What Christadelphians believe about ...

The Resurrection of Jesus

Miracles in the Bible

Miracles in themselves sometimes prove a stumbling-block to those who come to the Bible for the first time who are not sure what they will find within its pages. Those who have become more familiar with the Bible will, we think, find them less of a difficulty. It is ironic that one of the chief purposes of the miracles, certainly in the New Testament, was to demonstrate the truth and divinity of the gospel message. As one said to Jesus, "We know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles, except God be with him." (John 3:2)

Miracles are not presented in the Bible as a part of everyday life; far from it. On the other hand, it is true that by very definition a miracle must operate in a manner contrary to what we regard as the laws of nature. None more so, it might be argued, than the resurrection from the dead of the crucified Jesus.

The Miracle of the Resurrection

The approach of the sceptic to this event will often entail some scathing comment such as, 'Oh, I imagine his disciples would have stolen the body.' Such a sceptic might be surprised to know that his conclusion is out-of-date by about two thousand years. This was the story that was put about by the Jewish authorities of the time, and which gained some degree of acceptance (Matthew 28:15).

In regard to the resurrection of Jesus, and indeed, any of the miracles he performed, we are not dealing with a credulous primitive society, but one which had a degree of sophistication not markedly less that our own. Not everyone by a long way believed the disciples' words that Jesus had been raised. But what was markedly lacking was any refutation of the assertion of the disciples by the authorities.

What could have been easier for the Jewish rulers, given that they were strongly resistant to any suggestion that Jesus was not still dead, than to produce the body as evidence? This would have immediately counteracted any suggestion that the disciples mistook the tomb, and, finding an empty one by mistake, asserted that Jesus was raised from the dead. Or that for reasons unknown the body might have been transferred elsewhere by the authorities, Jewish or Roman.

While it is hard to accurately visualise the scenes in Jerusalem around the time of the crucifixion, it is generally known that the disciples fled when Jesus was arrested. They were doubtless in fear of their own lives as supporters and confederates of the condemned man. Certainly they would not be in any mood for body-snatching, even if they had the ability, given the precautions taken by the authorities to guard the tomb: these were in the main simple labourers, after all, who would have seen the death of Jesus as the end of all their hopes, not as a springboard for high-profile activity. They would not have been inspired, but depressed.

Other suggestions that have been made as to the facts include the theory that Jesus did not die on the cross, but merely fainted, and was thus buried alive, subsequently recovering. Assuming the Romans were lax enough to permit this, which history tells us they were not, the mutilated body of a semi-crucified man would not have convinced anybody that he had risen from the dead.

Recommended Reading

Should you have read thus far being unfamiliar with the Bible account, we recommend you to do so, for some of the foregoing arguments will not have been fully appreciated. The record of the trial, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ is to be found at the end of all four of the gospel narratives.

If, on the contrary, you are familiar with the Bible record, we can recommend another much more recent book in this connection. 'Who Moved the Stone?' was first written in 1930 by Frank Morison, a so-called 'Christian sceptic' who, in pursuit of a 'non-miraculous Christianity' was determined to disprove and discount the resurrection once and for all. The book is still in print, but instead of disproving the resurrection, it emerged as a book which, looking at every aspect in detail, arrived at the conclusion that there was no escaping the truth of the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Well worth reading, if you have not already done so.