"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

Alternatives To The Resurrection (28:11-15)

INTRODUCTION
  1. There are certain facts of history that no one can deny...
    1. Many people testified they saw Jesus raised from the dead
    2. These same people suffered greatly because of their testimony
    -- Such facts support the actual resurrection of Jesus from the dead
  2. From the beginning, there have been alternative theories to explain the empty tomb...
    1. Matthew records the earliest theory: the disciples stole the body - Mt 28:11-15
    2. Other theories have been raised as well
  3. Because of the significance of the resurrection (described in a previous lesson)...
    1. Those opposed to the gospel know this event must be discredited
    2. We who believe in Jesus must always be ready to provide a defense - 1Pe 3:15
      1. Not only why we accept the testimony of the witnesses (see previous lesson)
      2. But why we find alternative explanations impossible to accept

[In this study, we shall consider various "Alternatives To The Resurrection", and why they are inadequate to explain the empty tomb. We begin with the first explanation...]

  1. THE DISCIPLES STOLE THE BODY
    1. ELEMENTS OF THIS THEORY...
      1. The disciples stole the body, then claimed He rose from the dead
      2. This was the "official" theory offered from the very beginning - Mt 28:11-15
    2. PROBLEMS WITH THIS THEORY...
      1. The explanation defies logic
        1. If the soldiers were asleep...
          1. How did they know it was the disciples who took the body?
          2. How could the large stone guarding the entrance be rolled away without awakening the soldiers?
        2. The soldiers guarding the tomb were Romans - Mt 27:62-66
          1. They were professional soldiers
          2. Charged to guard the tomb with their lives
          3. The punishment for falling asleep on duty was death
      2. This would make those who testified they saw Jesus liars and frauds
        1. As we saw in the previous lesson, they claimed empirical evidence
        2. Suppose just a few disciples stole the body, unbeknown by others...
          1. Such as Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, or the women
          2. Others still say they saw Jesus, ate and drank with Him
        3. You have to explain why they were willing to lie and die knowing it was a lie

        [The likelihood of timid disciples stealing the body of Jesus out from under the noses of highly disciplined and skilled Roman soldiers while they slept (an offense punishable by death) is hard to believe! Perhaps that is why those who refuse to believe in the resurrection have proposed alternative explanations, one being...]

  2. THEY WENT TO THE WRONG TOMB
    1. ELEMENTS OF THIS THEORY...
      1. The women went to the wrong tomb, and found it empty
      2. They erroneously concluded that Jesus had risen, and their story spread
    2. PROBLEMS WITH THIS THEORY...
      1. The women had been to the tomb before - Mt 27:61
      2. The religious and political leaders could have easily silenced the apostles' claim
        1. If the women went to the wrong tomb, then the right tomb was still sealed and guarded by the Roman soldiers
        2. When the apostles' created an uproar with their story of the resurrection of Jesus (cf. Ac 4:1-2; 5:27-33), the Jewish leaders could have directed people to the right tomb and presented the body of Jesus!
      3. You still have the testimony of the apostles to contend with

      [A more popular explanation in some circles is...]

  3. JESUS SWOONED AND LATER REVIVED
    1. ELEMENTS OF THIS THEORY...
      1. Jesus did not actually die on the cross, He only swooned
        1. Suffering from shock, pain, and loss of blood, He fainted (swooned) from exhaustion
        2. Thinking that He was dead, the Roman soldiers took Him down and buried Him in the tomb
      2. In the coolness of the tomb, Jesus revived
        1. Somehow He left the tomb
        2. Appeared to His disciples, then lived in obscurity to die years later
    2. PROBLEMS WITH THIS THEORY...
      1. Jesus would have had to revive sufficiently enough to:
        1. Break through the burial garments that bound Him, including a hundred pounds of spices used in preparing His body for burial - Jn 19:38-40
        2. Role away the large stone that sealed the tomb
        3. Fight off the Roman guards protecting the tomb
        4. Walk the seven miles to Emmaus where He was seen by the two disciples
        5. Walk back to Jerusalem where He was seen by the apostles
        -- All within the same day!
      2. Every effort was made to prove He was dead
        1. The Roman soldiers at the cross pierced His side - Jn 19:31-34
          1. Out of which flowed blood and water
          2. An indication He was already dead, having died of a ruptured heart
        2. Pilate made sure He was dead - Mk 15:43-45
          1. When Joseph of Arimathea wanted the body
          2. The Roman centurion confirmed that Jesus was dead
      3. Not only would this make the apostles liars and frauds, but Jesus also for allowing a lie to spread for years!

      [Another popular alternative explanation is...]

  4. THE DISCIPLES HAD HALLUCINATIONS OR VISIONS
    1. ELEMENTS OF THIS THEORY...
      1. All of Christ's post-resurrection appearances were only supposed appearances
      2. Those who claimed to see Jesus had hallucinations
    2. PROBLEMS WITH THIS THEORY...
      1. Remember that the appearances were not just to individuals, one at a time
        1. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus claimed to see Him - Lk 24:13-35
        2. Ten apostles claimed to see Him - Jn 20:19-25
        3. He appeared to over 500 people at once - 1Co 15:6
      2. The hallucination theory contradicts laws and principles which psychiatrists say are essential to hallucinations:
        1. Only certain kinds of people have hallucinations
          1. These are usually high-strung, highly imaginative, and very nervous people
          2. Usually only paranoid or schizophrenic individuals have hallucinations
          3. The appearances were not restricted to people of any particular psychological make up
        2. Hallucinations are linked in an individual's subconscious
          1. An individual may have an hallucination
          2. But hallucinations do not appear to groups of people
        3. They occur in people when there is a spirit of anticipation or hopeful expectation
          1. The disciples had no such anticipation - Lk 24:13-21
          2. They were prone to disbelieve even after they were told of the resurrection - Jn 20:24-25

          [Then there is the theory that...]

  5. SOMEONE IMPERSONATED JESUS
    1. ELEMENTS OF THIS THEORY...
      1. The appearances were not really Christ at all, but someone impersonating Him
      2. This is evident because in some cases they did not recognize Him at first
    2. PROBLEMS WITH THIS THEORY...
      1. The disciples were reluctant to believe in the resurrection
        1. Some were doubtful, such as Thomas - Jn 20:24-25
        2. It would have been hard to convince them unless it was really Him
      2. It would have been impossible to impersonate Christ's wounds
        1. This was Christ's proof it was really Him - Jn 20:26-27
        2. Which convinced doubting Thomas - Jn 20:28-29
      3. The apostles traveled with Jesus for three years
        1. It is incredible that anyone could have gotten away with an impersonation
        2. Which is why the apostles were witnesses of the resurrection - Ac 10:39-41
      4. The one claiming to be Jesus performed miracles
        1. Suddenly appearing in locked rooms - Jn 20:19
        2. Directing them how to catch fish - Jn 21:1-7

        [Closely related to this would be the theory that...]

  6. SOMEONE WAS MISTAKEN FOR JESUS
    1. ELEMENTS OF THIS THEORY...
      1. The disciples simply mistook for Jesus someone who looked like Him
      2. For example, the women mistook the gardener for Jesus - Jn 20:14-15
    2. PROBLEMS WITH THIS THEORY...
      1. The same problems as with the impersonation theory
        1. Disciples reluctant to believe in the resurrection
        2. Impossible to recreate the wounds of Jesus
        3. Ample time with Jesus to verify His identity
      2. While Mary may have mistaken Jesus for the gardener, she was able to look through her grief and recognize who He was

      [Finally, here is an alternative proposed by some theologians who just cannot accept the idea of a physical, bodily resurrection...]

  7. IT WAS ONLY A SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION
    1. ELEMENTS OF THIS THEORY...
      1. Christ's resurrection was not a real physical resurrection
      2. Christ's body remained in the grave and His real resurrection was spiritual in nature
      3. It was only told this way to illustrate the truth of spiritual resurrection
    2. PROBLEMS WITH THIS THEORY...
      1. If it was only a spiritual resurrection, what happened to the body?
        1. The enemies of Christ were never able to produce a body
        2. Which they would have gladly done to discredit the apostles
      2. Again, the nature of the apostles' testimony is empirical:they ate and drank with Him, touched Him - Lk 24:36-43; Ac 10:39-41; 1Jn 1:1-2
      3. Paul argued a bodily resurrection of Jesus as evidence for our own bodily resurrection - 1Co 15:12-58
CONCLUSION
  1. The resurrection of Jesus has been variously interpreted as...
    1. A great hoax (the resurrection is false)
    2. Mythology (the resurrection is fiction)
    -- Therefore various alternatives have been proposed to explain the empty tomb
  2. But there is only one interpretation worth accepting...
    1. It is the supreme event of history (the resurrection is fact)
    2. Supported by empirical testimony provided by reliable witnesses
    3. With implications of great significance for both unbeliever and believer alike

When you consider the strength of the apostles' testimony, and contrast it with the weakness of the alternative explanations that have been proposed, it leads an honest person in only one direction: to faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God...

"And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." (Jn 20:30-31)
Are you willing to believe in Jesus, that you might have life in His name? Then heed the words of the apostle Peter proclaimed in the first gospel sermon:
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (Ac 2:36-39)