THE CASE FOR CHRIST--Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ: The Pivotal Point for All Human History

This morning, we considered the evidence that supports the hinge point on which all other human history and human endeavor rests: Did Jesus Christ actually die on an old wooden cross and if He did die, was he resurrected on the third day? If these things did not occur, then human life is meaningless and our faith as Christians is of no value and also meaningless. Therefore, the validity of these events is easily the most critical analysis that can be undertaken by Christian and non-Christian alike. Validation of these events verifies that Christ is who He says he was, the Son of God, and that He was and is capable of saving sinners from the consequence of their actions: death. Indeed, the critical importance of these events is emphasized in Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 15: 13-14, Paul writes, "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain."
As Mr. Strobel discusses in the book, there are those who try to explain the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by postulating that Jesus actually never died. He only fainted or was drugged and actually was alive when he was removed from the cross. This theory is popularly characterized as the "swoon theory." Yet, we examined the likelihood that a person could walk away from the kind of punishment that Jesus suffered at the hands of the Romans. We considered these fact: 1) The Romans were experts in administering the death penalty and inflicting pain on those whom they viewed as enemies, 2) Jesus was flogged prior to the crucifixion. Often, flogging in and of itself was sufficient to bring about the death of a victim. Flogging resulted in the exposure of nerves, muscles, and, in some cases the intestines of the person being flogged. As we discussed in class, there were no antibiotics at the time of Jesus. A person whose skin was torn from his body and who suffered extreme exposure in unsanitary conditions would not be likely to survive even this "minor" punishment. 3) The crucifixion of a person led to a victim being spread-eagled on a wooden cross and nails driven through the victim's hands and feet. In order to breathe while suspended on the cross, victims were forced to press down on their pierced feet and lift the body up so that the diaphragm could fill the lungs with air. In many cases, the victim became so exhausted and debilitated by the excruciating pain, that he simply asphyxiated on the cross. 4) While we did not discuss it this morning, Strobel refers to medical expert testimony that suggests that even if an individual was able to survive the flogging and the crucifixion, the extreme shock that the body would certainly encounter would be enough to bring about death, 5) The Romans, being experts in the administration of the death penalty, had the experience and the knowledge to determine when a victim of the cross was dead. The soldier who looked at Jesus determined that the breaking of His legs was not necessary because He was already dead. Just to ensure that his assessment was accurate, he pierced Jesus' side with the spear and, according to John, "blood and water came out." Again, based on the medical expert testimony, this observation was an indication that the pericardial sac which surrounds the heart had filled with fluid--the "water" that John referenced. Based on the medical testimony, such a condition would have precipitated the stoppage of the heart resulting in death. Clearly, the preponderance of evidence demonstrates that Jesus was indeed dead when he was removed from the cross.
Next, we must consider the allegation that Jesus' disciples stole his body from the tomb in which it was buried. Matthew reported that the chief priests paid the soldiers who were on duty a large sum of money to make the allegation that Jesus' body was stolen. Of course, we know that during that day and time, the soldiers who allowed a body to be stolen when they were assigned to guard the body would be facing torture and death as a consequence of this action. No such response is reported. While this may be the origin of the allegation that Jesus' body was stolen from the tomb, it is only a story that was fabricated by the chief priests to minimize the evidence that Jesus was indeed resurrcted from the dead.
Some of the experts in the DVD pointed out that if the early Christians were fabricating a story about the missing body and the empty tomb, they certainly would not have chosen a woman, Mary Magdelene to be the lead character in the discovery of the empty tomb. Women were second class citizens and Mary Magdelene was also a woman of questionable background. If this report of the Easter Morning discovery were not true, there is no feasible reason for Christian fathers to report it as it was reported. Yet, the report circulated soon after the death of Jesus and even in the face of severe criticism and questions about the credibility of women, Christian reports continued to reinforce this version of events.
Finally, we considered the appearanches of Jesus after his death and resurrection. Jesus appeared to more than five hundred followers as well as to the apostles after his death and resurrection. Again, the preponderance of evidence is overwhelming--Jesus Christ of Nazareth was seen time and again by those who would recognize him. He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today! Amen!