was who he claimed to be: the Son of God sent to save the world from their sins. The question is no longer just, ‘Did it happen?’ but ‘What will you do with this truth? Though we cannot put our hand in Jesus’ healed wounds as Thomas did, we have many reasons to affirm the same message about Jesus that Thomas proclaimed in John 20:29: he is “My Lord and my God.”
Recommended Resources for a deeper dive into this subject:
- The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel
- On the Resurrection – Gary Habermas
- The Resurrection of the Son of God – NT Wright
References
1 Acts 12:19, Acts 16:27
2 John 19:33-34
3 Including Tacitus, Josephus, Lucian of Samosata, Mara Bar-Serapion, and the Jewish Talmud. Strobel, L. The Case for Hope, p. 36
4 John Dominic Crossan, (1995) Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography HarperOne p. 155
5 The consensus among scholars for the empty tomb is less unanimous than the other facts, but there is still a significant 75% majority who agree it was empty. Gary R. Habermas, On the Resurrection, Volume 1: Evidences (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2024), 573.
6 Jesus was reported to be buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish council that condemned him to death. Also in every gospel account women were the first witnesses to the empty tomb. We may be unbothered by this today, but in ancient Judea women were not viewed as reliable eyewitnesses. If the authors were trying to write something believable they would’ve said that Peter or another prominent male disciple first discovered the empty tomb. These kinds of details wouldn’t have been included unless the authors were just trying to be honest, which gives us more confidence that their report was accurate.
7 Dr. Joseph Bergeron has stated, “…hallucinations are private experiences. Hallucination hypotheses, therefore, are unable to explain the disciples’ simultaneous group encounters with the resurrected Jesus…the concept of collective hallucination is not found in peer reviewed medical and psychological literature.” Dr. Joseph Bergeron and Gary R. Habermas “The Resurrection of Jesus: A Clinical Review of Psychiatric Hypotheses for the Biblical Story of Easter” 2015 https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1407&context=lts_fac_pubs
8 The agnostic scholar Bart Ehrman concedes, “…it is believed far and wide among New Testament specialists that Paul is indicating that this is a tradition already widespread in the Christian church, handed over to him by Christian teachers, possibly even the earlier apostles themselves. In other words, this is what New Testament scholars call a pre-Pauline tradition—one that was in circulation before Paul wrote it and even before he gave it to the Corinthians when he first persuaded them to become followers of Jesus. So this is a very ancient tradition about Jesus. Does it go back even to before the time when Paul himself joined the movement around the year 33 CE, some three years after Jesus had died? If so, it would be very ancient indeed!” Bart Ehrman, How Jesus Became God, p138
9 See footnote 6 for more.
Matthew Mittelberg
Matthew is the Director of Content and a Speaker for Apologetics, Inc.