88400.3 Did Jesus Rise from the Dead

3. Were the Disciples Hallucinating?

Morison wondered if the disciples might have been so emotionally distraught that they hallucinated and imagined Jesus’ resurrection.

Psychologist Gary Collins, former president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, explains that, “Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature, only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They certainly aren’t something which can be seen by a group of people.”[11]

Hallucination is not even a remote possibility, according to psychologist Thomas J. Thorburn. “It is absolutely inconceivable that … five hundred persons, of average soundness of mind … should experience all kinds of sensuous impressions – visual, auditory, tactual – and that all these … experiences should rest entirely upon … hallucination.”[12]

The hallucination theory, then, appears to be another dead end. What else could explain away the resurrection?

4. Is it just a Legend?

Some unconvinced skeptics attribute the resurrection story to a legend that began with one or more persons lying or thinking they saw the resurrected Jesus. Over time, the legend would have grown and been embellished as it was passed on. ?But there are three major problems with that theory.

  1. Legends simply don’t develop while multiple eyewitnesses are alive to refute them. One historian of ancient Rome and Greece, A. N. Sherwin-White, argued that the resurrection news spread too soon and too quickly for it to have been a legend.[13] Even skeptical scholars admit that Christian hymns and creeds were recited in early churches within two to three years of Jesus’ crucifixion.[14]
  2. Legends develop by oral tradition and are not supported with contemporary historical documents. Yet the Gospels were written within three decades of the resurrection.[15]
  3. The legend theory doesn’t adequately explain either the empty tomb or the fervent conviction of the apostles that Jesus was alive.[16]

Morison’s original assumption that the resurrection account was mythical or legendary didn’t coincide with the facts.  

So what really happened?

5. Did the Resurrection Really Happen?

Having eliminated the main arguments against Jesus’ resurrection due to their inconsistency with the facts, Morison began asking himself, “did it really happen?” Instead of looking for evidence against Jesus’ resurrection, he wondered how strong the case was for its actual occurrence. Several facts stood out.

Women First

Each eyewitness account reports that Jesus suddenly appeared bodily to his followers, the women first. Morison wondered why conspirators would make women central to the plot. In the first century, women had virtually no rights, personhood, or status. Morison reasoned that conspirators would have portrayed men, not women, as the first to see Jesus alive. And yet we read that women touched him, spoke with him, and were the first to find the empty tomb.  

Multiple Eyewitnesses

The disciples claim they saw Jesus on more than ten separate occasions. They say he showed them his hands and feet and told them to touch him. He ate with them and later, on one occasion, appeared alive to more than 500 followers.

In Caesarea, Peter told a crowd why he and the other disciples were so convinced Jesus was alive.

“We apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Israel and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by crucifying him, but God raised him to life three days later … We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”[17]

Morison realized that these early sightings of a risen Jesus by so many of his followers would have been virtually impossible to fake.   

Then what else could have happened?

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88400.1 Did Jesus Rise from the Dead

According to eyewitnesses, a man named Jesus Christ demonstrated his power over death. They tell us that after he died on a cross and was buried, Jesus suddenly appeared to them alive on the third day. Then he was seen by other followers, including 500 people on a single occasion.

Soon word spread everywhere that Jesus had risen from the dead. But could Jesus’ resurrection simply be a 2000 year old legend? Or is it based upon verifiable historical evidence?

If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then the foundation for the Christian Faith would forever be destroyed.

Jesus Predicts His Own Death and Resurrection

Seven hundred years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah had written about a future Messiah, who would suffer and die for our sins, but later be restored to life.

Echoing the prophecy in Isaiah 53, Jesus claimed that he was the Messiah who would be betrayed, arrested, condemned, spit upon, scourged, and killed. But then three days later he would come back to life. (See Mark 10:33).

Everything Jesus taught and claimed depended on his resurrection from the dead. If Jesus didn’t rise as he promised, his message of forgiveness and hope for eternal life would be meaningless. Jesus was putting his words to the ultimate test of truth.

Bible scholar Wilbur Smith explains, “When he said He would rise again from the dead, the third day after He was crucified, He said something that only a fool would dare say if He expected the devotion of any disciples – unless He was sure He was going to rise.”[1]

So what happened?

A Horrific Death And Then . . . ?

Exactly as Jesus predicted, eyewitnesses report he was betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot. Then in a mock trial under the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, he was condemned, scourged, kicked, spat upon, brutally whipped, and finally crucified on a wooden cross.

Jesus suffered on the cross for approximately six hours. Then, at 3:00 in the afternoon Jesus cried out, “It is finished” and died.[2] Suddenly the sky went dark and an earthquake shook the land.[3]  

Pilate wanted to verify that Jesus was dead before allowing his crucified body to be buried. So a Roman guard thrust a spear into Jesus’ side. The mixture of blood and water that flowed out, according to eyewitnesses, was a clear indication that Jesus was dead. Once his death was certified, Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross, tightly wrapped in linen and buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. Roman guards then sealed the tomb with a large stone and were under strict orders to watch the tomb 24 hours a day.

Jesus’ disciples were so utterly devastated by his death on the cross that they fled for their lives, fearing they too would be captured and killed. But then something happened . . .

According to a New York Times article,

“Shortly after Jesus was executed, his followers were suddenly galvanized from a baffled and cowering group into people whose message about a living Jesus and a coming kingdom, preached at the risk of their lives, eventually changed an empire. Something happened … But exactly what?”[4]

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23103 Prayer and Fasting

Fasting is an important spiritual discipline that helps deepen one’s walk with God.

Moses, King David, and prophets in the Old Testament fasted to come before the LORD.

“So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” (Exodus 34:28)

“When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (2 Samuel 12:16)

“When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4)

In the New Testament, Jesus taught about fasting:

“When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward! When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16–18)

Although prayer is commanded by God (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:8), fasting is not. However, fasting is very powerful if approached with the right heart attitude. It is a tool to grow closer to God as you earnestly seek to know and follow His heart, mind, and will.

How to Fast

Even when you have some urgent needs to seek God, going into prolonged fasting without proper preparation is unwise and even dangerous. For example, when King David was fasting for his dying child, he was attended by his servants who were looking after his wellbeing. It is also important to remember that some individuals, such as diabetics, may have health conditions that prevent them from fasting. Before fasting, it is recommended to consult medical professionals and/or Christian leaders experienced with fasting.

Small Steps

It is best to focus on developing a habit and start “small”.

Because God does not command us to fast, there is no single correct way to fast. Among those who regularly fast and pray:

  • Some fast one day a week or one day every three months.
  • Some fast for three days at the beginning of each month.
  • Some have used the “Daniel Fast” (Daniel 1:8–14).
  • Some have undertaken forty-day fasts.

To start, consider skipping one regular meal. Instead of eating, spend that time in prayer and/or reading the Word. You can do this occasionally or choose to make this a weekly habit.

Next, try skipping two consecutive meals, such as breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner, or dinner and breakfast the next morning. During these times, it is crucial to drink water to stay hydrated. This practice can also be incorporated into regular spiritual discipline routines.

Your fasting experience will differ from others because each body is unique. Typically, the first three days are the most challenging, with acute hunger, irritation, weakness, or difficulty concentrating. After three days, hunger may decrease, but the body undergoes significant changes. If planning to fast longer than three days, seek guidance from someone knowledgeable about fasting.

Fasting is powerful, but you may not always see the result you expect. Similar to prayer, the primary purpose of fasting is to be in God’s presence. By learning to delight in His presence through fasting, you can trust that God will respond perfectly in His timing with His perfect answer.