Who Is Jesus, Lesson 13: Many Infallible Proofs: Witnesses of the Resurrection

Welcome to Authorized Sword Ministries. This is Lesson 13 in our series, Who Is Jesus? Today's lesson is called Many Infallible Proofs: Witnesses of the Resurrection.

We're so glad you're here.

We have seen who Jesus is, why He died, and that He is our great High Priest. Today we look carefully at the witnesses of His resurrection. The Christian faith stands or falls here. Paul said it plainly:

"And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain."
— 1 Corinthians 15:14 (KJV)

But Christ is risen. And God has not asked us to believe without evidence.

Our Key Verse

"To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:"
— Acts 1:3 (KJV)

"Many infallible proofs." Not a rumor. Not a dream. He showed Himself alive, He was seen for forty days, and He spoke with them.

The Empty Tomb, and the Women Who Came First

On the first day of the week, the stone was moved, and the body was gone. The angel said:

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
— Matthew 28:6 (KJV)

"He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."
— Luke 24:6-7 (KJV)

The first witnesses to the empty tomb were women who came to care for His body. Mark says:

"Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils."
— Mark 16:9 (KJV)

He spoke her name:

"Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master."
— John 20:16 (KJV)

If the disciples had invented this story, they would not likely have made women the first witnesses, in a world that often refused a woman's testimony. The Gospels tell it this way because that is how it happened. The risen Lord appeared first to Mary Magdalene.

Handle Me, and See

The Lord was careful to show that He was not a spirit or a vision. He said to the gathered disciples:

"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."
— Luke 24:39 (KJV)

Thomas had not been there, and he would not believe without seeing. Jesus did not shame him away. He invited him close:

"Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."
— John 20:27-28 (KJV)

The wounds were still there. The Lord was truly risen. Thomas's doubt became one of the strongest confessions in the Bible: "My Lord and my God."

Many Witnesses at Once

Paul gives a list that could still be checked when he wrote it:

"And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time."
— 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 (KJV)

Cephas, that is Peter. The twelve. More than five hundred at once, most of them still alive when Paul wrote, so that any reader could ask them. James, the Lord's brother, who had not believed before. All the apostles. And Paul himself, who had been an enemy. This is not one lonely vision in a locked room. This is many people, on many days, in many places, including two on the road to Emmaus whose hearts burned as He opened the Scriptures.

Why This Matters

The resurrection means the sacrifice was accepted. It means death is defeated. It means Jesus is who He said He is. It means you can trust Him with your own grave, and with your own life today. The first name He spoke in the garden was a woman's name, and the first confession Thomas made was "My Lord and my God." That invitation is still open.

A Simple Step for This Week

Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 and John 20 this week. Then tell someone, in your own words, two of the proofs that Jesus is risen. You do not have to know every answer. You can say, "The tomb was empty, He was seen by many, and He even showed His wounds."

A Prayer

Lord Jesus, You showed Yourself alive by many infallible proofs. We believe that You died for our sins, that You were buried, and that You rose again the third day. Make us glad witnesses, like Mary in the garden and like Thomas who said, "My Lord and my God." In Your name, amen.

Thank you for spending this time with us. This is Authorized Sword Ministries. God bless you.

Study Questions

1. What does Acts 1:3 mean by "many infallible proofs"?
2. Why does Paul say in 1 Corinthians 15:14 that our faith is vain if Christ be not risen?
3. What did the angel tell the women at the tomb in Matthew 28:6 and Luke 24:6-7?
4. To whom did the risen Jesus appear first, according to Mark 16:9, and how did He speak to her in John 20:16?
5. Why is it important that women were the first witnesses?
6. How did Jesus prove He was not a spirit in Luke 24:39?
7. What did Thomas say when he saw the risen Lord?
8. Why does it matter that Jesus was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, and that most of them were still alive when Paul wrote?
9. How does Paul's own testimony add weight to the list of witnesses?
10. How will the resurrection change the way you face fear, grief, or death this week?