communique sprng 13 · 24:18; jn. 19:25). for at least an hour, they listened as, “he expounded...

Communique_Spring_13_Communique_Sprng_13 3/11/13 2:46 PM

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Within a decade of the resurrection, the Good Newsthat Jesus Christ physically

rose from the dead powerfully rockedthe world. The long-term impact ofthe initial proclamation of the gospelmessage can be seen today in the2.18 billion self-identified Christians,who account for almost a third ofthe world’s population. Consideringthe centrality of the resurrection toChristianity, what historical facts formthe foundation for genuine faith?Whydo Christians believe that Jesus literallyand bodily rose from the grave?

The answer to these crucial questionsis open for discovery through thetestimony of observers of the event asrecorded in the New Testament. Eachnarrative deserves careful scrutiny.

Background FactsAn eye witness account of the

horrific events leading up to thecrucifixion is documented by one ofJesus’ closest disciples. The apostleJohn viewed the mockery of theclandestine trial, watched Jesus

beaten beyond recognition at thehands of the Romans, and helplesslygazed as Jesus strained to carry thecross to Golgotha. John stood at thefoot of the cross with Jesus’ motherand watched Him writhing in agonyand gasping for air. John heard Jesuscry out, “it is finished,” and sawHis body go limp (Jn. 19:30). Johnwitnessed the Roman guard plungethe head of a spear deep into Jesus’side, and then pronounce Him deadas water and blood flowed from theopen wound (Jn. 19:34).

Early Sunday MorningThe disciples were afraid and

confused; the previous week hadbeen traumatic. It is not difficult to imagine Mary Magdalene’s stateof mind as she approached the rock-cuttomb in the predawn darkness Sundaymorning. From all indications, shewas the first to arrive. John’s accountsuggests she scarcely noticed theabsence of the soldiers posted to guardthe tomb. Her focus was on oneconspicuous reality—the huge stone

The ResurrectionRecord By Charles E. McCracken

(ginosphotos/iStockphoto)


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that had blocked the entrance to thetomb was gone. Incidentally, Matthewreports that earlier that same morning,

“there was a great earthquake;for an angel of the Lord descendedfrom heaven, and came androlled back the stone from thedoor” (Mt. 28:2). She was so surprised to see the

stone gone that she didn’t take time tolook inside.

Instead, Mary quickly ran to findPeter, no doubt convinced that hewould know what to do. Her assump-tions upon seeing the open tomb wererevealed in her frantic words; “They

have taken away the Lord out of thetomb, and we do not know where theyhave laid Him” (Jn. 20:2).

Peter and John responded with action;they ran to the tomb; John arrived first.Although some commentators like tomanufacture a spiritualized explanation,the simple truth is that John arrived before Peter because he was a fasterrunner. Possibly winded from thesprint, he stopped and looked intothe tomb; he may have thought hehad seen all there was to see. TheGreek word translated ‘saw’ (blepei)suggests that he, like Mary, onlyrecognized the obvious—the entrancewas open and the linens used to wrapthe body were still in the tomb; but,Jesus’ body was not (Jn. 20:4).

Whatever kept John from entering—whether fear of defilement or simplyreluctance to go into a tomb—it didn’tstop Peter. A moment later, he pushedpast John and was standing inside.From the interior of the sepulcher, Petersurveyed the details. Here the word

(Keith Reichhter/iStockphoto)

Garden Tomb, Photo courtesy FOI Image Archive


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I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes tothe Father except through Me. John 14:6.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives Hislife for the sheep. John 10:11.

I am the light of the world. He who follows Meshall not walk in darkness, but have the light oflife. John 8:12

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shallnever hunger, and he who believes in Me shall neverthirst. John 6:35

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved,and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-dresser. John 15:1

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me,though he may die, he shall live. John 11:25

For this reason the apostle Paul could say with assurance, “. . . if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that Godhas raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes untorighteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripturesays, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinctionbetween Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’.” Rm. 10:9-13

(Background image: Yuri Chertok/iStockphoto)



translated ‘saw’ (theorei) conveys theidea of studying or analyzing. Petersaw the linens still lying where thebody had been laid; he noted theywere undisturbed; they hadn’t beenunwrapped, but no longer encasedJesus’ body. Peterwas the first toobserve that thenapkin originallycovering the face ofthe crucified Lordwasn’t with the restof the grave clothes;instead, it wasfolded and lying offto the side (Jn. 20:6-7). As Peter absorbedand processed theinformation, Johnfinally entered thetomb. John ‘saw’(eiden) the samedetails, but theGreek word usedhere conveys the ideathat he “perceived or understood” thesignificance of thefacts (Jn. 20:8). While Peter was

trying to make senseof the situation, Johnput the facts to-gether and believed. He didn’t under-stand the finer points, but he knew onething—Jesus the Messiah had risenfrom the dead and was alive! How elsecould the linen strips be left in the graveundisturbed? What other explanationcould there be for the napkin beingfolded and lying in a place by itself?The stone had been rolled away fromthe door to reveal that Messiah hadindeed risen bodily from the grave!

How many times over the previous sixmonths had Jesus specifically instructedthe disciples, “that He must go to Jerusalem,and suffer many things from theelders and chief priests and scribes,

and be killed, andbe raised the thirdday” (Mt. 16:21;Mk. 8:31, Lk. 9:22,17:25)? John adds the

explanatory com-ment, “For as yetthey [the disciples]did not know theScripture, that Hemust rise againfrom the dead”(Jn. 20:9). Not fullyunderstanding theimplications of whatthey had seen inthe tomb, at leastJohn left compre-hending the realitythat Jesus was alive.It is apparent Petercame to the sameconclusion laterthat afternoon asdemonstrated inhis sermon on theday of Pentecost

(Luke 24:34; I Cor. 15:5). He toldthose gathered to hear him preach,“concerning the resurrection of theChrist, that His soul was not left inHades, nor did His flesh see corruption.This Jesus God has raised up, of whichwe are all witnesses” (Acts 2:31-32).By the time Mary returned, Peter

and John were gone. Distraught andweeping, she took a closer look andnoted the details much like Peter.

(Leonid Tit/iStockphoto)


were hurrying to tell the disciples,they saw Him and heard the Lord’sgreeting, “Rejoice!” (Mt. 28:9).

Sunday AfternoonThese devoted women would not

be the only ones to see Jesus alive afterthe resurrection. Later that day, Jesusappeared to two disciples walkinghome from Jerusalem. One was Cleopas, and it is logical to

assume the other was his wife, Mary (Lk.24:18; Jn. 19:25). For at least an hour, theylistened as, “He expounded to them in allthe Scriptures the things concerningHimself” (Lk.24:27). This was not a visionor a transcendental experience. Arrivingat the town of Emmaus, they begged thestranger to stay with them, and after ac-cepting their invitation, He joined themfor the evening meal. It was then that,“their eyes were opened and they knewHim” (Lk. 24:30).Peter’s encounter with the risen

Lord took place in close proximity toHis visit with these two disciples.While the details of the conversationare not given, it must have been both

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Studying the interior, she noticedtwo angels sitting at either endof the rock-hewn body bench. Sheheard them ask why she was weeping,but the significance of the angels’presence escaped her. Distracted, sheanswered, “they have taken awaymy Lord, and I do not know wherethey have laid Him” (Jn. 20:13).Without waiting for an answer,

she came face to face with Jesus. In response to His questions, “whyare you weeping? Whom are youseeking?” she implored, “Sir, if Youhave carried Him away, tell mewhere You have laid Him, and I will take Him away” (Jn. 20:15). Heonly needed to speak her name,and she immediately recognizedHim. In a split second, her acutegrief was replaced with unboundedjoy; she grabbed Him and would notlet go. In that moment, she becamethe first to experience the reality thatJesus had indeed risen from thedead. She heard His voice. She sawHis face. She touched His glorifiedbody. He was alive! Shortly thereafter, an angel at the

tomb told a group of women, whohad come with spices for the embalm-ing process, to quickly spread theword that Jesus was alive. As they Garden Tomb monument, courtesy FOI Image Archive

Rock-hewn body bench, courtesy FOI Image Archive


reassuring and exhilarating to Peterfollowing his denial of the Lord.

Sunday EveningLater that evening, He was seen by

ten of the disciples who were hidingfrom the authorities. Jesus suddenlyappeared in the room with them despitethe fact that the doors were locked (Jn.20:19). He showed them the scars in Hishands, feet and side, and ate broiledfish and a piece of honeycomb in theirpresence to demonstrate that He was notan apparition (Lk. 24:42; Jn. 20:20).

Over the Next 40 DaysEight days later, He appeared again

and challenged Thomas to actually feelHis wounds (Jn. 20:27). The next timethey saw Him, the disciples were in


Galilee after a night of fishing. Jesus builta fire and when they came ashore, Hecooked breakfast with a few of the fishthey had caught (Jn. 21:12-14). WhenPaul recounted the events surroundingthe resurrection, he reminded his listen-ers, “He [Jesus] was seen by over fivehundred brethren at once” (1 Cor. 15:6).

Concluding StatementsThe resurrection was not an ethereal

spiritual event. Jesus rose physicallyand bodily from the dead and the factswere open for the world to see. He wascrucified in Jerusalem. He was placedinto a tomb in Jerusalem. On the thirdday, that same tomb in Jerusalem wasempty. He appeared in His resurrectionbody to the disciples and large groupsof people in the environs of Jerusalemnumerous times for 40 days after Hisresurrection (Acts 1:3).

The disciples began announcing Hisresurrection in Jerusalem. Even James,Jesus’ skeptical half-brother, ultimatelybelieved that Jesus rose from the dead andplaced His faith in Him. On the day ofPentecost (Shavuot) fifty days later, threethousand believed in the resurrectedMessiah as a result of Peter’s preaching inJerusalem. The book of Acts records, “thenumber of disciples multiplied greatly inJerusalem, and a great many of the priestswere obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). Theevidence was so compelling, they wereconvinced that Jesus physically rose fromthe dead and believed. Remarkably, theapostle Paul, who initially rejected theresurrection and vigorously persecutedChristians, ultimately placed his faith inthe resurrected Christ.

It is significant that Jesus did not takea sympathetic tone with the disciplesafter His death and resurrection. He

(James Steidlistock/iStockphoto)


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FOI Gospel Ministry, Inc.21 Queen Street East • Suite 402 • Brampton, ON L6W 3P1OFFICE: 888-664-2584 • 905-457-6830 • FAX: 905-457-6547Copyright FOI Gospel Ministry, Inc., reprint with permission only

FOI Gospel Ministry, Inc.21 Queen Street East • Suite 402 • Brampton, ON L6W 3P1OFFICE: 888-664-2584 • 905-457-6830 • FAX: 905-457-6547Copyright FOI Gospel Ministry, Inc., reprint with permission only

characterized the two on the road toEmmaus as, “foolish ones and, slow ofheart to believe in all that the prophetshave spoken” (Lk. 24:25). Mark recordsthat when He appeared to the disciplesin the upper room, Jesus, “rebuked theirunbelief and hardness of heart, becausethey did not believe those who had seenHim after He had risen” (Mk. 16:14).Jesus also challenged Thomas, “be notfaithless, but believing” (Jn. 20:27 KJV).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ fromthe dead is a non-negotiable andfoundational tenet of Christianity. But,the historical record is open for investi-gation, and the evidence provided in eyewitness testimony documents the facts.John’s account concludes with thewords, “these are written that you may

believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Sonof God, and that believing you may havelife in His name” (Jn. 20:31). Jesus toldThomas, “because you have seen Me,you have believed. Blessed are thosewho have not seen and yet have be-lieved” (Jn. 20:29).

Cover Photo: (James Steidl/iStockphoto).

Just for Canadians. . .

(Maple leaf, Skypixel/Dreamstime. Viktor Gmyria/Dreamstime.com)

Charles E. McCracken is theCanadian Director of

FOI Gospel Ministry locatedin Brampton, ON.

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