.341 is a sensational batting average. Maintain this for your career, and you’d rank within the Top 15 in Major League Baseball history. But apply this same percentage to your accuracy in journalism, and you’d be out of a job faster than you could write a resignation letter.
One young journalist learned this lesson the hard way. Between 1995 and 1998, Stephen Glass, associate editor for The New Republic, wrote 41 articles. In the beginning, the twenty-something writer’s career took off like a rocket: A large publisher approached his agent to sign a book deal with him. Several screenwriters wanted to take his stories to the big screen. Glass’s salary approached $150,000 a year with all of his writing contracts.
Shattered Glass
But the rocket didn’t stay airborne for long. Others began to question the authenticity of Glass’s articles because of missing or vague details. The New Republic conducted an investigation on Glass’s writing, and discovered the details were missing because Glass had made most of them up. To avoid getting caught by the fact checkers, he had created fake backup materials such as letterheads, memos, faxes, phone numbers, notes, diagrams, voice mails, email addresses, a business card, and even a business website. Investigators finally concluded 27 of Glass’s 41 articles (66%) had used fake material.
The truth came out — it always does — and Glass’s world of falsehood shattered. The young editor lost his job and contracts, and faded into obscurity.
Some dismiss the Resurrection of Jesus as a fraud on the same level as Glass’s fake journalism. They question the historicity of Joseph of Arimathea, who gave Jesus a proper burial. They cast doubt on the security of Jesus’ tomb. They challenge the trustworthiness of the women who witnessed the empty tomb. They suggest the Gospel writers didn’t have their facts straight, and no one knew the real location of Jesus’ grave.
High-Stakes Faith
If the critics are right and Jesus is still in the grave, then Christianity doesn’t just shatter. It collapses. But if Christians are right and Jesus is really alive, then Christianity is the only belief system worth embracing. Yes, the stakes are that high.
Author and academian Gary Habermas summed up his case for the Resurrection of Jesus with two questions: “First, did Jesus die on the cross? And second, did He appear later to people? If you can establish those two things, you’ve made your case, because dead people don’t normally do that.” [1]
Few people will argue with Jesus’ death. Anyone who lived 2,000 years ago had to die at some point. The real question is whether the claim of His appearances after His death is valid.
Reason 1: Differences in Secondary Details
One unlikely piece of evidence which supports the Resurrection is the challenges made about the different secondary details of the empty tomb as described in the four Gospels.
For example, Matthew says Mary and Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. Then there was an earthquake, and an angel rolled away the stone and sat upon it. Mark says the women saw a young man sitting inside the tomb. Luke says they saw two men standing by them. John does not mention an angel at the tomb. It says Mary Magdalene came and found the stone had been rolled away, and then she ran to tell others.
These different accounts share an important core element: the tomb was empty. If each account had the same details, this would invite suspicion of plagiarism. The differences in secondary details do not detract from the main point.
Reason 2: Paul’s Authorship of 1 Corinthians
Another piece of evidence is the wide scholarly acceptance of Paul’s writing of 1 Corinthians. Twice in the book, Paul claimed to personally see the resurrected Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8). He also cited testimony from more than 500 eyewitnesses, some of whom were alive at the time of his writing. If anyone wanted to see if Paul was telling the truth, they could talk to one of the witnesses he referenced.
Reason 3: More Witnesses and Effects Which Demand a Cause
Additional evidence is found in the book of Acts, where the Resurrection of Jesus took center stage. Here both Peter and Paul gave firsthand accounts of seeing Jesus alive after His death and burial. The book also showed the transformation of Jesus’s disciples into bold leaders of the newly formed Church. This account of effects — character transformation and the establishment of the Church — validates the authenticity of their Cause. The disciples weren’t secretive about this. Everything changed for them because Jesus was alive!
If the Resurrection of Jesus had been fabricated, the lie would have been exposed by now. Two thousand years later, word is still getting out. Lives are still being transformed by the news. Faithful believers are still giving their lives to affirm it is true.
Reason 4: The Power of the Living Jesus
But do you know what is the greatest proof of the Resurrection? It is the power of the living Jesus to forgive a sinner, heal an aching heart, quiet a restless soul, answer a desperate prayer, meet an unspoken need, and shoulder a heavy burden. I know it, because I’ve lived it — that’s what Jesus did for me.
Article by Cam Edwards
[1] Strobel, Lee, The Case for Christ, Zondervan, 1998, p.307.
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