The tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, outside the northwest corner of Jerusalem was empty. Jesus had been buried there on Friday evening, but it was now vacant. The disciples claimed it was empty because Jesus had been raised. But from the earliest times, skeptics have offered explanations that would deny the resurrection. Up until A.D. 150 the authorities of Jerusalem admitted the tomb was empty but claimed the body was stolen. Below are the most commonly used explanations for the missing body.
1. Stolen-body Theory: This is the oldest theory. Many ideas have been expressed about how it was stolen by either Pilate, Joseph, Jesus’ friends, etc.
2. Wrong-tomb Theory: The gardener’s words, “He is not here” really meant, you’ve got the wrong place. But the ladies thought it meant resurrection.
3. Lettuce Theory: Alternate of above. The gardener did not like people trampling the lettuce seedlings he had just planted in the garden, so he removed the body. Sound crude? Yet Tertullian, second century historian, records this explanation given in his day (Despectaculis, 30).
4. Swoon Theory: Idea is that Jesus did not really die. Various theories of this have been suggested but it was first proposed by Celsus, a pagan philosopher in the second century (Origen, Contra Celsum, 2).
5. Psychological or Hallucination Theory: Celsus also said the whole myth began with the “vision of a half-frantic woman.” The disciples wanted Jesus to appear, so in their minds they saw him, but it was not real.
6. Twin Brother Theory: Jesus had an exact double and Sunday morning his double appeared and people proclaimed, “The risen Lord.”
Many of these explanations require as much faith to believe in as does the validity of the resurrection itself. Dr. Frank Morris, noted English lawyer, was challenged as to why he did not believe in the resurrection. Drawing upon the evidence of Scripture, history and archaeology, he decided to write a book and let the chips fall where they may. In the end, he found himself on the other side and wrote the book, Who Moved the Stone, to explain why he now believed in the resurrection of Jesus. He said, “Somehow my perspective shifted, not suddenly, as in a flash of insight or inspiration, but slowly, almost imperceptibly, by the very stubbornness of the facts themselves,” Aren’t you glad that it’s incredible, but true? Jesus Christ did rise from the grave!
Borrowed