The Case for the Resurrection: Part 2 (Mark 16:1-14)

Last week, we began looking at seven clues that lead to the legitimacy of the claim that Jesus rose from the dead – he was supernaturally resurrected, which is the most important event in human history, the event upon which Christianity hinges. Today, we’ll uncover the remaining clues found in Mark 16.

3. The Empty Tomb

The empty tomb is the third clue that Jesus' resurrection is a factual event. The women found the stone rolled back (4). The other gospels tell us an earthquake, the presence of angels, and the empty tomb had scared the soldiers away (Matthew 28:2-4). The tomb was a man-made cave carved into the side of a rock hill, so the women were able to go inside. They saw a young man dressed in white sitting on the right side of the tomb (5). The other gospels tell us he was an angel, one of two. "Do not be alarmed," he said. "You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him." (6). Now, in modern times, two primary locations are thought to be the ancient tomb of Christ, but it’s hard to be certain. Other religions might venerate the grave sight of their founder, but not Christians. Why would they? Jesus was alive! During Jesus' time, however, his tomb would have been easy to find. The disciples knew it belonged to an influential man named Joseph of Arimathea. The Jews knew where it was. The Romans sealed and guarded it. My point is that it would have been easy to verify if Jesus had not risen from the dead. All they had to do was go to the tomb, break the seal, roll away the stone, and look. But the enemies of Christ did no such thing. There is no record of any attempt to produce a body.

4. The Women

The fourth clue that Jesus' resurrection is a factual event is the women themselves. They were the first eyewitnesses. Three of them were the first to see the empty tomb; one of them, Mary Magdalene, lingered in the garden around the tomb and was the first to see Jesus (9-10, John 20:11-18). These women were part of the early years of the church and could have been interviewed at any time about what and who they saw. In our modern times, the testimony of multiple women would count for much, as it should. However, in that culture, the testimony of women was not respected. So, if the accounts of Jesus' resurrection were fictitious creations of the early church, it would have been more likely for them to report that men saw the empty tomb and the risen Lord first. But Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all recorded women as the first witnesses. I think they wrote this way because the women were the first witnesses.

5. Their Disbelief

The fifth clue that Jesus' resurrection is factual is the disbelief throughout the passage. The women fled from the tomb while trembling and astonished (8). And when they reported what they'd seen, the others did not believe them (11). Jesus even appeared in his glorified state to a couple of unsuspecting disciples while traveling on a country road (12). Luke records this beautiful appearance in great detail (Luke 24:13-35). Eventually, they realized Jesus was this camouflaged traveler and told the others. But the others did not believe them (13). And finally, Jesus appeared to all eleven remaining disciples and rebuked them for their unbelief (14). I bring up all this astonishment and unbelief as a clue to the fact of the resurrection because it is not at all how one might concoct a story. None of the characters are presented as hoping for a resurrection or clinging to Jesus' explicit promises that he would rise on the third day. They did not believe, and this candid representation of the events is another clue that this is an accurate account.

6. The Appearances

The sixth clue that Jesus' resurrection is a factual event is the appearance of Jesus after he rose. In our passage, he appeared to the women and the disciples, but there is a hint about another, larger meeting. When the angel spoke to the women, he told them to tell the disciples to meet him in Galilee (7). Before Jesus died, he told them he would rise and meet them there (Mark 14:28). Paul referred to this Galilean meeting when he wrote:

1 Corinthians 15:6 (ESV) — 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. This means that over forty days, Jesus appeared alive to his followers, and many people saw him: the 500, the women, and the disciples. The New Testament records around fifteen appearances after the resurrection. These people were convinced by what they saw because they quickly made the resurrection the foundation of their beliefs, preaching it in the city where Jesus was crucified. And many of them became willing to die for that message, a sign it was true. I say this because, though some will martyr themselves for a lie, no one would be martyred for something they knew was a lie. And these early witnesses had the information. They knew what they saw was true and were willing to die for it.

7. The Church

The seventh clue that Jesus' resurrection is a factual event is what was produced by it -- the church. In our passage, Jesus met the disciples and, as we'll see next week, commissioned them to tell others about him (14). And today, all over the world, thousands of churches have gathered to honor and rejoice over Christ's resurrection. Our religion is not based on teachings we found nifty, helpful, or true to us but on the event of the resurrection. It was monumental enough for the first generation of Christians that they did something unthinkable. They shifted the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday because that was the day Jesus rose. Since all the first Christians were Jewish, since Saturday was the Sabbath, and since God had put keeping the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments, shifting the day of worship to Sunday was a big deal. Something extraordinary happened right around AD 30 that caused a significant contingent of Jews to begin worshiping on Sunday. Jesus rose. But it isn't only the day shift that stands out. It's the lives changed. Peter changed. All the disciples changed. And enemies of Jesus, men like Paul, were changed. All over the Roman Empire, men and women bound in darkness were changed and brought into the light. The gospel went into a world with upside-down beliefs and morals and turned it right side up. As I mentioned, many critics have said the early church made up the resurrection for personal gain. But critics are the ones who get personal gain and notoriety. The early disciples, good people who championed truth-telling, got beatings, imprisonments, and death. Yet no one recanted because they'd seen the risen Lord, and he had fundamentally changed them and their view of the world. And for the last two thousand years, Jesus Christ has been changing men and women into his image. Though enemies have attacked, though his Scriptures have been hidden, and though his message is the most singularly hated message of all time, his resurrection power still breaks through to change lives. In conclusion, sin, for thousands of years, has killed people. But Jesus came, died, and rose — all so that those who die can rise forever with him. He came to set the captive free, and death was our captor. But, praise God, we are set free in him!