Christians celebrate Easter this Sunday, marking the anniversary of the faith that is the foundation of their faith. This claim is as shocking today as it was 2,000 years ago. It is the story of Jesus Christ’s physical resurrection from his tomb after his crucifixion on Good Friday.
Unique among the world’s religions, Christians believe that the founder of their faith is more than just a great moral teacher and role model to emulate. They believe that Jesus is God in the flesh and that after he was crucified on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israel, his body literally came to life, rose from this earth, and will one day return again.
The Biblical books of Jesus’ life record the reactions of his followers, even those who were not present when Jesus first appeared. I reacted similar to how many people today react to a message saying that Those who saw him executed and buried would return a few days later.
According to John’s Gospel,
Now, Thomas, one of the twelve called the twins, was not with them when Jesus came. Then the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the prints of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the prints of the nails, and put my hand on his side, I will never do not believe.”
Eight days later, the disciples went indoors again, and Thomas was with them. The door was locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be to you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Place your finger here, and look at my hand. And put your hand out and put it by my side; do not disbelieve, but believe.” Jesus answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you seen me and believed?” Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. . ”
Now, Jesus performed many other signs in front of his disciples, but they are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in the name of Jesus.
—John 20:24–31 (ESV)
In recent centuries, many scholars have argued that the most important thing about Christianity is the wisdom and strength of its teachings, and whether or not the corpse of Jesus of Nazareth literally came back to life. He has argued that this is abnormal. Unique in history, but not really important.
In contrast, Paul, one of Jesus’ chief disciples (referred to as the “apostle”), claimed a resurrection around 54 AD, several years after Jesus’ death, but if Jesus did in fact literally If he had not been raised from the dead, Christians would have had no value in their faith and would have slept every Sunday instead of going to church.
In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul said:
Now, brethren, let me remind you of the gospel that I preached to you. ye receive, and stand in it, and ye shall be saved, if ye hold fast to the words which I preached to you—if ye had not believed in vain. Exclude. .
Because what I also received, I have passed on to you as the most important thing of all. That Christ died for our sins according to the Bible, that He was buried, that He rose on the third day according to the Bible, and that Christ appeared. Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at once, some asleep, but most of them still alive. Then Jesus appeared to James, and then to all the apostles. Finally, a man of unlucky birth, he also appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles and am not worthy to be called an apostle because I have persecuted the church of God…
…And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that He raised Christ. If it is true that the dead cannot be raised, then God did not raise Christ. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins. At that time, those who had fallen asleep in Christ also perished. If we have only hope in this life in Christ, then of all people we are the most worthy of mercy.
But in reality, Christ was raised from the dead and became the firstfruits of those who fell asleep…
—1 Corinthians 15:1–9, 14–19
A few years later, in A.D. 60, the apostle Paul explained to Festus, the new Roman governor of the province in which Paul was located, and to Agrippa, the Jewish king of Paul’s time:
To this day, I have received help from God. That is why I stand here testifying to both the little and the great and saying only what the prophets and Moses said would come true in the future. He will rise first from the dead and proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.
And while saying these things in his own defense, Festus cried out: Your great learning is driving you insane. ” But Paul said: “Wonderful Festus, I am not insane; I am speaking true and rational words. The king knows these things, and I speak them boldly to him. Because I’m sure none of this escaped his notice, because this wasn’t done in a corner.
—Acts 26:22–26
Therefore, the idea of someone coming back from the dead was as far-fetched in the ancient world as it is today, and skepticism like the one quoted above could be just as readily uttered today. But the resurrection of Jesus remains a central belief of that faith 2,000 years later. This is evidenced by the fact that countless Christians around the world celebrate Easter with traditional declarations of faith. Indeed He has risen! ”
Ken Klukowski is a contributor to Breitbart News. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kenklukowski.
