The Logical Lynchpin of Michael Licona: Why the Resurrection Takes Center Stage

By Rev. Mark A. Pierson

Let’s start with a pop quiz. Can you name the one thing that, if proved true, should turn Christians into unbelievers? In other words, could a single fact destroy your faith? Some think that if the theory of evolution is correct, then the Bible must be false. Others have said that not feeling God’s love when dealing with a tragedy can cause doubts. While people often do struggle with such issues, there are also many who have suffered great personal loss and yet still believe; there are those who think God created everything through an evolutionary process (despite whatever problems that view contains) and yet are still Christians. These reasons, then, are not adequate grounds for rejecting the faith.

On the other hand, some Christians firmly state, “Nothing! Nothing will ever cause me to lose faith in Jesus.” While this defiance is well-meaning, it is actually wrong. There is in fact something that, if shown to be true, will cause Christianity to fall like a house of cards. To many people’s surprise, the answer to this pop quiz is actually found in the New Testament. Yes, the Bible itself names what would disprove Christianity once and for all. St. Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Simply put, if at “Point A” on Good Friday, Jesus was dead, and at “Point B” on Easter Sunday, Jesus was still dead, then Christianity is false. Period. Game over.

The Crown Jewel of Apologetics

This admission often makes believers nervous, but it shouldn’t. The question of the resurrection is precisely what sets Christianity apart from other religions. Some (such as Mormons and Buddhists) rely on a personal experience—an internal, subjective feeling—to validate their beliefs. Others (like most Muslims) assume their holy book is true just because it says it’s true, then conclude all other views are wrong. In such cases, evidence, research, and investigating the real world are irrelevant because their faith is not founded on facts. In contrast, Christianity claims God entered our world as a human being, was crucified at a real time and place, and rose from the grave three days later in objective history. This means everyone—both believers and unbelievers—can examine the resurrection to see if it’s true. Paul himself said as much when telling pagans that God “has given assurance to all by raising Jesus from the dead” (Acts 17:31). Blind faith is therefore unnecessary.

A key point here is that while all of God’s Word is true, and useful, not all of it holds the same weight with regard to our salvation. For example, knowing that Ruth was from Moab is of lesser significance than knowing that “baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21). So while it can be helpful to find evidence for the Old Testament accounts or to harmonize science with Scripture, our faith does not stand or fall on apologetic issues such as these. But if Jesus had remained dead, there is no gospel to speak of—no reason to think His death paid for our sins and no basis for believing there is life beyond the grave. Likewise, if He actually rose, then the message of salvation in Christ is most certainly true. The all-important apologetic question, then, is what really happened on that first Easter morning? Thankfully, this lynchpin is Michael Licona’s area of expertise.

A Pesky Detail

Licona is a well-rounded defender of the faith, and the protégé of some of the best apologists in the world. Yet, because he recognizes how much is riding on the truth of the resurrection, it remains the central focus in virtually everything he does. Licona even wrote his doctoral dissertation on the resurrection at a non-Christian university, which is a rare accomplishment. This scholarly, meticulous work has been praised by Christians and skeptics alike, and touches on everything from the possibility of miracles to the historical reliability of the Gospels. Here, we briefly consider one crucial aspect of Licona’s overall case: the pesky detail of Jesus’ missing body.

Simple logic dictates that if Jesus did not rise, something else must have happened to His corpse. But what? Where did Jesus go if the Easter story is a sham? There are only so many options, given the facts of history. For example, there is no credible evidence that Jesus was an alien, or had a twin brother who was hidden until Easter. There is also no reason to think His body was eaten by wild animals because He failed to receive a proper burial. Suggestions such as these are silly, and scholars have found them unconvincing. In terms of realistic possibilities, there are only two categories: 1) Jesus’ body remained in a tomb, and 2) Jesus’ body was removed by someone. For both scenarios, Licona has refuted each alternative to the truth of Easter.

The Not-So-Empty Tomb?

Some skeptics have suggested that the women and disciples made a mistake. Upon arriving at the wrong tomb and finding it empty, they presumed Jesus had risen from the dead while His body actually lay in another tomb nearby. Yet this discounts the fact that the women saw where Jesus was buried, that Joseph of Arimathea would surely know where the tomb he owned was located, and that the soldiers who guarded the tomb all night would remember the precise spot.

Similarly, it has been proposed that Jesus was moved from Joseph’s tomb to an undisclosed resting place. This is even what Mary Magdalene initially thought upon seeing the empty tomb (John 20:13). But if someone deliberately moved and re-buried the body of Jesus, then that same someone would know where to find it. There were only three groups of people interested in Jesus: Christians, Jews, and Romans. Since both the Jews and the Romans wanted nothing more than to stop the Christian movement once and for all, it is unthinkable that they would not have produced the body of Jesus if they had access to it. While the disciples were proclaiming that Jesus is risen, what better way to shut them up for good than to parade their dead Messiah through the streets of Jerusalem? The fact is, the authorities never did so because they couldn’t find the body. If it was merely in a different tomb somewhere, they would have located it in no time.

A different and more popular claim is that people believed Jesus rose from the dead because they had visions or hallucinations of Him after His crucifixion. It is not unusual for a grieving person to think they momentarily saw or heard a loved one who recently died. This typically occurs in a predictable place (like the deceased’s favorite chair) or at the same time of day. It is also not uncommon for religious people to think they’ve had supernatural visions. But in the case of Jesus’ resurrection, these explanations fall short.

First, when all documented hallucinations are compared with the Easter accounts, none of them resemble what the Gospels record. The risen Jesus appeared almost at random: in the morning, evening, and midday; in Jerusalem, in Galilee, and on the road to Emmaus, a village mentioned nowhere else in the Bible. Additionally, He appeared to a wide variety of people—to men and women, to fishermen and the well-educated, to individuals and groups, to followers and skeptics (like James and Paul). All of these people could not have been in the same state of mind to see the same thing. Hallucinations are also private experiences, so they cannot be shared between people any more than dreams can. Second, the Gospels make it clear that this was not a heavenly vision of a spiritual Jesus. He ate fish, invited people to touch him, and even said, “A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39). Finally, hallucinations or visions would still leave a dead body behind. Again, it is absurd to think the Jews and Romans wouldn’t have produced it if they could have.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

Since Jesus’ tomb was indeed empty and the body was missing, it has been suggested that someone took Jesus’ remains. The most popular version of this argument is that the disciples stole the body. Yet virtually no scholars think this today because it flies in the face of what we know about Jesus’ disciples.

First, they were all devout Jews. This means they would have stolen and lied for the sake of purposely misleading people about the Messiah. Why would they do this when Jesus taught against such sinful behavior, and since God would surely damn them for it? It just doesn’t make sense. Second, most of them suffered terrible persecution for spreading the gospel. To be sure, people will die for something they think is true. But if the disciples stole the body, then they were willing to endure tortuous deaths (including crucifixion) for something they knew to be a lie. Would none of them have told the truth to save their own skin? This is highly unlikely. Third, if the whole story is made up, why would they say the women discovered the empty tomb? In their day, a woman’s testimony was inadmissible in court. If you want to get away with the greatest fraud of all time, you don’t make the mistake of having the first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection be the least believable! You’d only say the women saw Jesus first if they actually did. Lastly, the conversion of James and Paul cannot be explained by a stolen body, since both believed they saw Jesus alive again with their own eyes.

As mentioned above, the only other people concerned with Jesus were the Jews and Romans. But they would have shown the body as soon as possible to stop the Easter message if they had it. So whom does that leave to remove the body? Believe it or not, some have actually suggested the culprit was none other than…Jesus himself!

There are two variations to this theory: One states that Jesus passed out on the cross, while the other accuses Jesus of purposely faking His death with a drug-induced coma. In both versions, Jesus’ revival in the tomb led people to believe that He conquered the grave. The major problem, however, is that these suggestions discount the efficient nature of crucifixion. The Romans were experts at carrying out this means of death. Jesus was first scourged, then nailed to the cross, then suffocated for hours, then stabbed in the heart. There is simply no way He could have survived all of that. When the American Medical Association studied the evidence, they also concluded that Jesus was definitely dead when taken down from the cross. And if not, are we really to believe that someone on the brink of death could push away the massive stone from inside the tomb, and then, while looking like a bloody mess, convince people He was the Lord of life? Anyone who could believe that should have no problem believing the resurrection!

He Is Risen, Indeed!

If the bones of Jesus are ever found, we have a false hope and should be pitied beyond all people (1 Corinthians 15:19). That is why the resurrection is the apologetic lynchpin that holds the truth of Christianity together. Since it comes down to evidence, however, Easter isn’t just a matter of faith but also a matter of fact. Licona has forcefully shown that the historical record supports the Gospel accounts. He also asks the logical question of Jesus’ whereabouts if he failed to rise, and shows why alternate explanations are unconvincing. It is with great confidence, then, that we can take Christ at His word when He says, “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore! And I hold the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). Thus, regarding what really happened on that first Easter Sunday, we remain justified in proclaiming, “He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!”

Rev. Mark A. Pierson is a contributing author to the forthcoming book, The Resurrection Fact: Responding to Modern Critics. You can email him at markapierson@gmail.com