Starting Point
Discussion One
Jesus: Why Did He Have To Die
Did He Really Rise From The Dead?
In week one of starting point we answered the question: God - is He really out there? And when we laid out all of the evidence – our conclusion was YES He is out there and He is a powerful, self-existing, morally good and non-contingent (depends on nothing for His existence or for His continued existence).
In week two we answered the question: The Bible – is it just another book? We said that if God were to write a book besides it being the most amazing book ever written: it would be the most unique, accurate and supernatural book of all time. The bible is that book.
Last week we answer the question: Jesus - who was He really? After looking at what others said about Him; what He said about Himself and what He did, our unashamed answer - Jesus was and is God!
This brings us to Discussion 4, which is again about Jesus, this week we will answer the question; Jesus- why did he die and did He rise from the dead?
Why Did Jesus Die?
I want to look at this question from 3 perspectives: the Romans, the Jews, Jesus and the church.
Why The Romans Said Jesus Must Die…
• Because he disturbed Roman order.
• Because he spoke of a coming kingdom other than that of Caesar.
• Because he allowed himself to be called “King of the Jews.”
• Because he made a nuisance of himself at the wrong time (Passover), in the wrong place (Jerusalem), in the presence of the wrong people (Pilate and the Temple Leadership under his command).
• Because his crucifixion would be a powerful deterrent that might keep other Jews from following in his footsteps.
Jesus was not the first or last Jewish man to die on a cross (the Jewish historian Josephus, Antiquities 18.3.3. AD 95 and the Roman historian Tacitus, Annals 14.44 AD 109 both record the crucifixion of Jesus).
When Spartacus led a rebellion against Rome in 73-71 B.C., the Romans finally prevailed. They crucified 6,000 men, stringing them along the Via Appia for 120 miles, from Rome to Capua.
Skip Gray in his book, The Way of The Cross says,
Tradition tells us that around the time when Jesus was a teenager, there was a rebellion near where he lived. The Roman army crushed the rebellion but they didn’t want it to happen again, so they crucified an Israelite every 10 meters along the road for a distance of 16 kilometers. The sight of some 1,700 people, dead or dying in agony, on crosses spaced every 30 feet for 10 miles must have made an incredible impression on the mind of a teenager.
During the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 Jews who tried to escape were captured beaten and
Crucified at a rate of 500 per day.
Why The Jews Said Jesus Must Die…
First let’s note that not all Jews at the time of Christ wanted to see Jesus die. Some not doubt wanted Him to live and others did not have an opinion either way.
Jerusalem at the time of Christ has a population of about 35,000. During the Passover feast that number swelled to anywhere between 350,000 to 1 million. Since, no one knows exactly where Pilate had his headquarters we do not know how many people were in the courtyard on that Friday, but the number was probably less then 500 – which means that only .143% of the people in Jerusalem were eager to see Jesus die. That would be 1 in every 700 people in the city.
The Jewish leaders who sought to have Jesus crucified believed that his death was necessary for the following reasons:
1. By stirring up the people, Jesus was threatening the peace and life of the Jewish people, thus increasing the likelihood that Rome would destroy both Jerusalem and the temple. The death of Jesus would be preferable to the destruction of the nation.
If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. 49Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish." John 11:48-50
2. He boldly and publicly attacked both their position and their relationship with God.
Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. – Matthew 21:43-46
3. Jesus interrupted the orderly system of sacrifices in the Jerusalem temple, speaking against the temple and its leaders, thus opposing not only the core of Judaism, but God himself. Jesus’ quotation from Jeremiah 7 (“den of robbers”) combined with other things he had said during his ministry clarified his condemnation of the temple – a blasphemous offense. Only God could pass judgment on the Temple.
The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. - Mark 11:18
The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." - John 19:7
4. Jesus presented himself as the Messiah, the one anointed by God to bring divine salvation to Israel. But he failed to do what the Messiah was supposed to do, notably, lead a successful revolt against Rome. Instead, Jesus turned his judgment against God’s own temple. Thus Jesus was a false messiah. This fact alone might not have warranted his crucifixion. But, when combined with his other offenses, it his false claim to messiahship increased further the chances that his actions would bring devastation upon Judea.
Why Jesus Said That He Must Die..
And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." - Luke 9:22
1. Jesus believed that his death was the will of his Heavenly Father, so he chose to obey the Father’s will (John 10:17-18; Mark 14:36)
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." - John 10:17,18
2. Jesus believed it was his calling to “drink the cup” of God’s judgment (Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15-17; Ezek 23:32-34), taking upon himself the righteous judgment of God upon the sin of Israel (and, indeed, all humanity)
"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." - Mark 14:36
3. Jesus believed that his mission as the Son of Man was to serve rather than to be served, and in fact to give his life as a “ransom for many” Thus he combined the Old Testament visions of the Son of Man (Daniel 7) and the suffering Servant of God (Isaiah 52-53).
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." – Mark 10:45
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53:5,6
4. Jesus Believed that His death would demonstrate the love of God.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8
5. Jesus believed that His death would pay the debt of sin.
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:30
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. – Romans 3:23-26
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23
6. Jesus believed that his death was at the center of God’s plan for salvation, even as the exodus from Egypt was central to Old Testament salvation. Through his broken body and shed blood the new covenant would be inaugurated (Mark 14:22-25).
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. – Matthew 26:27,28
• Even as God once saved his people from slavery in Egypt, so God is now saving his people from slavery to sin through me.
• Even as the blood of lambs once enabled death to “pass over” Israel, so my blood will lead to the forgiveness of sin.
• Even as the first covenant was sealed with sacrificial blood, so the new covenant will be sealed through my blood, poured out for many. I am choosing the way of death, Jesus says, so that the new life of the new covenant may come. My sacrifice will overcome the problem of sin, so that God’s kingdom may be established in all its fullness.
Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?
Let me say it as strongly as the Apostle Paul said it in 1 Corinthians 15:17: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.” The Resurrection is either one of the most wicked, heartless, vicious hoaxes ever or it is the most fantastic fact of history.
In this part of our discussion my goal is to show you overwhelming proof that Jesus Christ did exactly what He predicted He would do -- that on the third day He rose from the dead. Acts 1:3 states that “After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive.”
Exhibit A: The Empty Tomb
The first piece of evidence I want to bring before the court is Exhibit A: The Empty Tomb. The Bible teaches that after professional executioners crucified Jesus,
• His corpse was placed in a solid rock tomb.
• He was covered with about 100 pounds of spices
• extensively wrapped in strips of linen cloth.
• And very large stone, estimated to weigh about 2 tons, was then rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb.
• A contingent of up to 16 Roman soldiers was assigned to secure the tomb.
• Matthew 27:66 tells us that in addition to the Roman guard, they put a tamper-proof official Roman seal on the stone. Anyone who happened to make it past the Roman soldiers would then have to break this seal, thus incurring the wrath of the Roman law.
In spite of all these precautions – the stone, the soldiers, and the seal – the tomb was empty that first Easter morning! When the first people arrived to peer in, they saw only one thing: the blood-stained burial cloths, as if Jesus had materialized right through them.
The empty tomb serves as Exhibit A. It is a powerful testimony to the Resurrection of Jesus. Now, critics down through the years have not been able to refute the empty tomb – instead they’ve come up with other possibilities.
1) Maybe the disciples stole the body? (Matthew 28:11-15)
But this seems far-fetched when you consider that this group of cowards would have had to overpower armed soldiers, roll away a two-ton boulder, dispose of the body, and then manufacture a myth about His resurrection -- a myth that they gave their lives for. That doesn’t seem plausible.
2) The religious leaders disposed of the body.
But, this has some serious flaws as well. If they had removed the body, all they would have had to do is parade the remains through the streets of Jerusalem and they would have derailed Christianity from the very start. But, they couldn’t produce the body because the body was no longer dead -- Jesus had been raised to life again.
3) The women went to the wrong tomb
The were so filled with grief they got lost. But if they went to the wrong tomb, why didn’t the religious leaders go to the right tomb, produce the body end the resurrection claims right then and there?
4) The Swoon Theory
Jesus did not really die on the cross, he basically passed out, look dead and was rived in the coolness of the tomb. And after 3 days of no food, water or medical treatment He: somehow managed to get out of the grave clothes, move a huge stone, overcome 16 Roman soldiers, and walk miles of feet that had been pierced.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Christianity rises or falls on the empty tomb. It is the one silent and infallible witness. Critics cannot explain it away. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then where is the body? Leaders of every other religion died and stayed dead -- their bones are decaying in the ground. That’s not the case with Jesus. He claimed that He would rise from the dead on the third day -- and that’s exactly what He did. The empty tomb validates His claim.
Exhibit B: Multiple Witnesses
The early Christians did not believe Jesus had risen just because of the empty tomb -- they believed because they saw Him with their own eyes. When they talked to others about Jesus, they did not say, “We found an empty tomb,” instead, they said, “We saw Jesus alive!”
The most outstanding proof that Jesus rose from the dead is that more than 515 eyewitnesses saw him on 12 different occasions. Acts 1:3 says that, “After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”
Jesus gave unquestionable proof that He was alive!
The Resurrection appearances of Jesus
1. Mary Magdalene (Mk 16:9-11; Jn 20:11-18)
2. The women (Mt 28:9,10)
3. The two on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-22)
4. The Ten (Mk 16:14; Lk 24:36)
5. The Eleven one week later (Jn 20:26-31)
6. The Seven by the sea of Galilee (Jn 21:1-23)
7. The 500 in Jerusalem (1 Cor 15:6)
8. James the brother of Jesus (1 Cor 15:7)
9. At the Ascension (Acts 1:9-12)
10. Peter (Acts 9; 1 Cor 15:8)
The apostle Paul, when writing a letter to a group of new Christians, laid it all out in 1 Corinthians 15:3-6: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
To put this in perspective, if we were to call each of them to the witness stand to be questioned and cross-examined for just 15 minutes each, and we went around the clock without a break, it would take from breakfast on Monday until dinner on Friday to hear them all. After listening to nearly 129 straight hours of eyewitness testimony, who could possibly walk away unconvinced?
Exhibit C: Circumstantial Evidence
1) The Disciples Died For Their Beliefs
People will die for their religious beliefs if they sincerely believe they’re true, but people won’t die for their religious beliefs if they know their beliefs are false.
Muslims might be willing to die for their belief that Allah revealed himself to Muhammad, but this revelation was done in a publicly observable way. So they could be wrong about it. They may sincerely think it’s true, but they can’t know for a fact, because they didn’t witness it themselves.
However the apostles were willing to die for something they had seen with their own eyes and touched with their own hands. They were in a unique position not just to believe Jesus rose from the dead but to know for sure. And when you got eleven credible people with no ulterior motives, with nothing to gain and a lot to lose, who all agree they observed something with their on eyes – now you’ve got some difficulty explaining that away.
– Case For Christ
2) Changes To Key Social Structures
50 days after Jesus was crucified we see thousands of Jewish people giving up or changing things that they have been taught for over 1400 years were essential, in order to be God’s people. In fact they believed that abandoning these things would put their souls in danger of hell itself.
• Animal sacrifices no longer offered… Since Moses they had been taught that they needed to sacrifice animals in order to atone for their sins… But all of a sudden after the death of the Nazarene carpenter, thousands of Jewish people no longer offered these sacrifices.
• Law of Moses was no longer what made you right with God… After the death of Jesus – these people said after 1400 years of trying to follow the Law of Moses that it no longer was what made you right with God.
• The change in worship from the Sabbath to Sunday… For 1400 years God’s people worshiped on the Sabbath. To the Jews keeping the Sabbath was huge in being right with God and being right with the nation. Yet within a short time of Jesus’ death, tens of thousands of Jewish people being to worship on Sunday.
• They believed in monotheism – only one God. While Christians teach a form of monotheism, we say that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God. This is radically different then what the Jews believed. They would have considered it the height of heresy to say that someone could be God and man at the same time. Yet Jews begin to worship Jesus as God shortly after his death.
• The embraced a new picture of the Messiah... Fifth these Jews turned Christians pictured the Messiah as someone who suffered and died for the sins of the world, even though that had been trained since birth that the Messiah was going to be a political leader who would destroy the Roman armies.
“Believe me these changes to Jewish social structures were not just minor adjusts that were casually made- they were absolutely monumental. This was nothing short of a social earthquake! And earthquakes don’t happen without a cause.” - Case For Christ
3) The Emergence Of The Church
Understand there is no question that the church began shortly after the death of Jesus and spread so rapidly that within about 20 years it even reached Caesar’s palace in Rome – all the while overcoming persecution and competing ideas.
Now, if you were a Martian looking down of the first century, would you think Christianity or the Roman empire would survive. You probably wouldn’t put money on a ragtag group of people whose primary message was that a crucified carpenter from an obscure village had triumphed over the grave. Yet it was so successful that today we name or children Peter and Paul and our dogs Caesar and Nero…
If the coming into existence of the Nazarene… rips a great hole in history, a hole the size and shape of Resurrection, what does the secular historian propose to stop it up with.” – Case For Christ
4) Changed Lives
Beginning with the disciples.
I mean these ordinary men were transformed from frightened wimps into one of the most effective missionary organizations the world has ever seen. Let me ask you a question: What motivated them to go everywhere and proclaim the message of the risen Christ? Was it for money? Power? Fame? No.
Every one of them had come from doubt to determination, from confusion to conviction, from fear to faith. Listen to how they died and see if it sounds like they were just making up the Resurrection:
• Matthew was killed in Ethiopia
• Mark was dragged through the streets until he was dead
• Peter, Simeon, Andrew, and Philip were crucified
• James was beheaded
• Bartholomew was flayed alive
• Thomas was pierced with lances
• James, the less, was thrown from the temple and stoned to death
• Jude was shot to death with arrows
• Paul was boiled in hot oil and beheaded
And not only did the resurrected Christ impact this group of individuals, His life-changing power has transformed people from the third decade of the first century down through today.
The combined testimony of changed lives attributed to the risen Christ runs into the billions. From every race and tribe and language and nationality in the world. Despite the various intellectual and social backgrounds, believers are united in their conviction that Jesus Christ is alive.
Jesus has changed and is still changing my life.
And, from talking to many of you, I know that He has changed yours as well.
It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. – Ephesians 2:1-10 (Msg)
