Did Jesus Really Rise?

There are different theories that try to make sense of Jesus’ crucifixion, and the fact that his body went missing from his tomb. This video introduces us to some of them.

  • Which theory did you find most compelling?

 

Take a closer look at the common alternative theories here.

Common alternative theories

The alternative conclusion is that Jesus really did rise from the dead. That is the only explanation which makes sense of the way Christianity took off under immense persecution. Over the next 30 years, Jesus’ followers turned the world upside down with their message. They did this at no personal benefit to themselves, and often at the cost of their own lives. What other explanation can there be than they had truly encountered the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes?

  • Do you think Jesus really rose from the dead?
It was a myth

Jesus’ resurrection was a legend that began centuries after he was killed.

Historically, it’s a fact that Jesus was killed by the Romans—this was documented by Jewish and Roman historians like Josephus and Tacitus. It’s also a fact that Jesus’ tomb was empty three days after he died; otherwise the enemies of the Christians would have just gotten Jesus’ body and showed everyone. They didn’t do that—his body had vanished. As they say, the rest is history.

It was a conspiracy

The disciples stole the body and made it up.

But why? The disciples did not have the motive to do this. They literally gained nothing from saying Jesus rose from the dead. They were chased from town to town by the Jews trying to kill them. Many of their families would have shunned them. They gained no wealth or prestige in their society by preaching that Jesus rose from the dead. And nearly all 12 disciples were killed for preaching. They would not have endured all this for a known lie. Religious terrorists are willing to die for something they hope is true. But if this was a lie, these disciples would have known it was. They were there when this all began. They quite simply would not have died for a lie.

He didn’t really die

Jesus didn’t really die on the cross, he just fell unconscious.

Jesus couldn’t have been unconscious for a number of reasons:

  • The Roman soldiers who were charged with his execution thrust a spear into his side to ensure he was dead (John 19:34-37). Neither could he have survived being embalmed.
  • His tomb was guarded by professional Roman soldiers—how would a half-dead Jesus get past them?
  • In addition, if Jesus had just fainted and barely survived the cross, it would have been impossible for him to inspire his disciples to worship him as God in that state.
The disciples hallucinated

The disciples thought they saw the risen Jesus but they were sincerely mistaken.

This theory cannot account for the fact that, as we read above, over 500 people saw him alive at the same time after his crucifixion. Hallucinations happen to individuals, not groups. Also, if this was true, his enemies could have simply gone to his tomb, shown everyone the body, and Christianity would never have gotten started. But his tomb was empty and they could not do this.