Ten Reasons to Believe
1. A Public Execution Assured His Death
During the Jewish Feast of Passover, Jesus was swept away by an angry
crowd into a Roman hall of justice. As He stood before Pilate, the
governor of Judea, religious leaders accused Jesus of claiming to be the
king of the Jews. The crowd demanded His death. Jesus was beaten,
whipped, and sentenced to a public execution. On a hill outside of
Jerusalem, He was crucified between two criminals. Brokenhearted friends
and mocking enemies shared in His deathwatch. As the Sabbath
neared, Roman soldiers were sent to finish the execution. To quicken
death, they broke the legs of the two criminals. But when they came to
Jesus they did not break His legs, because from experience they knew He
was already dead. As a final precaution, however, they thrust a spear
into His side. It would take more than resuscitation for Him to ever
trouble them again.
2. A High Official Secured The Grave site
The next day, religious leaders again met with Pilate. They said Jesus
had predicted He would rise in 3 days. To assure that the disciples
could not conspire in a resurrection hoax, Pilate ordered the official
seal of Rome to be attached to the tomb to put grave robbers on notice.
To enforce the order, soldiers stood guard. Any disciple who wanted to
tamper with the body would have had to get by them, which wouldn't have
been easy. The Roman guards had good reason for staying alert--the
penalty for
falling asleep while on watch was death.
3. In Spite Of Guards, The Grave Was Found Empty
On the morning after the Sabbath, some of Jesus' followers went to the
grave to anoint His body. But when they arrived, they were surprised at
what they found. The huge stone that had been rolled into place over the
entrance to the tomb had been moved, and Jesus' body was gone. As word
got out, two disciples rushed to the burial site. The tomb was empty
except for Jesus' burial wrappings, which were lying neatly in place. In
the meantime, some of the guards had gone into Jerusalem to tell the
Jewish officials that they had fainted in the presence of a supernatural
being that rolled the stone away. And when they woke up, the tomb was
empty. The officials paid the guards a large sum of money to lie and say
that the disciples stole the body while the soldiers slept. They assured
the guards that if the report of the missing body got back to the
governor they would intercede on their behalf.
4. Many People Claimed To Have Seen Him Alive
About AD 55, the apostle Paul wrote that the resurrected Christ had been
seen by Peter, the 12 apostles, more than 500 people (many of whom were
still alive at the time of his writing), James, and himself (1
Corinthians 15:5-8). By making such a public statement, he gave critics
a chance to check out his claims for themselves. In addition, the New
Testament begins its history of the followers of Christ by saying that
Jesus "presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible
proofs, being seen by {the apostles} during forty days and speaking of
the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).
5. His Apostles Were Dramatically Changed
When one of Jesus' inner circle defected and betrayed Him, the other
apostles ran for their lives. Even Peter, who earlier had insisted that
he was ready to die for his teacher, lost heart and denied that he even
knew Jesus. But the apostles went through a dramatic change. Within a
few weeks, they were standing face to face with the ones who had
crucified their leader. Their spirit was like iron. They became
unstoppable in their determination to sacrifice everything for the one
they called Savior and Lord. Even after they were imprisoned,
threatened, and forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus, the apostles
said to the Jewish leaders, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts
5:29). After they were beaten for disobeying the orders of the Jewish
council, these once-cowardly apostles "did not cease teaching and
preaching Jesus as the Christ" (Acts 5:42).
6. Witnesses Were Willing To Die For Their Claims
History is full of martyrs. Countless men and women have died for their
beliefs. For that reason, it is not that significant to point out that
the first disciples were willing to suffer and die for their faith. But
it is significant that while many will die for what they believe to be
the truth, few if any will die for what they know to be a lie. That
psychological fact is important because the disciples of Christ did not
die for deeply held beliefs about which they could have been honestly
mistaken. They died for their claims to have seen Jesus alive and well
after His resurrection. They died for their claim that Jesus Christ had
not only died for their sins but that He had risen bodily from the dead
to show that He was like no other spiritual leader who had ever lived.
7. Jewish Believers Changed Their Day Of Worship
The Sabbath day of rest and worship was basic to the Jewish way of life.
Any Jew who did not honor the Sabbath was guilty of breaking the law of
Moses. Yet Jewish followers of Christ began worshiping with Gentile
believers on a new day. The first day of the week, the day on which they
believed Christ had risen from the dead, replaced the Sabbath. For a
Jew, it reflected a major change of life. The new day, along with the
Christian conversion rite of baptism, declared that those who believed
Christ had risen from the dead were ready for more than a renewal of Judaism.
They believed that the death and resurrection of Christ had cleared the
way for a new relationship with God. The new way was based not on the
law, but on the sin-bearing, life-giving help of a resurrected Savior.
8. Although It Was Unexpected, It Was Clearly Predicted
The disciples were caught off guard. They expected their Messiah to
restore the kingdom to Israel. Their minds were so fixed on the coming
of a messianic political kingdom that they didn't anticipate the events
essential to the salvation of their souls. They must have thought Christ
was speaking in symbolic language when He kept saying over and over that
it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem to die and be resurrected
from the dead. Coming from one who spoke in parables, they missed the
obvious until after it was all over. In the process, they also
overlooked the prophet Isaiah's prediction of a suffering servant who
would bear the sins of Israel, being led like a lamb to the slaughter,
before God "prolong {ed} His days" (Isaiah 53:10).
9. It Was A Fitting Climax To A Miraculous Life
While Jesus hung on a Roman cross, crowds mocked Him. He helped others,
but could He help Himself? Was the miracle suddenly coming to an end? It
seemed like such an unexpected ending for someone who began His public
life by turning water into wine. During His 3-year ministry, He walked
on water; healed the sick; opened blind eyes, deaf ears, and tongue-tied
mouths; restored crippled limbs; cast out demons; stilled a violent
storm; and raised the dead. He asked questions wise men
couldn't answer. He taught profound truths with the simplest of
comparisons. And He confronted hypocrites with words that exposed their
cover-up. If all this was true, should we be surprised that His enemies
didn't have the last word?
10. It Fits The Experience Of Those Who Trust Him
The apostle Paul wrote, "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give
life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans
8:11). This was the experience of Paul, whose heart was dramatically
changed by the resurrected Christ. It is also the experience of people
all over the world who have "died" to their old ways so that Christ can
live His life through them. This spiritual power is not evident in those
who try to add belief in Christ to their old life. It is seen only in
those who are willing to "die" to their old life to make room for the
rule of Christ. It is apparent only in those who respond to the
overwhelming evidence for Christ's resurrection by acknowledging His
lordship in their heart.
[ 'Ten Reasons to Believe' http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/rtb/ -- from Randy Walker ]
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