For Christ-followers, the resurrection of Jesus is not a debatable issue. By faith, we accept the Bible record as accurate and authoritative. We have embraced Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” ESV. We believe Jesus is alive today!
But many in our world today deny the resurrection. Some do not accept the Biblical record because it would convict them of sin. Accepting the authority of Scripture would make them accountable to someone other than themselves, and they want no part of that. Others have never taken time to examine the historical record; they are simply ignorant. And yet, according to those who’ve honestly examined the evidence, the resurrection of Jesus is one of the most well-documented facts of history.
Sir William Ramsay was a noted English scientist and researcher from Oxford University who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904. He was an agnostic and a skeptic. He believed he could disprove the Biblical record. He spent 15 years attempting to undermine Luke’s credentials as a historian and to refute the reliability of the New Testament, particularly the book of Acts. At the end of his research, he finally concluded: “Luke is a historian of the first rank . . . This author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.” Sir William was so convinced of the accuracy of the Scripture that he changed from being an agnostic to becoming a Believer, an apologist, a defender of the faith.
E. M. Blaiklock, Professor of Classics at Auckland University in New Zealand, wrote, “I claim to be a historian. My approach to Classics is historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history . . .” We could provide more historical documentation, but that is not our goal. Instead, we want to investigate the Biblical record and let it speak for itself, in Mark 16:1-8. I’ve titled my teaching, “Proofs of the Resurrection.” Now, here is the Word of God to us.
This text provides several PROOFS that assure us that the resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact!
The First PROOF of the Resurrection is,
The Open Tomb
Mark chapter 15 ends with Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, observing as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus hurriedly prepared the body of Jesus and buried Him. Luke tells us that from there, the women went home and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath.
Now, the Sabbath was past, and they were free to carry out their plans. So, very early on Sunday morning, before it was daylight, the women left Bethany. Salome was also part of the group, and Luke adds Joanna and other women. The journey to the site of Jesus’ burial was about two miles, and the text tells us the sun had risen while they were walking.
As they walked, a specific question kept forcing its way into their conversation. “Who will roll away the stone for us?” Matthew and Mark tell us that the stone covering the entrance to the tomb was large. Not only that, but New Testament scholar Kenneth Weust also tells us that the wording in the original language indicates that the stone was set into the entrance, not merely covering the entrance as often depicted. It was like a door fitted into a frame.
Imagine their feelings of helplessness. They knew what they wanted to do, what they were prepared to do, but it seemed there was an insurmountable barrier ahead of them. Even the combined strength of several wouldn’t be enough to move the stone. Their question is peculiar to Mark’s Gospel, and it tells us something. It tells us they had no anticipation of the resurrection! They were coming to pay their respects to the body of their Lord. So, with heavy hearts and downcast eyes, they continued their uphill journey to Jerusalem.
How do we know they were downcast? Look at verse 4. “But when they looked up…” Now, imagine the surge of emotions that may have raced through their minds. When they looked up, “…they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.”
The dilemma they faced on their walk was resolved. The tomb is open. Amazing! Now, they could anoint the body of Jesus as they had initially planned. And so, they moved forward to enter the tomb. Have you ever had an obstacle removed from your plans only to be astounded by the events that followed? That’s what happened to these women.
Matthew’s account tells us how the stone was removed from the tomb. On Resurrection morning, “…behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.” God’s supernatural power was on display! The open tomb was physical evidence of the reality of Christ’s resurrection, although the women didn’t yet know that.
By the time the women arrived, the angel of the Lord had moved from the exterior of the tomb to the interior. He was there as the women entered, which leads us to the following proof of the resurrection.
Another PROOF of the Resurrection is,
The Astonished Women
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side, and they were frightened. Whenever heavenly messengers appear in bodily form, the initial reaction is always fear. Luke tells us that they bowed their faces to the earth. After recovering from their initial fright, the following scene unfolded before them.
This young man, before them, was clothed with a stately, long white robe. The word was used of any garment of special solemnity, richness, or beauty. Expositor’s remarks: “No such robe worn by young men on earth.” He was sitting on the right side of the tomb. Matthew calls him an angel. Luke records two men and says they were dressed in “dazzling apparel.” These and similar variations in details show the independence of the narrative. They strengthen the evidence for the general fact of the resurrection. It appears that these are different aspects and stages of the resurrection account.
What was happening was unexpected for the women. They were at a loss for words! Imagine the questions that may have filled their minds. Were they at the wrong tomb? Did someone steal the body? Did they take His body somewhere else? We know that the third question was in their minds because, in John’s record, Mary mistook the risen Jesus for the gardener. She said to him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
But now, we must interrupt the astonishment of the women to consider the message of the angel.
Another PROOF of the Resurrection is,
The Angelic Message
Added to the initial shock of seeing the massive stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb and the angel sitting on the right side where Jesus’ body had been laid, now, the angel speaks to them! Let’s take time to reflect on his pronouncements.
And he says to them, Stop being utterly amazed. What amazing words! Consider your response in a situation like this. You would have to be dead to have a different set of emotions and reactions than these women. You came expecting to anoint a dead body for its proper burial, and now this!
The angel continues, “Jesus, you are seeking the Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified One. He has risen. He is not here.” Notice the specificity of the angel in identifying Jesus. Since the name Jesus (Joshua) was a common one, His hometown identifies Him singularly. Further, He is the crucified One. The one they had watched as He gave His life on Calvary. There was no mistake about who had occupied this tomb. It answered their question about being at the wrong grave.
The angel went on, “He has risen! He is not here.” They could see that there was no body lying on the burial shelf. Risen? Incredible! We might immediately think about how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and wonder why they didn’t make the connection. However, they were in a state of extreme emotional agitation, which made clear thinking difficult. Not only that, it was one thing for Jesus to raise someone from the grave; it was quite another to expect Him to raise Himself from the grave.
Luke’s record adds the following message from the angel(s): “Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
To further bolster the reality of their experience, the angel invited them to “Behold the place where they laid Him.” Don’t just take my word for it, “Come, see for yourselves.” I imagine the angel gesturing toward the empty burial shelf as he spoke these words. There lay the burial clothes, undisturbed, but there was no body in them.
He continued speaking: “But be going; say to His disciples and Peter, He is going before you into Galilee. There you will find Him, just as He told you.” Don’t delay, this news is too good to keep to yourselves. Tell the disciples, and especially Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you, back to Galilee. At that very moment, Jesus was in the process of returning to Galilee. “There you will see Him.” What wonderful words!
The night before He died, as He and the Eleven were walking from the scene of the Last Supper to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” The angel reminds the women of this promise.
So, the angel concludes the giving of his proofs of the resurrection, and we return to the response of the astonished women.
And having gone, they fled from the tomb, for there had come upon them trembling and astonishment: And they said not even one thing to anyone. For fear was holding them fast. If there was ever a thing called sensory overload, it was present in these scenes. They were physically shaking as a result of the competing emotions of fear and ecstasy.
Matthew adds that their fear was coupled with great joy as they ran to tell His disciples the good news. John’s Gospel adds further details of his and Peter’s visit to the empty tomb.
We note, however, the initial reluctance of the disciples to believe the good news the women brought to them. They were reluctant to follow Jesus’ command to go to Galilee. He first appeared to them several times in Jerusalem, where they were hiding, until they finally followed His instructions. It is there that Jesus offered Peter a chance for restoration and proved by sharing a meal with them that He was more than a spirit being; He had a resurrection body!
As some of you are aware, there is some controversy surrounding this last chapter of Mark’s Gospel. Many scholars point out that verses 9-20 are not in the earliest manuscripts and were likely added by scribes to remedy the otherwise abrupt ending. I plan to teach a session on those final verses, but I think it’s worth considering the possibility that verse 8 is the end.
Is it possible that Mark wanted to end this way? Look at the opening verse of the Gospel. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Did Mark intentionally end abruptly to suggest that the Gospel story is still being written?
Why did Mark include women, who, in that era, were less credible witnesses than men? Why didn’t he include a sighting of Jesus to prove he had risen from the dead? Why does he include the apparent human failure of the women’s fear and disobedience in response to the gospel? Did he forget to conclude the story? Is the abrupt ending an intentional, compelling invitation to discover the risen Jesus for ourselves?
The Bible project offers these words. “Like a snoozing passenger in a vehicle that comes to an abrupt stop, Mark’s readers—including us—should spring up from our seats and ask, ‘What’s going on?” We are startled into engaging with the gospel message and responding appropriately. Mark leaves us to wrestle with all the questions and implications surrounding the good news. It would seem no one else can do that work for us. If we experience fear or disbelief like the women at the end of Mark’s Gospel, he assures us that we are in good company. (And remember that these women went on to become the first proclaimers of the resurrection to their community!) However, we are left with a challenge to continue where the story leaves off.”1
If this is truly where the Gospel of Mark ends, we do not lack assurance of Jesus’ resurrection, brief time on earth, and His ascension. Each of the other Gospels provides us with ample evidence of these things.
We still have the compelling proofs of the empty tomb, the astonished women, and the angelic message. We note that He was raised! His body was not there. It will not do to say that Jesus arose in spirit and appeared alive, though his body remained in the tomb. The empty tomb is the first significant fact confronting the women and later the men. Various theories were offered then as now. But none of them satisfy the evidence and explain the survival of faith and hope in the disciples. That faith and those hopes rest upon the fact of the Risen Christ, whose body was and is no longer in the tomb.
Have you accepted the proofs of the resurrection of Jesus? If not, why not?
