This week’s devotionals have been focusing on the resurrection. It is foundational to our faith. Yet people continue to come up with conspiracy theories which try to deny it.

When we understand these—and know how to defend against them—we grow in confidence.

One conspiracy theory is that Jesus’ dead body was simply stolen. But that doesn’t make sense. Between 4 and 20 guards would have been guarding the tomb. We know how Roman law worked. If those soldiers abandoned their post they would have been killed. Is it likely they would have done so?

Further, an edict by Caesar stated that vandalizing or tampering with a tomb or dead body was a capital offense. Do you think that disciples who had just recently fled the horror of the cross would have risked death? Not likely. 

Another theory is that the people who saw Jesus were just hallucinating. But modern experts who study the mind say that a hallucination is an internal experience. Therefore, no two people have the same hallucination at the same time. Jesus appeared to the disciples and then to hundreds. Mass hallucinations are not possible.

What happened is what the Bible said happened. That he rose from the grave! 

A former Lord Chief Justice of England, Lord Darling, said: “there exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true.”*

Something we modern Christians can neglect is that his victory is our victory. God “gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). 

Because of that, we can live confidently knowing that ours is the God who defeats darkness and death himself—not only back then, but in your life today.

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Notes and extra content:

–“Did the resurrection really happen? (Part 1) Explaining and defending our foundational belief.” Sermon. April 7, 2024. Click here.

–*As quoted in: Nicky Gumbel, Why Jesus? (Naperville: Alpha North America, 2008), 10.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.