What is a resurrection?
This is when a dead person returns to life again.
So the resurrection of Jesus is when Jesus died and then returned to life again.
Yes.
When did Jesus rise from the dead?
Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose again on Sunday morning.
Why should we believe that such a miracle happened when we have never seen such a miracle actually take place?
Before we can answer this question, we first must first ask whether miracles are possible at all; see here.
Why do some people refuse to believe any miracle claim?
Because miracles are impossible in their worldview. If someone does not believe in a deity, then no miracle is possible. They must deny all miracle claims before they even investigate it since miracles are impossible in their worldview. See here for more on this.
What claim did the disciples make after Jesus had died on the cross?
The disciples claimed to have been witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. After Jesus had ascended to heaven, they came together to find a replacement for Judas. The reason for this action was to find someone who would serve with them as a witness to Jesus’ resurrection.
Therefore, it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us–beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us–one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection. So they put forward two men… (Acts 1:21-23)
Did the disciples actually witness Jesus’ resurrection?
They did not. By the words, “a witness with us of His resurrection,” they mean someone who saw Jesus alive after His crucifixion and burial, not someone who actually saw Jesus come out of the tomb.
Why was the resurrection important to the disciples?
The resurrection was at the center of the apostles’ preaching. The reason for this was that the resurrection was God’s way of identifying Jesus as the Messiah-king for whom the Jews were waiting and expecting. Peter argues on the day of Pentecost that Jesus was the Messiah. He bases this claim on the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead, a fact to which they were eyewitnesses. (Acts 2:24, 32) He does the same thing after the healing of the lame man. (Acts 3:15) When Peter defends the apostles before the Sanhedrin, he claims that “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) This claim, he again bases on the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead. (Acts 4:10)
What are the historical facts by which the disciples’ claim stands or falls?
The one grand fact which, more than any other, establishes the truth of the resurrection is the empty tomb.
What makes you think the tomb was empty?
Because soon after the resurrection, the disciples began to proclaim that Jesus had risen from the dead. We know as well that the Jewish leadership were anxious to put an end to this preaching and to the rumor that Jesus had returned to life. One thing the Jewish leadership did not do, however, was to produce the dead body of Jesus. Had they been able to do so, the disciples’ preaching would have been shown immediately to be a fraud.
Is this why the Jews agreed to the narrative that the disciples had stolen the body?
Yes, exactly. They had to explain the fact that the tomb was empty. (Matthew 28:12-13)
Why is this almost impossible to believe?
Because the lives of the Roman guards depended on their success. If they failed, they were executed. (Acts 12:18-19) Furthermore, the disciples were in such a state of mind as rendered it impossible for them to pull off such a feat. (John 20:19)
Some scholars assert that the disciples had visions or hallucinations of Jesus being alive. These were so real to them, that they began to preach openly that Jesus had returned to life.
This explanation runs into the same problem that we mentioned above since, in this case, Jesus’ body would still be in the grave. Again, the Jews could have put an immediate end to the preaching of a risen Christ simply by producing the body. Since they never did this, we conclude that they did not have the body of Jesus in their possession.