Dead people stay dead.1 “Nobody goes to funerals and says, ‘What’s the over/under if this person comes alive again?’” I have yet to see one dead person come back to life. I doubt you have seen any dead person live again, either. Once people have gone down the road of death, they just don’t return.2 Easter is the celebration of a once-dead Savior who lives again. Plus, Christianity teaches that if He rose, all His followers will rise, too. So, if all of our experience tells us that dead people stay dead, what are we doing here this morning?
In the minutes ahead, I want to explore with you why we believe Jesus rose from the dead when experience tells us this isn’t true.
If you have a Bible, please find 1 Corinthians 15 with me.
Communication Card
At the end of today’s message, I will invite you to commit your life to Jesus Christ. I want everyone to have the “Communication Card” near you. You’ll find one in the pew in front of you. Please keep that handy. I’ll share with you some instructions about this a little later in the service.
If you’re a skeptic, we are glad you are here. If you’re an agnostic, we are glad you are here. If you’re here only because your family expects you to come, we are glad you are here ?.
Quick Preview of Next Series
Many of you are first-time guests. Feel free to join us next Sunday for a new series entitled, “Hello, My Name is God.” We’ll explore what the Bible says God is really like. I hope you’ll join us.
Either the resurrection happened or it didn’t. If Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead, Christians are wasting their time. In the minutes to come, I hope to give your family and friends something to talk about over Easter lunch tables.
Today’s Scripture
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of you are being saved you are being saved I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1-9, 14).
Here’s the thing about the resurrection – it’s a crucial and even a central part of Christianity. Christianity falls apart without the resurrection.
On-screen: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7r5_jVXlJ4w - this is an on-screen silent video. Some of you have played Jenga with your family, right? You turn off the TV, go to the kitchen table, and set the blocks up. Then, you seek to pull piece after piece out without the tower collapsing. If Christianity were a Jenga tower, the resurrection is the one block that, when pulled, the tower comes crashing down every single time.
Notice the Bible uses the words “of first importance” in verse 3. What’s “of first importance”? The Bible goes on to say, “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” in verses 3 and 4. Further, the Bible says this is “you are being saved” in verse 1, and it’s by this gospel “you are being saved” at the beginning of verse 2.
If Christianity were a house, the resurrection would be as crucial as the hidden support beams or the foundation. If Christianity were a human body, the resurrection would be as crucial as your lungs. You get the idea. Without a dead person coming back to real life, Christianity collapses. Either the resurrection happened or it didn’t. If Jesus did NOT really rise from the dead, Christians are wasting their time.
Sermon Preview
Here is what we know for a fact.
1. Jesus Died by Roman Crucifixion
2. Jesus Was Buried in a Private Tomb
3. People were Transformed on the First Easter
This morning, I want to focus on this question: Did Jesus really rise from the dead, and if He did, what does this mean for us?
1. Jesus Died by Roman Crucifixion
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
This is a fact that both believers and non-believers are convinced happened. Crucifixion was a common form of execution employed by the Romans to punish members of the lower class, slaves, soldiers, the violently rebellious, and those accused of treason. We know crucifixion happened, and we have evidence of this today.
1.1 Archeological Evidence of Crucifixion
Here is a picture I took this picture several years ago when I was in Jerusalem at the Israeli National Museum. This is the only physical evidence that I am aware of from the Roman practice of crucifixion.3 It is kind of an odd fact that only archaeological evidence of this punishment has ever been found anywhere in the world, with this one exception. This was found in a cave in Jerusalem in 1968, and we don’t know the specific nature of this man’s crime. This body was discovered with about thirty-five other bodies, and it’s thought most of them suffered a violent death as part of the Jewish uprising against Rome in AD 70. You’re looking at the heel bone of a criminal who had a seven-inch nail driven through it, and his lower arms showed evidence of nails as well. It’s thought that this man was twenty-four and twenty-eight years old, and they even discovered he had a cleft palate.4
His legs were crushed by a blow, consistent with common Roman crucifixion (John 19:31–32). This offers us real proof crucifixion happened. Before we can say that Jesus rose, can we say Jesus died on a cross? How do we know for certain Jesus Died by Roman Crucifixion? That Jesus was executed by crucifixion is recorded in all four gospels.
1.2 Secular Historians
But even a number of secular, historically reliable sources also tell us Jesus was crucified. I’ll highlight two of these secular historians. Josephus writes, “When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified.…”5
Tacitus reports, “Nero fastened the guilt [of the burning of Rome] and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.”6 Now, I bring up that Jesus was crucified because it’s impossible to have a resurrected Jesus without a dead Jesus.7
1.3 Here’s What We Know
Both the enemies and the friends of Jesus believed He was dead. The Romans, who were professional executioners, whipped and beat Jesus brutally to the point of His collapse. They then drove heavy, wrought-iron nails through his wrists and feet, and plunged a spear into His side. They didn’t break His legs to speed death because they knew he was already dead. Crucifixion victims often died by asphyxiation because they couldn’t push themselves up to breathe. Breaking the legs would, therefore, speed death. Plus, Pilate checked to make sure Jesus was dead, and Jesus’ death was the reason the disciples had lost all hope.8
1.4 What If He Did Survive the Cross
Thought experiement: even if you think Jesus escaped the cross like our Muslim friends do, this wouldn’t account for His disciples’ belief in his resurrection. Virtually every single scholar today concedes that Jesus’ followers really believed in the resurrection without question.9 Tell me what you think: What if a half-dead man who had been tortured as the Romans usually did, then crucified, but somehow miraculously escaped… … if he showed up on your doorstep, would this give you the impression that he could conquer death, grave, and hell? Would such a person make you think He’s the King of Kings and to offer your life for the belief that He rose from the dead?10
I would say that it takes less faith to believe in the actual resurrection than that!
Yet, even modern medical doctors believe Jesus died including a pathologist from the Mayo Clinic: “Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear, thrust between his right rib, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death. Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.”11
Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 1986
The truth is no one survives Roman crucifixion. It was designed to kill. Trained executioners confirmed Jesus was dead (John 19:33). Once you confirm Jesus did indeed die, it really limits the options.
1. Jesus Died by Roman Crucifixion
2. Jesus Was Buried in a Private Tomb
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
The second fact that we know is true is that Jesus Was Buried in a Private Tomb. Both secular and believing historians have confirmed this truth.
2.1 Confused Women?
Remember, it was women who first discovered Jesus’ empty tomb, and perhaps they were confused. Maybe they went to the wrong tomb? Yes, He really died, but they were confused about which tomb they laid Him in because of their grief. Their tears prevented them from seeing they arrived at the wrong tomb. According to the gospel accounts, the women noted precisely where Jesus was laid (Luke 23:55) because they intended to return Sunday morning to visit the grave. It is not likely that they would have gone to the wrong tomb.12 But even if these “silly” women got the wrong tomb, wouldn’t the male disciples correct them ??
2.2 Joseph of Arimathea
Plus, the Bible tells us that Joseph of Arimathea secured his private tomb for Jesus. Even the most skeptical scholars acknowledge that Joseph was probably the genuine, historical individual who buried Jesus. There was too much risk making Joseph of Arimathea up. People would have caught the early Christian believers inventing a fictional individual, when they gave him a name and a nearby town of origin. People would have caught that the early Christian believers would have placed that fictional character on the historical council of the Sanhedrin, whose members were well known.13 They couldn’t have “got by” with such a thing.
Fact: the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea secured a private tomb for Jesus (Mark 19:43-47). All four gospels give some attention to Joseph of Arimathea doing this. The gospels tell us that Joseph had followed Jesus’ ministry from a distance and was intrguied with Jesus. Still, this was an unusual move for this wealthy man – it took courage.14 He wasn’t family, after all. When you were crucified, you were typically thrown into a mass grave, and this was likely the case for the two thieves who died alongside Jesus that day. The fact that Joseph stepped up to seek Pilate’s permission to bury Jesus in his tomb prevented Jesus from being thrown into a public mass grave. Typically, victims of capital punishment in Rome were left up on the cross for the birds to pick their bodies clean. Sometime later, the family might gather their bones for burial if the Romans permitted them. So, Joseph paid Jesus a special honor. But had Jesus been thrown into a mass grave, there would have been no evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.
2.3 Roman Guards
Plus, Pilate posted elite Roman guards at the tomb to prevent tampering (Matthew 27:62-66). Pilate placed the guards there at the request of the chief priests and Pharisees. If the women were confused, how many tombs around Jerusalem around Roman guards standing watch with a seal? Did the Jews, the Romans, and His followers all have collective amnesia over what they did with the body of Jesus?15
2.4 Stolen Body
Remember, a lie began that very first Easter and the gospel of Matthew reports it as follows: “While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, ‘Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep’’” (Matthew 28:12-13).
Now, skeptical historians dismiss this part of the story as legendary. But, even if you think this might be true, two questions quickly arise from this:
1) How would the sleeping guards have known that the disciples stole the body?
2) No Roman guard would admit to the capital crime of sleeping on the job.
2.5 Someone Else Died in Jesus’ Place
Many Muslims think Jesus was crucified on the cross, but someone like Judas died in his place. The Qur’an claims of Jesus:
They killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not: Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise (Sura 4:157-158).
According to the Qur’an, it only appeared that Jesus was crucified, and Allah took him directly to heaven. Are we to believe that scores of people who witnessed some aspect of Jesus’ death—the disciples, the Roman guards, Pilate, the Jews, Jesus’ family and friends — were all mistaken about who was killed? How could so many people be wrong about a simple identification? This is like saying that Abraham Lincoln wasn’t the one killed next to his wife on that April evening in 1865 at Ford’s Theater. Was Mary Lincoln mistaken about the man sitting next to her? Was Lincoln’s bodyguard wrong about whom he was guarding? Was everyone else mistaken about the identity of the president as well?16 This is not believable then just as it’s not believable in Jesus’ day.
1. Jesus Died by Roman Crucifixion
2. Jesus Was Buried in a Private Tomb
3. People were Transformed on the First Easter
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Again, we are asking, “Did Jesus really rise from the dead?” and we are looking at the facts that are largely agreed upon by nearly everyone who examines this death of Jesus. The followers claimed they encountered an empty tomb on that first Easter, and then, they claimed that Jesus appeared to them multiple times. People’s lives were changed on that first Easter – there’s no doubt about it. People who followed Jesus went from being downtrodden and disillusioned to bold and daring about their faith in a matter of days. Others went from skeptics to believers, such as Jesus’ family. Paul went from seeking to kill and arrest Christians to leading the resurrection parade for Christians. People were radically transformed by the events of the first Easter!
3.1 His Followers Were Transformed by an Empty Tomb
Each of the four gospels is clear: the women arrived early on Sunday morning to find an empty tomb: “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:1-3).
3.1.1 The Sequence of Events
Here’s a sketch of some of the visits to the empty tomb. Mary arrives first, “while it was still dark.” When she sees the stone is rolled away, she runs to get Peter and John in Jerusalem. Peter and John run to the tomb, where they see empty graveclothes. Mary Magdalene follows Peter and John to the tomb. After they leave, she sees two angels while she lingers at the tomb (John 20:12). As Mary Magdalene leaves, the Bible says, “other women” arrive at the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus’ body. And I could go on but will pause there.
3.1.2 The Women
All the Gospels tell us that the initial report of the empty tomb came from women. There had to be enormous pressure on the early believers to remove the women as the first witnesses of Jesus’ empty tomb. From those in the Greco-Roman world to Jewish society at large, few people took the words of a female seriously.17 Nevertheless, the Gospel writers consistently place women first at the tomb on Sunday morning. If the Gospel writers were making up stories to get the story of Christ’s resurrection circulating, they would have never placed women at the tomb as the first eyewitnesses. Why fabricate a report of Jesus’ resurrection that already would have been difficult for many to believe and compound that difficulty by adding women as the first witnesses?18 If you were going to invent the story of the resurrection, surely you’d place men first at the scene.
3.1.3 No One Expected Jesus to Live Again
What makes this transformation all the more shocking is that no one expected to see Jesus alive again. Among the more remarkable facets of the Bible’s story is that none of those closest to Jesus expected Him to rise from the dead. When you arrive near at the end of each of the four gospels, you find those closest to Jesus are disheartened. You find a small community of people confused, having no expectation that anything hopeful would occur. The Jewish religion only thought resurrection was possible at the end of time. If you were to say to a practicing Jew of the day, “So-and-so has been resurrected from the dead!,” a likely response might be, “Are you crazy? How could that be? Has disease and death ended? Is true justice established in the world? Has the wolf lain down with the lamb? Ridiculous!”19
They saw resurrection in the world to come after history ended, but they didn’t see resurrection in history.
And the pagans of this day thought death was a one-way street.20
Jewish people and pagan people alike were shocked by the idea of the resurrection. Jesus even predicted His death and resurrection many times, but His followers didn’t believe Him. No One Expected Jesus to Live Again.
3.2 Skeptics and Followers Transformed by Appearances of Jesus
Then, in addition to witnessing an empty tomb, people began to see Jesus appear to them. There are no fewer than twelve distinct instances where Jesus is mentioned as appearing to individuals or groups of people after his death, burial, and resurrection.
I’ll focus on only one: “Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:1-7). James, the half-brother of Jesus, said of his brother, “He is out of his mind” (Mark 3:20-21). If you’re older brother claimed to the Son of God, you wouldn’t believe Him for even a minute. You’re sharing a room with Him, after all! People who have looked at James’ life from atheists, agnostics, cynics, and believers alike say the following: …before the crucifixion, James and his brothers were not followers of Jesus. After the resurrection, James became a follower of his brother, a leader in the church, and ultimately died for his belief in the resurrection of Jesus.21 What changed? “Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:1-7). James was transformed when Jesus appeared to him after He rose from the dead. That’s what changed!22
3.3 A Powerful Combination: Empty Tomb and Sightings
Think about this: if there had been only an empty tomb and no sightings, no one would have concluded it was a resurrection. They would have assumed that the body had been stolen. On the other hand, if there had been only eyewitness sightings of Jesus and no empty tomb, no one would have concluded it was a resurrection, because people’s accounts of seeing departed loved ones do happen from time to time. Only if the two factors were both true together would anyone have concluded that Jesus was raised from the dead.23 Keep in mind: The quickest way to shut Christianity down was to parade the body of Jesus around the streets of Jerusalem. Skeptics should have easily produced Jesus’s rotted corpse if the tomb wasn’t empty.
3.4 Martyrdom
Here’s one more layer to fact that People were Transformed on the First Easter. Not only were these early disciples and skeptics alike transformed by the empty tomb and the sightings of the resurrected Jesus, they were willing to die for their belief. The great philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal was believed to have said, “I [believe] those witnesses that get their throats cut.” If people threatened to kill you for your belief in Jesus, would you die for a lie? We have looked at three facts concerning whether the resurrection is true:
1. Jesus Died by Roman Crucifixion
2. Jesus Was Buried in a Private Tomb
3. People were Transformed by the Empty Tomb and Seeing Jesus
Now, what does the resurrection do for us? So what if it’s true - what good is it? What does it mean for our lives today?
Three Reasons The Resurrection Matters
1. You Should be Rooting For Jesus to Rise
To the skeptic, agnostic, one who is here only because your family expects you to come on Easter, I say to you, you should want the resurrection to be true, even if you can’t believe in it just yet. If you care about justice in this world and think the rich should care for the poor… If you want people to sacrifice their time and money to make this world a better place, then embrace the resurrection of Jesus. It means that healing, justice, and love win. Look, if this life is all there is, eat, drink and be merry. Who cares how I treat any one else. Easter means in a world where injustice, violence, and greed are everywhere, God is not prepared to tolerate such things. He is working and planning to eradicate them all with victory of His Son over the grave.24
2. Jesus’ Teaching Matters
Sometimes, people will approach me as a pastor and say, “I really struggle with this aspect of Christian teaching. I like this part of Christian belief, but I don’t think I can accept that part.” I love how Pastor Tim Keller responds: “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”
1. You Should be Rooting For Jesus to Rise
2. Jesus’ Teaching Matters
3. Believers Will Rise with Him
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).
Conclusion
When we began a few minutes ago, I asked you to keep a communication card in front of you. Would you look at that now with me? I ask that every one of us do this, if you will.
If you have already committed your life to Christ prior to this service write down the letter “A.”
If you say, “Scott, I haven't made that decision yet, but I’m considering it, and I want you to know that I am considering it, write down the letter ‘B.’”
If you feel you don't ever intend to commit your life to Christ, I’d appreciate your honesty by writing down the letter “C” on your card.
If today you are ridding yourself of self-sufficiency and trusting in Christ, write down the letter “D.”
EndNotes
1 Andy Jennings, “Christian Apologetics,” Class lecture at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX, March 31, 2025.
2 N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, Christian Origins and the Question of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2003), 33.
3 https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-a-stone-box-a-rare-trace-of-crucifixion/; accessed April 14, 2025.
4 Norman L. Geisler, “Archaeology, New Testament,” in Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, (Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 46-48.
5 Josephus, Antiquities 18.64. Josephus in Ten Volumes, vol. 9, Jewish Antiquities, Loeb Classical Library, Louis H. Feldman, trans. (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1981).
6 Tacitus, Annals 15.44 (c. AD 115).
7 The following was omitted in the interest of time: Crucifixion was bad enough, but it also included torture that many times preceded. It was a really brutal process. Only one account exists in ancient times where we know of a person surviving crucifixion. Josephus reported seeing three of his friends crucified. He quickly pleaded with his friend, the Roman commander Titus, who ordered that all three be removed immediately and provided the best medical care Rome had to offer. In spite of these actions, two of the three still died. So, even if Jesus had been removed from his cross prematurely and medically assisted, His chances of survival were quite bleak. But we have no evidence that Jesus was removed while He was alive. We have no evidence that He was provided any medical care whatsoever, much less Rome’s best. But in reality, this theory fails to take seriously the extent of Jesus’ physical injuries.
Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach. (Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Apollos, 2010), 311.
8 Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), 304.
9 Gary R. Habermas, Refutations, On the Resurrection, vol 2 (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2024), 485.
10 David Friedrich Strauss, A New Life of Jesus, 2nd ed., 2 vols. (London: Williams & Norgate, 1879), 1:408–12, quotation on 412; as quoted in Habermas, Refutations, 483-484.
11 William D. Edwards, Wesley J. Gabel, and Floyd E. Hosmer, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” Journal of the American Medical Association 255, no. 11 (March 21, 1986): 1463.
12 William Lane Craig, The Son Rises: The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2000), 41.
13 Ibid., 53.
14 George R. Beasley-Murray, John, Word Biblical Commentary. (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1999), 358.
15 William Lane Craig, in Paul Copan and Ronald Tacelli, eds., Jesus’ Resurrection: Fact or Figment? A Debate Between William Lane Craig and Gerd Ludermann (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 56.
16 Geisler and Turek, 309-310.
17 Richard Bauckham, Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 270–71
18 Licona, 350-351.
19 Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (New York: Riverhead Books, 2009), 216.
20 Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, 82-84.
21 Licona, 461. See also, Gary R. Habermas, Evidences, On the Resurrection (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2024), 556-557.
22 The following was omitted in the interest of time: When Paul says Jesus appeared to 500 brothers at one time, this is remarkable because this was a bold challenge. You could have easily taken up his challenge since traveling around the Mediterranean during the Pax Romana was safe and easy. Paul could not have made such a challenge if those eyewitnesses didn’t exist. Keller, The Reason for God, 213-214.
23 Keller, The Reason for God, 213-214.
24 N. T. Wright, For All God’s Worth: True Worship and the Calling of the Church (Eerdmans, 1997), pp. 65–66.
