(#16) He Must Have Existed

  1. Share
13 3

If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then (#16) He Must Have Existed [audio]

A recent survey in Britain showed that 22% of Brits don’t believe that there ever was a real Jesus… that it is all fake, some kind of a myth or made-up deception.

This is fascinating, for the vast majority of historians find the evidence compelling that there really was a Jesus of Nazareth. What is going on here? It is increasingly possible that you will find one of your neighbors taking the position that Jesus never even existed. This conveniently makes any discussion of the resurrection, for them, a moot point. How do we respond to them?

Let’s look at the significant secular historical references to Jesus:

  • Tacitus writes that Jesus “suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberias” and at the “hands of… Pontius Pilate” (Annals 15:44).
  • Josephus writes about James “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ” (Antiquities 20:9).
  • Other historical references to Jesus come from Suetonius, Thallus (via Julius Africanus) and Pliny the Younger.
  • Celsus thought Jesus a villain, but he didn’t question whether or not He lived.
  • Even the Jewish Talmud speaks of Jesus being “hanged (on a tree) on the eve of the Passover” (Sanhedrin 43a).
  • Lucian writes of Christians worshipping their “crucified sage”, and Mara Bar-Serapion, maybe as early as late first century, writes this in a letter to his son:

“What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise King? It was just after that their kingdom was abolished… Nor did the wise king die for good; he lived on in the teaching which he had given.”

  • Justin Martyr in mid-second century calls his readers to review The Acts of Pontius Pilate in which the miraculous acts of Jesus and His resurrection are attested.
  • Phlegon (via Origen and Julius Africanus) wrote of Jesus’ death and resurrection and the earthquake and darkness at the crucifixion.

Nothing, however, is quite as compelling as the documents which chronicle the life of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and the writings of Paul, James, Jude and Peter. Some would try to discount the Gospels because they were written by followers of Jesus, but this is a very weak charge. If we were to toss all histories because the writer was not perfectly neutral toward his subject, we would be left with virtually no history. Paul was initially hostile toward those who were following a man named Jesus. He became a believer and then spent time with eyewitnesses like Peter and James, the brother of Jesus. His writings are filled with testimony regarding the existence of Jesus of Nazareth, especially His death and resurrection.

The key point is that there is more than sufficient evidence to support the existence of Jesus.

So why the push-back?

It might be of value to ask the question, why do people spend time trying to prove Him non-existent? There are societies of “mythicists” whose sole purpose is to prove Jesus is merely a myth and legend. The Jesus Project was founded not long ago for the purpose of debunking the historical Jesus. There have been numerous books written whose object is to deny the historicity of Jesus. For years, it seemed that every Easter, Time and Newsweek were obsessed with debunking Him. This should be eye opening. Why dedicate so much press to this? Why build a campus club for this purpose? Why are there not societies formed to debunk the existence of Plato or Aristotle or King Arthur (whose existence is certainly questionable)?

There are some today who deny the historicity of the Holocaust. They do not deny it because the evidence points them to that conclusion. They deny it because they have an a priori desire, a motive, to do so.

Much the same can be said for those who “need” to deny the existence of Jesus. It is not driven so much by fact as it is driven by desire. I have watched the debates. The rebuttal to the evidence is extremely weak and contrived. In reality, the vast majority of honest historians, whether or not they believe the claims of Jesus, are convinced the evidence of His existence is overwhelming.

Lawrence Mykytiuk, associate professor of library science, Purdue University, writes:

“Jewish rabbis who did not like Jesus or his followers accused him of being a magician and leading people astray, but they never said he didn’t exist.”

When you begin to build a deep relationship with your neighbor and they happen to be a historical denier of Jesus, keep in mind that it isn’t so much an intellectual issue as it is a heart issue. This should simply provoke us to deeper and deeper prayer and intercession for them.

Why are we dealing with this here? Because the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is so weighty that it provides a "back door" to argue for His existence. All of the things we have talked about so far and all of the things we will look at ahead, provide a deeply compelling argument for the reality that a man named Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. If this is true, and it is, then Jesus did exist. And if He existed and He then rose from the dead, then everything He said and everything He did must be evaluated and weighed and pondered...and hopefully believed.

[previous] [next]

 

Community tags

This content has 0 tags that match your profile.

Comments

To view comments or leave a comment, login or sign up.

Related Content

30
(#2) The Seal Was Broken
 If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then (#2) The Seal Was Broken [audio] We don’t spend much time talking about the seal that was placed upon the tomb, but I think it is significant. Here is the historical record: The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. (Matthew 27:62-66) The account states that the chief priests and the Pharisees “made the tomb secure by sealing the stone…”.  This seal was most likely several ropes that were drawn across the stone and then affixed to the tomb walls with a soft clay imprinted with some symbol of authority. It was also likely that the ropes were sealed at their juncture in front of the stone. In this way, no one could move the stone or the ropes without breaking the dried clay and destroying the “seal” affixed upon the clay.  The seal was there to “put on notice” that no one was to mess with the tomb. Rome could deal quite nastily with those who did so. Now, this doesn’t mean much to us today, for we are long past the norm of using “seals” as they were utilized in ancient times. but in those days, a seal was inviolable[1]. It represented authority, authenticity, and finality. No one messed with a seal. In the book of Esther, when King Ahasuerus issued the order to save the Jews, he commanded them to “seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked.” (Esther 8:8) When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, “… a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel." (Daniel 6:17) In the vision concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the Scripture says: And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” (Isaiah 29:11) The permanence of a seal against all who were unauthorized to break it was an inviolable part of their world.  It becomes even more apparent when John is caught up to heaven and there beholds the scroll with seven seals. John weeps because there was “no one worthy to open the scroll or to look into it” (Revelation 5:4). Of course, we find that the Lamb, “standing as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6), was worthy to break the seals. And when each of those seals were broken, great calamity came upon the earth. Seals in the Scripture mean something. And John had wept, because the seal represented an inviolable wall to anyone who did not have the authority to break it. Seals show authority. They show authenticity. And they show finality for all except the one who had the authority to break them. And so, we now come back to the tomb. The seal, whether it was a Roman seal or the High Priest’s seal, represented a fixed closure that no one was allowed to breach. When it was set upon the tomb, there was a finality, a stamp of ultimate authority, that said, “This tomb is closed.” Ah, but God is not subject to the laws or seals of man. I can imagine that when the earth began to shake and the stone was rolled aside, that those clay seals with the authority of man impressed upon them broke into a thousand pieces and lay as trash littering the ground. If Jesus rose from the dead, then the seal of man, meant to keep Him in the grave, had been utterly and completely destroyed. But there is one more thing that must be mentioned regarding “seals”. It is important to note that God has given us this detail in the record to help substantiate the reality of the accounts of the empty tomb and the risen Lord Jesus. But it also brings our minds to something quite wonderful. In John 6:27, Jesus said: Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” If God seals something, it is sealed! In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) “… it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:21) This is God’s seal of authority, authenticity, and finality. You are His, sealed with His guarantee. Oh, my, dear brothers and sisters in Christ! How deep is the steadfast love of God that He should do such mighty things to secure us to Himself and then tell us that He has put His own seal upon you and me? As David writes: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” (Psalm 139:6) [previous] [next]     [1]Inviolable /ĭn-vī′ə-lə-bəl/: never to be broken, infringed or dishonored; unassailable; secure from violation or assault or trespass
10
If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then... (#0)
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important truth claim in a biblical worldview. It is the key apologetic for Christianity. It is the most important event in history. The implications of the Resurrection are so deeply woven into the fabric of our Christian faith that it is important for us to continually embed its truths into our heart and mind such that it becomes an ever-present reality. To do this, I would like for us to ponder fifty compelling arguments and implications that are true if Jesus, indeed, “rose from the dead.” We will look at these, one a day, over the next seven weeks. This will take us through Ascension Day and Pentecost. The latter two are important days of remembrance following the Resurrection and we will highlight them. But more importantly, I want to help people contemplate, on a daily basis, over a sustained period of time, the tremendous significance of the Resurrection. We will do this by considering not only the many proofs, but also the many deep implications. I would encourage you to do this as devotions with your spouse or as a study for your small group and then engage in a healthy discussion (suggested questions will be provided in the daily email). My prayer is that God will use these days to increase faith within the Body of Christ and our ability to provide a "neighborly apologetic" to those who are open to hear as the result of the relationships we are building with them. Paul states that without the resurrection, our faith would be in vain and we would still be lost.  “… if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”      1 Corinthians 15:17 This is not a minor statement, and it should cause us pause, for it puts this unique historical event into sharp perspective. Without the Resurrection, we are hopelessly lost. We are without a true faith and we are unforgiven, still condemned in our sins. We should probably read that verse over several times before plowing forward. It is easy for me, and possibly you, to treat Easter as another Christian holiday marked by multiple, and possibly extensive, preparations. Church choirs rehearse diligently and on overtime, special services are prepared (think Good Friday and sometimes Sunrise Services), thousands of lilies are tended and provoked to bloom at the right time and are purchased to line sanctuary rails, special meals are planned and prepared and joyously consumed, treasure hunts are created, painted eggs are hidden and Easter baskets are filled with chocolate bunnies, peeps, and who knows what else the market has, and will, come up with.  The point here is that just like Christmas and Thanksgiving and every other holiday, including birthdays, anniversaries, and the multitude of “take-your-boss-to-lunch” kind of days, they are preceded with much preparation, happy execution, and then forgotten except to toss the wrappings into the trash and press on with life as usual. When I was at the White House, the annual “Easter Egg Roll” on the south lawn was a big deal with weeks of preparation, followed immediately by a massive clean-up and the Secret Service hustling folks out of the “compound”. The next day, it was impossible to find any evidence that there had been anything going on. For the Resurrection, however, Paul implies that it is something so critical to our faith that it should be an ever present reality. The astounding cry, “He lives!” should be ongoing, not a one-and-done holiday. Certainly, "We serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today," as the famous hymn states, is an astounding, continual reality. I believe it is important for us to frequently ponder and meditate upon the deep implications that the tomb was really, truly empty and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is absolutely true. So, we will look at not only these implications, but also the apologetic propositions and the incredible truths that logically follow this unmatched historical assertion. We will generally lay down the apologetic arguments first and then deal with the implications. And hopefully, after working your way through all of this, you will have imprinted these implications and truths deep in your heart such that they will help you with your walk into the darkness we call future. Because it is the Resurrection of Christ that stands not only at the forefront in the apologetic reality of who Jesus is and what God has done for us, but also the enduring hope we have in Christ. As another famous hymn states: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow." [Next: It Would Have Shaken Everything]