Proving the Case For Jesus

When attempting to share the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, with those who are not believers, one will at times run into a comment similar to this, “Well, there is actually no proof that Jesus Christ ever existed and/or did the things the Bible said He did. Your belief in Him has no more validity than those beliefs held by other religions. So why should I listen to you?” This is actually a very valid and excellent question to be asked, and is one that we as Christians should be prepared to readily answer. The purpose of this Bible study is to walk through some of the strong evidence that Jesus Christ did exist, and that He performed those miracles and signs talked about in the Bible, in particular, His death and resurrection. 1) Motivation of the writers of the New Testament If the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not actually happen, then how do we explain the behavior of the apostles and other disciples? That is, what transformed these men from scared and cowering in seclusion after Jesus Christ was taken by the guards and ultimately crucified, to becoming embolden to preach the gospel message in public, with no regard for their own safety or reputation only days later? Let’s examine the behavior of the disciples from the point of time when Jesus was taken by the guards in the garden, to His crucifixion and death on the Cross, and then view their behavior subsequent to His purported resurrection. Pre-Resurrection Behavior of the Disciples A) “Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.” (NKJ: Matthew 26:56) When Judas came with the mob to seize Jesus in the garden, His disciples ultimately did not defend Him, but fled from the garden leaving Jesus alone to be taken away by those who were sent by the Jewish leaders to capture Him (Peter initially rose to the occasion to defend Jesus, but soon thought better, and decided to flee versus staying with his Lord). At the first sign of potential personal harm, the disciples quickly fled from the scene. B) “Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee.’ But he denied it before them all, saying, ‘I do not know what you are saying.’ And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, ‘This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ But again he denied with an oath, ‘I do not know the Man!’ And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, ‘Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.’ Then he began to curse and swear, saying, ‘I do not know the Man!’ (NKJ: Matthew 26:69-74) Peter later comes back into town to secretly find out what is happening with Jesus, but when he is questioned about being one of Jesus’ followers he three times denies that he knew Jesus out of fear from the crowd. He publicly denies his Lord. C) “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews” (NKJ: John 20:19) After the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples were hiding from the public eye for fear of their own lives. They were fearful of the Jewish leaders and what they might do to them because of their being followers of Jesus. Post-Resurrection Behavior of the Disciples A) “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’or is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, ‘What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.’ So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’ So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.” (NKJ: Acts 4:8-21) Peter and John were taken into custody by the Temple guards for preaching the gospel openly in public to the people. They were taken before the Jewish leaders, and were commanded by them to cease their preaching of the gospel. However, as we read, we now have a new Peter, one who is bold and unrelenting in preaching the gospel, in particular, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter refuses to stop preaching the gospel, knowing that this will place him in severe jeopardy from the Jewish leaders. He is no longer scared of the Jewish leaders, and is even openly rebellious against them. In public he preaches the gospel boldly, and has no fear of being identified as a follower of Jesus Christ. B) “Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison… And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, ‘Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!’ But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.’ When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them… and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” (NKJ Acts 5:17-18, 27-33, 40-42) Again, a little later, all of the apostles are brought before the Jewish leaders and commanded not to preach the gospel, but the apostles boldly refused their commands saying, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Such rebellion against the Jewish leaders would have them face physical torture and possibly death, but this was of no concern to them for they knew they were obeying their Lord. Again, we see the apostles boldly preaching the gospel in public with no fear of the Jewish leadership and what they might do to them. C) “’You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.’ When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (NKJ: Acts 7:51-60) Here we have one of the followers of Jesus, Stephen, standing before the Jewish leaders speaking to them of how the Old Testament foretold of Jesus, and how they should have recognized that He was their prophesied Messiah. During his rebuke of these leaders, the Lord allows him to see into heaven itself for which the Jewish leaders take him outside and stone him to death. To directly rebuke the Jewish leadership was unheard of in that day, and would surely bring severe retribution, in this case, death by stoning. D) “…in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned;…” (NKJ: I Corinthians 11:23-25) The apostle Paul, formerly called Saul, went from persecuting Christian Jews to boldly preaching the gospel after the risen Lord appeared to him (cf. Acts 9:1-30,13:9). Before his conversion, he was one of the Jewish leaders himself, leading a very comfortable life. But after his conversion, because of his bold preaching of the gospel, he suffered extreme hardships for the rest of his remaining life as he accounts in this verse. E) The twelve apostles and Paul suffered much during their ministries, and died painful deaths, all except for John. The following is a list of the twelve apostles (with Judas replaced by Matthias) and Paul with descriptions on how each one died: James (brother of John) – Beheaded Philip – Scourged, thrown into prison, then later crucified Matthew – Slain with a halberd James the Less – At the age of ninety-four he was beaten and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club. Matthias – Stoned in Jerusalem then beheaded Andrew – Crucified Peter – Crucified (upside down) Paul – Beheaded Thaddeus - Crucified Bartholomew – Beaten then crucified Thomas – Thrust through with a spear Simon – Crucified John – The only apostle to escape violent death Nothing short of the physical reality that Jesus Christ not only existed, but died on the Cross and then rose from the dead three days later could explain the actions of these disciples. For they received no personal gain or fame from their preaching of the gospel, but rather suffered extreme pain, persecution, and finally death as a result. They were not acting upon legendary stories, but on their own eye witness of our Lord. To make the statement that these men were attempting to deceive the masses just does not make sense. Some people may point to the fanatics in other religions who also speak boldly for their beliefs, and willingly give their lives in the name of their faith. However, these people are not acting upon their own eye witness, but on legends and stories of the past of which they have no direct knowledge. It is relatively easy to deceive someone into taking bold actions based on that which cannot be proven. But this was not the case for the disciples. They walked with Jesus, witnessed His death on the Cross, and then were witnesses to His resurrection. Their sudden boldness was not based on tales out of the mouths of others, but solely based on their eye witness of these events. They had direct knowledge of what actually happened. The power of the testimony of these men as to the reality of Jesus Christ is eloquently expressed by the following quote from an unknown writer, “On the day of the crucifixion they were filled with sadness; on the first day of the week with gladness. At the crucifixion they were hopeless; on the first day of the week their hearts glowed with certainty and hope. When the message of the resurrection first came they were incredulous and hard to be convinced, but once they became assured they never doubted again. What could account for the astonishing change in these men in so short a time? The mere removal of the body from the grave could never have transformed their spirits and characters. Three days are not enough for a legend to spring up which would so affect them. Time is needed for a process of legendary growth. It is a psychological fact that demands a full explanation. Think of the character of the witnesses, men and women who gave the world the highest ethical teaching it has ever known, and how even on the testimony of their enemies lived it out in their lives. Think of the psychological absurdity of picturing a little band of defeated cowards cowering in an upper room one day and a few days later transformed into a company that no persecution cold silence—and then attempting to attribute this dramatic change to nothing more convincing than a miserable fabrication they were trying to foist upon the world. That simply wouldn’t make sense.” (unknown writer) The testimony of these men is truly one of the strongest cases for proving the case for Jesus Christ. 2) The Nonexistence of Contradictory Accounts and/or Refuting of Events During the life of Jesus Christ through that generation that actually were eyewitnesses to the recorded events, there were no contradictory accounts of the events recorded in the Bible. Christianity was a new belief founded on a “man” who walked among the masses through many towns, and was witnessed by tens of thousands of people. There was much persecution and antagonism towards this new sect. Its detractors vehemently desired to wipe out this movement, and were looking for any way to accomplish this, in particular, finding any way to discredit its founder. But, we find literally no contradictory reports regarding the claims made in the gospels regard Jesus Christ. The closest form of attack on the gospel account was that of the Jews saying that Jesus Christ attracted His followers through sorcery. This attempt to discredit Jesus Christ by his main detractors only serves to prove that He actually did perform miracles that were witnessed by many. Their only assertion is that these miracles were not from God, but from some other source. If critics of that day could have found any falsehoods or inconsistencies in the gospel accounts, they surely would have attacked those accounts. 3) The Form And Character of the Writings of Jesus Are Not That of False Teachings An examination of the gospel writings themselves, in particular, their form and character, reveal to the reader that they are not that of what would have been expected of false teachings. First, the gospel writings do not portray the writers or people in a favorable light, but point out their weaknesses. In the book of Mark, Peter is portrayed very unfavorable, and the disciples many times are portrayed as not understanding Jesus’ teachings, or as being self-serving such as when James and John wanted to be on the right and left hand of the Lord in heaven. Their lack of faith after Jesus was taken definitely constitutes one of the low points of their lives, and would have definitely been left out of the account--or, if not left out, then facts would have been drastically changed to portray them as men of faith, and not as the weak-faithed men they actually were. Second, there is no exaggerative language, which was especially evident in much of the writings in the first century. No mythology or flourishes, but with very methodical and detailed accounts. Finally, the disputes that developed within the church over certain doctrines were not conveniently solved by adding additional Scriptures that would have been self-serving to the writers. But, instead, the Scriptures are unaltered from the time of their writing to today. These attributes of the gospels, and New Testament in general, are definitely very inconsistent with those of false writings. On the contrary, these attributes are those possessed of writings focused on providing the true facts. 4) The Validity and Accuracy of the Bible The Bible is the source of all that we know and believe about Jesus. The source of the Bible, that being God, and truthfulness thereof is validated by the 100% accuracy of the prophecies contained therein (See Bible study on “Prophecy – God’s signature on His Word” for a more thorough discussion). This amazing fact separates the Bible and Christianity from all the other religions and spiritual beliefs that exist in the world. For without exception, no other writings in the entirety of history can even come close to boasting the perfect prophetical record of the Bible. Truly, this is the strongest of evidence supporting the validity and accuracy of the record of Jesus. 5) Secular References to Jesus Christ One last proof for our case for Jesus Christ can be found in references to His existence in secular writings. Two of the most famous writers who made references to Jesus Christ were Josephus and Tacitus. Josephus was a famous Jewish historian (not a Christian) who was commissioned by the Roman government to document the history of the Jewish nation. His great works were written late in the first century A.D. Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman Historian (not a Christian), wrote four historic treaties, of which the treaty entitled “Annals” was written around 115 A.D. The following are excerpts from their writings: Josephus “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the]Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him ; for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.” (Josephus, “Jewish Antiquities,” 18.3.1) “Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned.” (Josephus, “Jewish Antiquities,” 20.9.1) -- cf. John 7:5, I Corinthians 15:7. Tacitus "Nero fastened the guilt 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, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome..." (Cornelius Tacitus, “Annals,” 15.4.2-8) “This phenomenon, evidently, was visible in Rome, Athens, and other Mediterranean cities. According to Tertullian…it was a “cosmic” or “world event.” Phlegon, a Greek author from Caria writing a chronology soon after 137 A.D., reported that in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e. 33 A.D.) there was “the greatest eclipse of the sun” and that “it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.” (Gary Habermas, “The Historical Jesus” [Joplin, MO; College Press, 1996], 196-7) -- cf. Luke 23:44-46, Matthew 27:45-46, Mark 15:33-34. Both Jesus Christ and the events surrounding his crucifixion are a matter of secular public record. Even the miracle of day becoming night during His crucifixion is recorded for us as validation of the event. Final Comments In Peter’s first epistle he writes, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;…” (NKJ: I Peter 3:15) One of the spiritual weapons in our defensive arsenal should be our ability to present a strong case for the evidence of both the existence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and also for who He was and what He did while here on earth, in particular, His death on the Cross and resurrection three days later. Without such a defense, our Lord and our belief in Him are, to the onlooker, just the same as those of other religions. As we have hopefully learned in this study, there is the strongest of cases in support of the existence of Jesus Christ of the Bible. In confidence, we should be able to defend our belief in Jesus Christ against any and all attacks based on the questioning of whether He truly walked the earth, and died and rose again for our salvation as the Bible records. My hope is that this study will equip the reader with just such a confidence.