John 20:1-18

We are considering ways men have sought to deny the resurrection of Christ.

·        The Wrong Tomb Theory.  Some maintain that the women and disciples came to the wrong tomb.  Again, this makes no sense.  We are talking about several people, including women who we are told by name were present at the burial as well as on Sunday morning (Mark 15:47; Lk. 24:10).  And again we ask, why was the body never produced to dispel the Apostle witness?

·        The Mythological Parallels Theory.  According to this theory the gospel writers concocted the story of Christ after similar stories found in mythology.  Examples of this come from sources such as Egyptian Book of the Dead or the Hindu Bhagavad Gita (AG).  We are aware that the false religions referred to in the OT, religions based in the nations around Israel including Egypt, Babylon and Persia, had a basic father-mother-son godhead that many relate to Christianity.  The result is that some claim the entire record of the life, death and resurrection of Christ is taken from these myths.

This theory does not fit the facts.  A comparison of the myths with the account of Jesus shows that the similarities are far outweighed by the differences.  Further, the NT framework is historical; it depends on being historical.  The Gospels, speak of various Roman and Jewish officials that are known in history.  The story of Jesus is presented as fact while the myths are incredibly fanciful.  Further, there is not enough time between the resurrection of Christ and the appearances to allow for the rise of a myth.  And there is still the issue of the eye witnesses who lived long after the event and could be asked for verification. 

We are not surprised at the vague similarities between religious myth and the Gospel account.  The enemy of Christ, Satan, who did all He could to derail Jesus in His earthly mission of obedience to His Father, transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).  In other words, he seeks to look like light as much as possible so as to deceive people and keep them from following Christ. 

But what he produced is a counterfeit; the fact is that Satan cannot, nor can any other being, duplicate what God has done in the person and work of His Son.  This One, who was truly God and truly Man, lived a verifiable life on earth.  As Peter said to the Men of Israel, He was Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know (Ac. 2:22). 

In our next post we will consider the positive proofs of the resurrection of Christ.  But for now, in contrast to the myths of religion and the sometimes strange attempts to deny the event, let us understand that the Bible is a true account of history.  It insists on this and we believe cannot be denied.  The salvation of humanity is based on the life, death and resurrection of Someone who really lived at a real time and in a real place in history!