Only Jesus Rose from the Dead

There are few questions more important than, “Was Jesus really who he said he was?” While a systematic treatment of this question requires more than a Bible app devotional, we can point to the most important piece of evidence: Jesus really did rise from the dead. The entirety of the Christian faith hinges on this fact. The resurrection was God’s vindication, His seal of approval stamped upon Jesus and all the claims he made.

How can we know the resurrection happened? It is the best explanation for the historical facts: the discovery of the empty tomb; the change in Jesus’ disciples from fear to bold faith; and the sudden appearance of the Christian church built upon the claim of a resurrected Jesus. And in our reading, we have another, perhaps the most compelling piece of evidence: the multiple, independent, contemporary eyewitness accounts of the risen Jesus. And what is remarkable about the eyewitness list, is that it doesn’t just have the names of those who were inclined to believe Jesus was alive. It attests to skeptics like Jesus’ brother James. It attests to enemies, like Paul himself, who persecuted and hated the early church. How can we explain such a radical change of belief without a resurrection appearance? This passage of scripture was a very early formula or oral tradition. Scholars date this saying to within 2-8 years of the resurrection of Jesus. What does this mean? Resurrection was not a later addition to the Christian faith, it was its origin story.

• Why do you think it is so essential that Jesus really did rise from the dead?
• What part or role does the resurrection play in shaping your faith?
• What hope does the resurrection of Jesus provide for our future?