How to Believe an Unbelievable Story ~E Reiss

When I was a kid, I watched a cow jump up and finally get over, an eight foot fence. I could walk you through it, a highly amusing sequence of events.

But on the face of it, that is a ridiculous story. Cows don't jump well. They certainly don't make Olympic level leaps, and yet... and yet... it happened.

What would I give as evidence?

- There are still multiple people who are alive, who were there that day, who witnessed it
- It was a type of cow (a charolais) that is notorious for being weirdly athletic and panicky at a younger age
- We might look for pieces of the corral, with scratches and hoof marks on the top of one of the sections
- I saw it with my own eyes, and can answer detailed questions about the events of the day

When we talk about the idea of believing something like the Resurrection, we have to agree on what level of evidence is reasonable to justify such an incredible state of belief. While we might say some "sciency" things about the Passion, that isn't going to be our best approach. Like my flying cow story, I can't recreate the experiment or have it peer reviewed in a repetitive, replicated, lab controlled, duly recorded, falsifiable experiment. We have to turn to other means of investigation and deciding up or down.

As we go, it turns out that rules of evidence related to facts / criminal justice are a great path to consider. By that standard, we could verify the cow story in a way that would satisfy a jury and a court of law. And it may not surprise you to note, that a number of very bright scholars through history have become believers in this kind of investigation into the Resurrection. 

Over four blog posts, I'll try to briefly outline the strongest arguments against the Resurrection, and (also briefly) I will explain why there is a coherent and often compelling alternative.

First up is the Misidentification Theory: This one says that the people who claimed to have seen Jesus after his death could have mistaken someone else for him. This explanation is supported by the fact that the appearances of Jesus occurred in the early morning or at night, when visibility was poor. According to this theory, the individuals who encountered the person they believed to be Jesus were not intentionally deceiving others, but rather were mistaken in their identification. The events surrounding Jesus' death and burial were chaotic and traumatic, which may have led to confusion and mistaken identity.

The problem here is that there were numerous encounters, with hundreds of people and it becomes implausibly that they all made the same mistake. But let’s take a look at the encounter’s Jesus has after Easter:

Interactions Jesus had with people after the resurrection:

Mary Magdalene: John 20:11-18
Other women: Matthew 28:9-10

Interesting here is that in Roman society at this time in history, women did not have equal legal status under Roman law. So they couldn’t vote, or hold, public office, or testify in court. In every account, Jesus appears first to the women. Many historians are fascinated by this because it’s unusual in historical terms. The only reason to add this to the account was because it’s what actually happened.

Peter: Luke 24:34, 1 Corinthians 15:5
Two disciples on the road to Emmaus: Luke 24:13-32

Ten apostles (excluding Thomas): Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-23
Eleven apostles (including Thomas): John 20:24-29

Seven apostles by the Sea of Galilee: John 21:1-25
Eleven apostles on a mountain in Galilee: Matthew 28:16-20

James (Jesus' brother): 1 Corinthians 15:7

Five hundred people at once: 1 Corinthians 15:6

Paul: Acts 9:1-9, 1 Corinthians 15:8-9, Galatians 1:11-17

It is hard to believe that people who lived with Jesus for years, his closest friends and family members, would buy into a doppelganger sighting that they agreed with unwavering force was the risen Christ. It was a single sighting in the fog, at night, that might have been... instead there is account, after account, after account. 

We see people talking with Him, walking with Him, eating with Him, touching Him, sometimes in extended periods of time with clear interaction and recognition. We see a lot of different occasions of very different people meeting Jesus, in a variety of context - and all of them coming to the same conclusion.

He is Christ, and He is risen.

For the complete message outlining this idea, check out:

Resurrection One