EVIDENCE OF THE RESURRECTION: TESTIMONIES OF THE WITNESSES
(PART 1)
I Corinthians 15:5-7
Thus far in our study of I Corinthians 15 we have been considering the evidence that Paul submits in defense of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We’ve looked closely at Exhibit A: The Church. We saw how the inception and endurance of Christ’s Church serves as vivid proof that our Savior lives. Following this, we examined Exhibit B: The Scriptures. We went throughout the Bible and saw how the Prophets and Old Testament scriptures spoke of the Messiah and predicted His suffering, death, burial, and Resurrection.
If this were a case that was brought to trial, Paul has already presented enough evidence to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Christ is risen. However, the Apostle continues to submit evidence and in the following verses he brings in several key witnesses who are able to provide personal testimonies of their encounters with Jesus after His Resurrection.
The great hope that we have concerning the Resurrection of Jesus is that He is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v20). Because He is risen, we have the hope of our own future resurrection. As the old hymn says, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow”.
- I would like to continue to examine the Evidence Of The Resurrection and listen to:
THE TESTIMONIES OF THE WITNESSES
v5 Jesus appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
- In these verses we see that Paul has come prepared with many witnesses who saw the Risen Lord with their own eyes. First on that list is:
WITNESS #1: SIMON PETER
Paul does not save his best witness for last, he (metaphorically) summons to the witness stand Simon Peter. A man who was one of the first Disciples of the Lord Jesus. One who had been with Him most every step of the way throughout His earthly ministry. Not only was Peter a Disciple, he was a member of the Lord’s “inner circle” along with John and his brother James. These men saw things that even the other Disciples were not privy to.
Peter was there for the Sermon on the Mount. He heard the Olivet Discourse with his own ears. With his eyes he witnessed Jesus heal the sick, give sight to the blind, make the deaf able to hear, the mute able to speak and the lame receive the ability to walk. Peter saw the Lord cast out demons, cleanse lepers, and even raise the dead. When Jesus fed thousands with minimal resources, Peter passed out the food and gathered up the leftovers. He was there when Jesus calmed troubled waters in the midst of a great storm by uttering the words “peace, be still”. He saw Christ walk on the water in the midst of another great storm and he even stepped out and walked with Him for a while.
This is the man that Jesus looked at and said, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19)
Peter was not just an Apostle; he was the voice of the Apostles during the time when Jesus walked the earth. Furthermore, he would become the obvious leader of the Apostles after Jesus ascended. Paul knew that when he appealed to Peter as an eyewitness of the Resurrection, he was calling on a man who knew Jesus more intimately than most. Therefore, his testimony of the Resurrection could not be written off as a case of mistaken identity.
On Friday Jesus was crucified, Paul reminds us in verse 3 of this chapter that, “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures”. After His death, Joseph of Arimathea approached Pilate and received permission to remove Jesus’ body from the Cross and provide Him with a proper burial. He and Nicodemus then took the body of the Lord, wrapped it in linen cloths and spices, and then placed Him in the Garden Tomb.
As these things were taking place, “The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.” (Luke 23:55-56). Luke tells us that it was “Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them” who reported the news of the empty tomb to Peter and the rest of the Apostles.
At early dawn on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb with spices that they had prepared, (this was part of the customary Jewish burial process). On their way they were concerned about how they would remove the stone from the tomb, however, when they arrived they saw that the stone had been rolled away. They stepped inside and saw that the body of Jesus was not there. All that remained in the tomb that morning was the graveclothes and the napkin that had covered Jesus’ face. Obviously they were perplexed by what they saw, but they never could have imagined what would happen next. Luke says:
While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. (Luke 24:4-9)
When the Apostles heard the report from the women, they thought they had lost their minds. Luke says that their “words seemed to them as an idle tale and they did not believe them”. Keep in mind, these were the very men who had traveled with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry, the ones who had been closer to Him than anyone else, the men who had heard His authoritative teaching and witnessed His powerful miracles. Furthermore, these are the men who had been told by Jesus on numerous occasions that He would suffer, die, and rise again.
Jesus said to them in Luke 9:22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
You may remember that the first time Jesus predicted His suffering and death Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” (Matthew 16:22). In response to this, Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:23).
Peter obviously didn’t comprehend all that Jesus had taught him concerning the Resurrection. But I find it interesting that though the majority of the Disciples thought the women were crazy, Peter immediately rose and went to the tomb. We know that John ran to the tomb as well, in fact, he made sure to tell us that as he and Peter raced to the tomb that he got there first.
John 20:43 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Scripture does not chronicle Jesus’ first post Resurrection appearance to Simon Peter. We do know that it happened after the Lord appeared to Mary Magdelene and prior to His encounter with the two followers on the road to Emmaus. When Cleopas and that other disciple returned to Jerusalem and went to where the Lord’s Disciples were gathered together the Disciples proclaimed, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”.
Though we do not know when that first encounter took place, we are privy to several post-Resurrection encounters between Jesus and Peter. One of the most detailed occurred early one morning by the Sea of Tiberias. Seven of the Lord’s Disciples had just finished an unsuccessful all night fishing expedition. At daybreak they returned and saw someone standing on the shoreline, at first they did not recognize that it was Jesus.
Then He called out them and asked if they had any fish, they informed Him that they had caught nothing. Jesus then instructed them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. They did as He said, and they caught so many fish that they were unable to haul them in. John looked at Peter and said, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he jumped in the water and swam to where Jesus was.
After the rest of the Disciples arrived on shore they all had breakfast together. During this encounter, “None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord”. John tells us that, “This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead”. (John 21:14)
After breakfast, Jesus had a very personal and important conversation with Simon Peter. He said, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)
Though Peter had shamefully denied the Lord three times on the eve of the Crucifixion, Jesus compassionately reached out to this fallen Disciple and gave him the opportunity to experience forgiveness and restoration. Peter failed in a big way, but Jesus was not finished with him. The Lord not only restored Peter, He gave him clear instructions as to what he was to do with the rest of his life.
We know that Peter was a changed man after this encounter. He was the leader of the Apostles, the man whom God would use to preach to thousands on the day of Pentecost, and a “pillar of the Church”. Jesus warned Peter that his faithfulness and devotion to the cause of Christ would ultimately end in martyrdom. In John 21:18-19, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
The Book of Acts, his own Epistles, Paul’s writings, and Church history tell us that Peter was willing to endure opposition, persecution, suffering and ultimately death in order to carry out the commission that he had received from his Lord, Savior, and friend. This would not have been the case if he did not know with full certainty that Jesus was alive.
Peter was not just a witness of the empty tomb; he was one who was privileged to commune with the Risen Savior. He spent time with Him, learned even more from Him, and He was there when the Lord ascended with a promise that one day He would return.
After spending many days with His closest followers, the time came for the Savior to ascend to His rightful place at the right hand of the Father. Matthew tells us that, “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
Ten days later, the promised Holy Spirit fell on God’s people on the day of Pentecost. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter began to preach, Christ’s Church was established, and the Apostles and followers of the Lord began to serve Him, worship Him, and travel the land spreading the Gospel. And the rest (as they say) is History. These things would never have happened if Christ had not risen from the grave.
In his defense of the Resurrection, Paul offers a fantastic eyewitness in the person of Simon Peter. His life, ministry and ultimately his death serve as great evidence that he was one who had experienced a personal encounter with the Risen Savior.
There are other eyewitnesses that we will hear from as we continue this study, and in each instance Paul is sure to point out that Jesus “appeared” to them. This speaks to the intentionality of Jesus’ post Resurrection manifestations. His followers did not realize they were in His presence until He revealed Himself to them.
When Mary first encountered Jesus she thought He was the Gardener, The two followers on the road to Emmaus spent ample time with Jesus but it was not until He revealed Himself to them that they knew they had been with the Lord. Even the Lord’s own Disciples didn’t recognize Him when He confronted them on the evening of the Resurrection, but after saying “Peace be unto you!” Jesus “showed them his hands and his side”, and when they recognized Him, “Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord”.
In every eyewitness encounter with Jesus after the Resurrection, He was only recognized by the people that He chose to reveal Himself to. Among those who did see Him, none of them were ever the same again.
If you are a follower of Christ it is because He has revealed Himself to you. Just as He did for the eyewitness that Paul refers to in this passage, Jesus has come to you and made His presence known in your life. So much so that He has changed you presently and eternally. You are able to live with assurance concerning your salvation and all of the promises to God’s people because you have had and encounter with the Risen Savior. As was the case for Peter, Mary, Cleopas and that other Disciple traveling to Emmaus, the five hundred witnesses and the remaining eleven Apostles, seeing the Risen Christ should have such an impact on your life that you are never the same again. Knowing that the Savior rose from the tomb and is alive forevermore should provide you with hope, assurance, adoration, and motivation to live the remainder of your life in service of your Lord and Savior.
Perhaps you have never had an encounter with Jesus Christ. If so, I pray that this is the day that you come to know Him personally, to trust Him completely, and to surrender to Him fully. Jesus lived, He suffered, He died and was buried, He rose on the third day, appeared to His followers, in time He ascended to Heaven with a promise that one day He would return for His own. I encourage you to repent and believe in the Gospel today. Maybe you still have some doubts concerning the Evidence Of The Resurrection, if so, I submit to you the Testimony Of Simon Peter.
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