The Whole Easter Story

“Eyewitnesses of the Resurrection”

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 NIV

“After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as one abnormally born.” 1 Corinthians 15:6-8 NIV

There were many eyewitnesses The number of witnesses is important The Law of Moses required a minimum of two or three witnesses to establish a matter – Deuteronomy 19:15 Even in today’s courts, the more witnesses there are, the stronger the evidence

There were many eyewitnesses There were hundreds of eyewitnesses Mary Magdalene was the first – Mark 16:9; John 20:10-18 The two disciples on the road to Emmaus – Luke 24:13-32 After that He appeared to Simon Peter – Luke 24:33--35 The apostles and others meeting together – John 20:19-20 A week later, some disciples and Thomas – John 20:26-31 The 7 disciples by the Sea of Galilee, James? – John 21 Over 500 brothers at the same time – I Corinthians 15:6 Lastly, to Paul on the road to Damascus – 1 Corinthians 15:8

“After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” Acts 1:3 NIV

These were credible eyewitnesses They were not naïve or easily deceived They were all very skeptical at first – John 20:1-2; Mark 16:9-14 Even as more and more sightings were reported, they still refused to believe it without empirical evidence – Luke 24:36-49; John 20:24-28; 1 John 1:1-4

These were credible eyewitnesses They had nothing to gain from lying They suffered greatly for Jesus! – 1 Corinthians 4:11-13 They were persecuted unmercifully – Acts 4:1-3; 5:27-40; 9:1-2 They were tortured and put to death because of their testimony – 2 Corinthians 11:23-25; Acts 7; 12:1-4; Revelation 20:4

The impact it had on these eyewitnesses Their lives before the Resurrection They were obstinate and disobedient – John 6:60-66; 7:3-5 They were cowardly and unpredictable – Mark 14:43-50; 66-72

The impact it had on these eyewitnesses After the Resurrection their lives changed! They were totally convinced! – Luke 24:50-53; John 20:27-31 They were bold and unstoppable! – Acts 4:1-31; 5:27-42 They fearlessly preached the Gospel everywhere! – Mark 16:19-20; Acts 8:1-4; Colossians 1:6, 23