Did the Resurrection Really Happen, Part III

The Shroud of Turin, by Vanessa Horabuena

The Shroud of Turin has long fascinated me. Claimed to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, the shroud has been the focus of radiocarbon dating, bloodstain analysis, and forensic textile analysis, with varying results. (For more information, go to New Findings Reinforce the Authenticity Debate of the Turin Shroud, The Shroud of Turin: New Scientific Evidence Builds the Strongest Case Yet for Authenticity - Theology in Five.)

Is it possible that this piece of cloth could have been wrapped around the crucified and dead body of Jesus Christ, the Messiah? And if it was, what does this tell us about the veracity of the claim that Jesus Christ was dead, buried, and then alive again?

We are a little more than one month away from Easter, so it seems like a perfect time to continue exploring the evidence for a bodily resurrection.

In our last blog, we looked at the evidence of historical writings outside of the bible that point to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. We also looked at the sheer number of people who claimed to have seen Jesus alive after his death and his burial, which would have put them in peril with the government and the religious powers of the day. Yet they maintained that their claims were true, with many of them being tortured and killed for their claims.

Taken together, this is all good evidence for the resurrection.

In this blog, we will look at the best piece of evidence we have - the empty tomb.

John's account of the death of Jesus (John 19) tells us that Jesus died on a Friday. We know this because of John 19:31, "It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn't want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week) ... " The Jewish Sabbath was Saturday, so Jesus died on a Friday.

John's account tells us how Jessus comes to be placed in a tomb.

John 19:38-42, NLT

"Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus' body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus' body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there."

A man named Joseph and a man named Nicodemus (who had an interesting conversation with Jesus one night, as reported in John 3) put the body of Jesus in a tomb. They wrapped him in long sheets of linen cloth packed with 75 pounds of spices. This is an important fact. We'll revisit it later.

A tomb, details about the hasty burial, and two men identified by name.

On the next day, which we know is the Sabbath, so that means it was a Saturday, a plot was put in place to prevent the body of Jesus from leaving the tomb.

Matthew 27:62-66, NLT

"The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: 'After three days I will rise from the dead.' So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we'll be worse off than we were at first." Pilate replied, "Take guards and secure it the best you can." So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it."

Then they waited.

Matthew 28:1-10, NLT

"Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb."

"Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint."

"Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you." The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Don't be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there."

This is an important part of the empty tomb account. In those days, the testimony of a woman would not be considered a valid testimony. For Jesus to entrust this testimony to women and for the male disciples to accept their testimony is validation of this account being true. Why else would the men spread this claim without shame?

Now, consider this portion of the account.

Matthew 28:11-15, NLT

"As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. They told the soldiers, "You must say, 'Jesus' disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.' If the governor hears about it, we'll stand up for you so you won't get in trouble." So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today."

For Roman soldiers to admit to sleeping on the watch was no small thing. They could face serious consequences. After all, the Roman government made crucifixion as brutal as they could. They were cruel.

The point is, the guards and the priests knew that the body was gone and the tomb was empty. An empty tomb with no body certainly tells a story, doesn't it?

The problem that the Romans and the religious leaders had is that they saw a very dead body removed from the cross, yet on the morning following the Sabbath, the place of the body's burial was empty. And as time moved forward, not only were more people claiming to have seen Jesus alive, but they were also willing to die for it!

Now, about the strips of cloth and 75 pounds of spices mentioned earlier, consider what the account in John tells us happens after the women report to the male disciples that the body of Jesus is gone.

John 20:3-8, NLT

"Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed ... "

The body of Jesus had been wrapped in long strips of cloth packed with 75 pounds of spices. If someone had stolen his body, they would have done it quickly so as not to get caught. Complicating this is the fact that the tomb was sealed and it was under Roman guard.

You don't steal a body with 75 pounds of spices quickly. And with the Roman soldiers on guard, you wouldn't take the time to unwrap the body and fold up the linen cloth. You just wouldn't.

Peter believed because he saw the evidence of the empty tomb, the folded clothes (as though placed there very deliberately), and the testimony of the women they knew and trusted.

I'm not sure about the Shroud of Turin. The most recent evidence suggests the piece of cloth is from the first century. The blood type is AB, although there is some cross-contamination, including DNA from men and women both. With both men and women being involved at the empty tomb and handling the material, and with men and women both likely handling the cloth throughout the years, this is not surprising.

The image on the cloth is stunning and certainly demonstrates the kinds of wounds expected with crucifixion and the extreme beating Jesus took prior to the crucifixion.

The shroud seems like an important piece of evidence.

But when I consider the evidence of historical writings, the number of eyewitnesses, the way the Roman government and religious leaders conspired, the empty tomb, and the folded cloth, I do believe that the resurrection really happened.

Why is the resurrection important?

John 11:25-26, NLT

"Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. [26] Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?"

1 Corinthians 6:14, NLT

"And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead."