And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."{Romans 1:4} One of the strongest evidences of Jesus is His resurrection from the dead. This is supreme, divine testimony. Let us examine the eyewitnesses evidence and see if it justifies this conclusion.
Did He die? "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out."{John 19:33,34} Romans were experts at putting men to death. Could they have made a mistake? "And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury."{John 19:39,40} We also read that a great stone was rolled in front of the tomb; that it was sealed with a Roman signet, and that guards were placed around the tomb. (Matthew 27:59-66) How do we explain the empty tomb? Who rolled away the stone? (Luke 24:2,3; Matthew 28:1-6)
Did the disciples steal the body? What did they do when he was arrested? (Matthew 27:56) How did they get past the guards? Would they break the Roman seal, a crime punishable by death? If the Jews stole His body, what was their motivation? Did they not ask that the guards be placed there? When word of the resurrection spread; they would have produced the body!
What about the eyewitnesses? Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18); group of woman (Matthew 28:9,10); two men traveling from Emmaus, (Luke 24:11-35); Simon Peter (Luke 24:34); disciples assembled (John 20:19-25). Read Luke 24:11 and John 16:11,13; their testimony was not even believed at first! Can all these witnesses just be disregarded? Did they all lie? For what reasons? What about the 500 discussed in 1 Corinthians 15:8? Who would organize all this deception? Why did the stories agree? There can be only one true conclusion-Jesus Christ arose on the third day!