The weekend of Easter is the most important of our faith. We will learn about why Easter is the defining moment for christianity by examining:
- The historical worldview and implications.
- The various theories given for the question, “If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, how do I explain everything that’s happened?”
- How this impacts your life.
- How you take the next step.
- The historical perspective from a non-biblical worldview is frequently taught.
Around 25 AD during political turmoil in Jerusalem, a teacher named Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene, gathered followers, stirred up the people and was put to death for treason by Rome.
After Jesus’ death, several followers continued to spread His teachings.
If that was it, how do you explain that over half of the world’s population believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This perspective doesn’t explain what happened historically, and it doesn’t explain what continues to happen for believers. (Acts 2)
- There are various theories given for the question, “If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, how do I explain everything that’s happened?”
Someone stole the body (Matthew 27:62-65)
1. Roman officials assigned soldiers, under penalty of death, to guard the tomb and seal the tomb. Matthew 28:1-15
2. Would you die for a hoax? Jesus’ disciples died for their belief that Jesus rose from the dead.
3. There was no reason for a Jewish leader or a Roman official to steal the body and create a bigger problem for themselves.
4. There were ten specific appearances by Jesus after the resurrection.
The Hallucination Theory
1. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that 500 people saw Jesus alive at one time. Most of those people were still living at the time of his writing and could verify his statement.
The Swoon Theory – Jesus didn’t really die but was just unconscious.
1. Jesus could have never rolled away a two-ton stone after His ordeal of beatings and crucifixion.
The Twin Brother Theory – It takes more faith to believe that than the resurrection.
- The implications of Jesus’ resurrection impacts your life.
The fact that Jesus rose from the dead changed the world at the time of His resurrection, and it continues to change the lives of believers today.
The implications of whether or not Jesus did rise from the dead changes how we live our lives. There has to be a response. If you’re at the “Something happened; what happened?” stage, take the next step and investigate.
- How do you take the next step?
Find the Gospel of John and just start reading it. Get to know the story of Jesus. There’s not much to lose but a whole lot to gain.