Most other religions are based on their teachings. Christianity is based on the death of Christ and the Resurrection that attests its efficacy. – Ajith Fernando

Uh oh, if KitKats are your favorite Easter candy, you may be in trouble this year. A truck transporting 413,793 units of KitKats was stolen during transit in Europe. The shipment, around 12 tons, disappeared last week between production and distribution locations. The candy caper may lead to a shortage of KitKats on store shelves this Easter. 

Do you want to hear a bigger “theft myth” told about Easter and Jesus’ resurrection? Rejecting the evidence of Christ’s resurrection, there are several “stories” out there about what really happened to Jesus’ body.

The Stolen Body Theory

Early opponents of Christianity claimed that the followers of Jesus secretly stole His body from the tomb and then invented the resurrection story. Matthew mentions this accusation in Matthew 27:64 and 28:13. He refutes this myth by pointing out that Jesus’ tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers.

This myth probably prompted the Romans to enact a new ordinance known as the Edict of Caesar. It’s engraved on a marble slab in Galilee and prescribes the death penalty for anyone convicted of unlawfully removing a body from a tomb. It’s possible this law was enacted because of accusations against the followers of Jesus. It’s one of the best-known resurrection theories. There are two good arguments against it. First, a hoax involving so many people would be difficult to pull off. Second, the followers of Jesus would have had no plausible motive for carrying out such a plot.

The Missing Body Theory

This claims that someone took the body from the tomb without Jesus’ followers knowing about it. According to John 20:2-16, it’s what Mary Magdalene thought when she first discovered Jesus’ tomb was empty. It’s an explanation that would probably occur to most people who find themselves in a similar situation.

But this theory has some key difficulties. A missing body by itself wouldn’t be enough to convince most people that Jesus had returned to life. Then, the first visitors to Jesus’ tomb found it empty. It was the initial step toward the eventual belief in His resurrection.

The Swoon Theory

This is the silliest one. It claims that Jesus wasn’t completely dead when he was removed from the cross. Many people have been mistakenly pronounced dead. That must have happened to Jesus. 

The Gospels state that Jesus died much sooner than most victims of a crucifixion. According to Mark 15:44, Pilate was surprised when he heard that Jesus was already dead. Proponents of the Swoon Theory argue this indicates that Jesus was actually still alive.

But John 19:34 records that a Roman soldier thrust a spear into Jesus’ side shortly before He was removed from the cross. Even if Jesus wasn’t already dead, this would have finished Him. And the Romans were experts at crucifixions. No one survived one, especially if the person had been tortured as Jesus was with his scourging and then being nailed to a cross. 

The Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection

There are (not counting the one to the Apostle Paul), 11 recorded times when Jesus appeared to people proving He was resurrected. These appearances were to: men and women, individuals, couples, groups, and at least one crowd of 500 witnesses. The appearances were inside and outside, in different locations at different times of the day. Jesus was physically touched, audibly heard, visually seen, and ate food in the presence of witnesses. And none of these witnesses believed Jesus would rise from the dead before He rose from the dead. All of them knew Him before His death. They knew He was the same Jesus who died on the cross. So, why does the resurrection matter? 

The Resurrection Proves Jesus’ Deity

His resurrection proved Jesus is God. When the Pharisees and Sadducees tested Jesus by asking for a “sign from heaven” that He was God, He responded saying the sign their generation would receive would be “the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 16:1-4). Like Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days before going to preach a message of repentance to the people of Ninevah, Jesus’s resurrection from the dead (on the third day) and the apostles’ subsequent gospel proclamation among the Gentiles would be the final and conclusive sign of His divine mission. The resurrection is evidence that Jesus is God, the Messiah, who came to save His people from their sins.

The Resurrection Provides the Hope of Salvation

The resurrection is the very reason for the believer’s hope for eternity. In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul is adamant the resurrection is not a mere nicety that gives the story of Jesus’s death some positive ending, Paul says it is essential to the faith. But what if the story ended with Joseph of Arimathea placing Jesus’s body in the tomb? If that were the end, our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14). It’s worthless; without Christ’s resurrection, “You are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Christ’s resurrection isn’t just a good follow-up to His death on the cross. It’s proof of His victory over sin. Christ’s death on the cross, His blood being spilled, was necessary for the removal of our sin (Ephesians 1:7). But if Jesus had remained dead, if Jesus couldn’t defeat death that’s a result of sin, how could we ever hope He could defeat sin and death on our behalf? His resurrection demonstrates His power over sin and death, giving believers hope that Christ has paid for their sins and overcome the consequences of sin on their behalf. His resurrection gives Christ-followers confidence for their own future resurrection and eternal life. Without Christ rising from the dead, it’s not just a sad story, there is no Christian faith. But because He rose from the dead, Paul writes, Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:54b-55). 

The Resurrection Gives Us Reason to Endure

Paul concludes his teaching on the resurrection with an exhortation for believers. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Because of Christ’s resurrection, believers know they too can endure or persevere. Because He rose from the grave, believers are to be immovable and not be “shifted away from the hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:23). This hope is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). As Christ rose from the dead, so too will believers one day experience resurrection and eternity with Christ. The believer’s work will be abundantly rewarded by the God who is able to do far more than we could ever imagine. Jesus’ resurrection points toward a future resurrection for all those who have committed their lives to Christ. The believer has reason to endure hardships, trials, even persecution for the gospel.

So, Jesus’ resurrection isn’t just the return of a shipment of KitKats. His resurrection changes everything…both for this life and the next!