Short Take #2: The Resurrection “Conspiracy”

Here is another short take from The Christian Worldview with David Wheaton. As I thought about conspiracy theories, I thought about the resurrection of Christ.

You could really consider that to be a conspiracy theory. You read back in the Gospel of Matthew about the resurrection of Christ and where that passage goes, it turns into a conspiracy theory that actually gets flipped. It says in Matthew 28, And the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying, and go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see Him.

Behold, I have told you. And they, the women, left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to report to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, Rejoice! And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him. Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid, go, bring word to My brothers to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me. Now while they were on their way, some of the men from the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests, the religious leaders, all that had happened.

And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers. And here's the conspiracy theory. And they said, You are to say, here's an alternate version of the reality, His disciples came at night and stole Him while we were asleep.

And if this arises to the governor's ears, we will appease him and keep you out of trouble. Verse 15, Matthew 28. And they took the money and did as they had been instructed. And this story, this conspiracy theory, was widely spread among the Jews and is to this day, at the time of the writing of the Gospel. So the religious leaders, the Jewish religious leaders, at the time of Christ started a false conspiracy theory to counteract the actual truth that Christ had risen from the dead. And it became so accepted amongst the people that it actually flipped things that the actual resurrection of Christ turned into a conspiracy theory. Those who believed, Oh, you're believing conspiracy theories about this man, Jesus, who apparently rose from the dead.

Ha ha ha. But here's the truth with evidence, as the Bible requires. The evidence and the eyewitnesses. First Corinthians 15, Paul writes, For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, Peter, and then to the 12. After that, He appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep or died. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

The resurrection of Christ is actually a fairly simple requirement for verification. There was a dead man. Is that dead man now alive?

Has anyone seen him? Well, multiple eyewitnesses saw the empty tomb, and then He appeared to many people over a time of 40 days, including, as this passage says, more than 500 people at one time. That would stand up in any court of law, and that's why the resurrection of Christ is not a conspiracy theory at all. It is the truth. This has been a short take from The Christian Worldview with David Wheaton. To find out more about The Christian Worldview, order resources, make a donation, become a monthly partner, or contact us, visit thechristianworldview.org. You can also call us at toll-free 1-888-646-2233 or write to us at Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota 55331. That's Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota 55331.