Jesus Rose from the Dead: 10 Reasons to Believe

Pr Enos Mwakalindile
Aug 6
4 min read

Or Just Ancient Myths Gone Too Far?

Faith Built on Truth – For Christ, Through Scripture, For Life

Large stone covers an entrance to a cave or tomb. The setting is rocky, with earthy tones and textures dominating the scene.

Introduction

Did Jesus really rise from the dead, or is this just a legend meant to comfort broken hearts? Skeptics call it an ancient tale without proof, while believers call it the cornerstone of hope. If Jesus truly rose, then death is not the end, evil does not win, and life has meaning beyond the grave. If He didn’t, Christianity is nothing more than a sentimental illusion.So let us look at the evidence—not only with reason but with open hearts—and consider why billions across centuries stake their lives on this one truth.

1. The Empty Tomb That Could Not Be Denied

The women arrived early Sunday morning, only to find the stone rolled away and the body gone (Mark 16:1–6). The authorities scrambled for explanations, even paying guards to spread the rumor of body theft (Matthew 28:11–15). Yet no body was ever produced. An empty tomb doesn’t automatically prove resurrection, but it demands an answer. It’s like waking to find a sealed bank vault open and its contents missing—someone has intervened. The empty tomb stands as history’s stubborn fact, echoing through time: something happened that morning.

2. Eyewitnesses Who Saw and Touched Jesus

The disciples’ testimony is consistent: they saw Him alive. He walked with them, taught them, even shared food (Luke 24:36–43). Thomas, overwhelmed by doubt, touched His scars and confessed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).Hallucinations don’t eat fish or walk miles on dusty roads. Dreams don’t turn despairing cowards into bold heralds willing to die. These were not fleeting visions but encounters that burned resurrection into history like sunlight etching patterns on stone.

3. Women as the First Witnesses

In that culture, women’s testimony was dismissed in court. Yet the Gospels boldly state that women first proclaimed, “He is risen!” (Luke 24:10).If this was fiction, writers would have picked prestigious male witnesses. But truth tells the story as it is, not as it is convenient. The resurrection story, like a wildflower breaking through concrete, disregards human expectations—it honors the humble and overturns social norms, announcing God’s upside-down kingdom.

4. Enemies Who Became Followers

Saul of Tarsus, a fierce persecutor, became Paul the apostle after meeting the risen Jesus on the Damascus road (Acts 9:1–6). James, who doubted his own brother (John 7:5), became a leader in the Jerusalem church (1 Corinthians 15:7).Enemies don’t switch sides over a comforting myth. But when confronted by undeniable reality—like being hit by a wave that drags you into new waters—they surrender. The resurrection didn’t just change minds; it remade identities and redirected destinies.

5. The Message That Spread Against All Odds

From fearful fishermen to bold proclaimers, the disciples filled Jerusalem with their teaching: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32).Movements built on lies fade; movements rooted in resurrection grow even under persecution. It’s like fire in dry grass—stomp on it, and sparks fly farther. The resurrection ignited a message that could not be silenced and continues today to leap across cultures and continents.

6. The Fulfillment of Ancient Prophecy

Long before Jesus, prophets had spoken of God’s anointed one suffering and yet seeing life again: “You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead” (Psalm 16:10); “After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11).The resurrection wasn’t an afterthought; it was the crescendo of a divine symphony planned from the beginning. Like a seed’s hidden blueprint pushing up a tree, God’s purposes came to life exactly as promised.

7. Transformed Fearful Disciples into a New Community of Hope

Before the resurrection, they scattered like sheep when the Shepherd was struck (Mark 14:50). Afterward, they gathered in courage, worshiping, teaching, and caring for each other (Acts 4:32–35).This radical shift is like winter trees bursting into spring blossoms overnight. Fearful followers became fearless family—because they had met Life Himself. Resurrection didn’t just prove something; it created something: a new humanity living in the power of Christ’s victory over death.

8. Disciples Willingly Died for Their Testimony

Peter crucified upside down, Thomas speared in India, others stoned, burned, or exiled—none recanted. People die for what they think is true, not for what they know is false.A conspiracy collapses under torture. But these men and women embraced suffering with joy, like seeds willingly falling into the ground, believing new life awaited beyond. The resurrection gave them a courage that outlived fear itself.

9. No Plausible Alternative Explanation

Theories abound: stolen body, wrong tomb, swoon theory. Yet each crumbles under logic and history. Roman guards don’t sleep on duty; crucifixion victims don’t casually stroll out of sealed tombs; frightened fishermen don’t overthrow imperial security.The simplest, strongest explanation remains the one the first Christians boldly declared: “The Lord has truly risen” (Luke 24:34). The resurrection is not an add-on to Christianity; it is the foundation stone.

10. Changed Lives Today—Including Ours

For two thousand years, lives have been transformed. Addicts set free, broken relationships healed, despair turned into joy, even in our own time. The risen Jesus is still meeting people, not physically on a dusty road, but in the deep roads of our souls.It’s like dawn after the longest night. Resurrection hope breaks through grief, guilt, and fear, bringing life where death once ruled. The story isn’t only about what happened then; it’s about what can happen now—in you.

Conclusion

The empty tomb whispers still; the witnesses speak still; the lives change still. Jesus is risen—and if He is, then everything changes: death loses its grip, and hope becomes certain. And so, you must choose: Will you shrug like Pilate, “What is truth?” Or will you, like Thomas, fall to your knees and say, “My Lord and my God”?

A Prayer

“Lord Jesus, if you are risen, you are Lord of all. Open my heart to your life and hope. Free me from doubt and fear, and lead me into your resurrection power. Amen.”

Invitation

Continue following this series, “Reasons to Believe”, and share your questions, reflections, or testimonies. Let’s journey together into the deep hope of Christ’s resurrection.

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