THE RESURRECTION: A FOUR WEEK DEVOTIONAL STUDY GUIDE HOW TO USE: This study guide is based on the facts presented by Josh and Sean McDowell in the book Evidence That Demands a Verdict (ETDV). It is, therefore, best used when coupled with the book. Highlighting Christ s resurrection and its impact on the lives of all believers, this guide s purpose is to equip believers to discuss and share the gospel within modern culture. The material in this guide, which can be presented adequately in both group and individual settings, is divided into four sections to be covered over a four-week period. The material in each section includes: Scriptures to Inspire Personal Reflection Questions for Personal Reflection Questions Based on the Information in Evidence That Demands a Verdict Recommendations for Further Study in Evidence That Demands a Verdict WHAT'S INCLUDED: Week One: Why the Resurrection Matters...1 Week Two: The Nature of the Resurrection:...2 Week Three: How Can We Know the Resurrection Really Happened?...3 Week Four: What Does the Resurrection Mean?...4
WEEK ONE Why the Resurrection Matters If you ve ever lived near a train track, you know how obnoxious and untimely a train horn can be. But you also know that after a while the sound of the train, which was once a regular annoyance, becomes hardly noticeable. Sure, there is a vague awareness of trains going by, but the noise has long since faded into the background. Familiarity can bread deafness and blindness. Paul wants to ensure that what he passed on to the church in Corinth as of first importance didn t fade into the background of familiarity. He reminds them of the vital importance of the resurrection. Simply put, Paul tells them and us very clearly that if the resurrection didn t actually happen as a real, physical event in history, Christianity is worthless. He says that if Christ has not been raised, preaching the gospel is useless, faith is futile, and those who believe are the most pitiful people (1 Cor. 15:14, 17, 19). Scholars, both believers and skeptics alike, agree that without the resurrection, there is no Christianity (236 37). A CLOSER LOOK: For a deeper look at the significance of the resurrection and how it is central to New Testament theology read ETDV 236 238. Why is Paul so emphatic regarding the importance of the resurrection? It is because everything about Jesus is validated in the resurrection event. Jesus made claims about Himself, claims to messiahship and divinity, which you can see in more depth in chapter seven. C. S. Lewis famously put forward the so-called trilemma, which points out that Jesus was either an outright liar, a lunatic, or He was indeed Lord (239). A CLOSER LOOK: For a complete discussion on the trilemma argument read chapter 8 Jesus also predicted His bodily resurrection and pointed to it as the sign of Jonah (Matt. 12:39; Luke 11:29). As we will see, the resurrection is on firm historical footing. Because of this, we can be confident that Jesus wasn t a charlatan or a madman. He is Lord. 1
WEEK ONE Why the Resurrection Matters Scriptures for Reflecton: John 8:58 59: Jesus claims to be God, using ego ami I am in this passage. It is clear that this is a claim of divinity from the reaction of the Jews that follows. In Matthew 12:39 40 and Luke 11:29, Jesus states that His resurrection will be the sign to validate his claims. Questions for Reflection: 1. Why do you think it can be so easy to lose sight of the profound richness of familiar passages? 2. Put yourself into the sandals of one of Jesus followers between the cross and Easter Sunday. All the promise and hope He brought lies buried in a borrowed tomb. What is going through your mind? 3. What would have been your first reaction to hearing news that Jesus had risen? Questions from Evidence: 1. Many people and even several faiths claim that Jesus was just a man, a good man, but a mere mortal nonetheless. What is your response to this claim? 2. Jesus is often heralded as merely a good moral teacher. Why can this not be true unless He is also recognized as being Lord? 2
WEEK TWO The Nature of the Resurrection Precision and accuracy are often considered to be synonymous, but they describe two distinct qualities. Think about a target with a bull s-eye and concentric circles spreading out from there. Being able to hit the same point repeatedly is precision. But being accurate is hitting the right point, the bull s-eye. A good marksman must have both. It is vital that we are accurate in our understanding of what the resurrection is and what it is not. It wasn t an obscure notion or foreign concept during the time of Jesus. As N. T. Wright s research reveals, the common understanding was that resurrection meant a complete reversal of death. Most, however, didn t believe it was possible. It wasn t even permitted in mythology (233). A CLOSER LOOK: For a deeper look at the resurrection read ETDV 233 36. When Christians began claiming Jesus had been resurrected, they were claiming something had happened to Him that had happened to no one else. The resurrection wasn t just a fancy way of describing a disembodied or spiritual existence that one might or might not pass into upon death, which was a commonly accepted idea in the Greco-Roman world. The Christian claim was that Jesus had risen from the grave in victory with a physical body, albeit one with some uncommon characteristics. Jesus predicted His physical resurrection when He said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up, referring to His body as the temple (John 2:19 NKJV). The New Testament clearly records a physical Jesus appearing and interacting with His disciples. A CLOSER LOOK: Check out the chart on page 264 for a list of Jesus appearances in the New Testament. The New Testament insists in a bold historically reliable way upon a resurrection that is bodily. [Jesus] was not just a spirit, and the term resurrection is not just a figure of speech (264). The physical nature of the resurrection means it is a matter of historical record we can investigate. 3
WEEK TWO The Nature of the Resurrection Scriptures for Reflection: John 2:18 22: Jesus declares that His resurrection would be the sign of Jonah, and it is clear that He is referring to a bodily resurrection. Luke 24:36 49; John 20:19 23; 24 31; John 21: Jesus appears after His resurrection and physically interacts with His disciples. Questions for Reflection: 1. If Jesus had risen as a ghost or spirit rather than in a glorified body, what do you think that would have meant for Christianity? Can you identify some things that would be different? 2. Thomas specifically mentions his need for clear physical evidence, evidence that he literally could touch. Why do you think he needed this? 3. Jesus predicted a physical resurrection. What is unique about that? Questions from Evidence: 1. When Jesus appeared to His disciples, He bore the wounds from His crucifixion but also possessed supernatural powers. Does this reveal anything about the uniqueness and significance of His resurrection? 2. How does Jesus resurrection differ from other people who are brought back to life in the Bible? 4
WEEK THREE How Can We Know the Resurrection Really Happened? When it comes to sifting through the facts and subtle details of a situation and solving a mystery, there is none better than Sherlock Holmes. He is the icon of deductive reasoning, ruling out all the conclusions that do not fit the evidence and then arriving at the truth, however improbable it may be. There is a sizable collection of evidence for the resurrection, both subtle and not so subtle. Looking back at 1 Corinthians 15:3 8, it must be mentioned that this passage is a very early creed that is quite conclusively dated to within three to eight years of Christ s death (252). A CLOSER LOOK: For a closer look at the historical context of 1 Corinthians 15:3 8, read ETDV 166 68 This early date rules out the possibility that what it says is a product of a myth that developed long after the time of Jesus. The passage gives us three crucial points to investigate as evidence for the resurrection: Jesus death, an empty tomb, and eyewitnesses. How do these stack up? First, the scholarship of both skeptics and believers has concluded irrefutably that Jesus death by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans is the most knowable fact about His time on earth (246 47). Second, the empty tomb, a vital piece of evidence for the resurrection, is also on solid historical footing for multiple reasons (261 63). And finally, we come to the eyewitnesses who had, either individually or in a group setting, an experience that convinced them that Jesus had risen (270). A CLOSER LOOK: For the full discussion of the available evidence for the resurrection, read ETDV 246 750. None of these points are much disputed, and there are many more pieces of evidence available. We are left, then, with the task of determining what explanation fits all the pieces together. There are alternate theories to explain away the resurrection, but none fit well. When it comes down to it, the best explanation is simply to acknowledge that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead. 5
WEEK THREE How Can We Know the Resurrection Really Happened? Scriptures for Reflecton: 1 Corinthians 15:3 8: One of the earliest creeds of the Christian faith. Includes a list of witness who could be questioned. Matthew 28:11 15: The rumor that the disciples stole the body of Jesus is started. Questions for Reflection: 1. Do you think it is important that we have evidence for the resurrection as a historical event? 2. Faith, we are told, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1 NKJV). How does the evidence for the resurrection affect your faith? 3. Imagine you are listening to the disciples and they are telling you they have seen the risen Savior. What questions would you ask? Would it impact your belief? Questions from Evidence: 1. The resurrection was proclaimed very early and in a timeframe when if there had been no empty tomb there would have been ample opportunity to refute these claims. Does the creed that Paul quotes and the list of witnesses he mentions add validity to the gospel message? 2. Does Paul s history as an enemy of the church lend any weight to his conversion? 6
WEEK FOUR What Does the Resurrection Mean? John Adams once said, Facts are stubborn things. You can ignore them, run from them, try to discount them, and so on, but eventually you will have to square with them and determine what they mean and what you re going to do about them. A CLOSER LOOK: For a look at how we can know facts about history and be confident in what we know, read chapter 32. For the disciples, the resurrection changed everything. Because of the resurrection this ragtag group of scared men became willing to give all they had, even their lives. A CLOSER LOOK: Check out chapter 13 for a discussion of the disciples' martyrdom and how this lends credibility to a historical resurrection. Priorities, relationships, work life, family life, parenting there was nothing that was not changed in the light of the resurrected Christ. While the wages of sin is death, the gift of God that is made available through the resurrection is eternal life (Rom. 6:23). Jesus said, Because I live, you also shall live (John 14:17) and that He came that we would have life and life abundantly (John 10:10). This is possible only because He is alive. We are all slaves to sin, but Jesus and His truth are freedom to those who seek it. The resurrection is important because it is true, and because it is true it has the power to change us, to conform us into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). A CLOSER LOOK: For a look at the nature of truth and how we can know it, read chapters 27 and 28. Because of this we not only have hope for the future but a hope for the present a hope that, in Christ, the abundant life is attainable. Because Jesus is risen, every single claim He made, every promise, and every lesson can be trusted completely. And we can live our lives for Him because He lives in us. 7
WEEK FOUR What Does the Resurrection Mean? Scriptures for Reflecton: Romans 6:20 23: Christ s resurrection calls us to make a choice between death and life. Acts, chapters 1 7: Provides a great picture of the powerful impact the resurrection had on the disciples and their boldness and fearlessness in the face of unbelief and persecution. Questions for Reflection: 1. What does Christ s resurrection tell us about God s sovereignty over death? 2. What does Christ s resurrection communicate to us about God s ultimate purpose and promise for humanity? 3. We come, in the end, not to just a nice idea. We come to a person, a living real person who died and was resurrected. What are some areas of life that can be lived differently in light of and in the power of the resurrection? Questions from Evidence: 1. Thinking about the nature of truth, can you spot the problem with a statement such as That may be true for you, but it is not true for me? 2. There are historical characters and events established on only one or two pieces of evidence that no one questions. Why do you think, in light of so much evidence, so many still deny the resurrection? 8