"He, who gave life to man at first,
Can restore it when it is lost."
Our Savior claimed to be the Son of God, and put the validity of his
claim on this, that he should die openly by crucifixion, be buried, and
rise from the dead upon the third day. Among all the impostors known in
earth's history there is not one instance of a _plot_ like this fact. A
mere plot of this nature would be hard to manage. That the first part of
this prophesy was fulfilled even our enemies admit. It has not been
alleged by infidels of any note that the crucifixion was a fraud, and
did not take place, and that Jesus, as a consequence, did not die.
The chief priests seem to have had considerable concern about the
prediction of the resurrection. Why this? Was it because they had
discovered in the person of Christ an impostor, a mere cheat? No; this
alone would have caused them to utterly disregard the prediction of his
resurrection. Those priests saw something in the character of Christ
which caused them to fear the fulfillment of his prediction. What other
person ever created such a concern about such an event? There is not a
similar case in the world's history. What other dead person was ever
known to create such a feeling as that which moved his enemies to
confront him, if possible, in his rising power. Those priests had,
doubtless, witnessed his miracles again and again. It is beyond all
question true that they feared him in his death. If they had seen no
wonderful power exerted during his life they certainly would have feared
none after he was dead. The fear of the chief priests over the Savior's
dead body is an insurmountable evidence of the mighty works which he
accomplished during his life. Those priests addressed themselves to the
Roman governor, and requested a guard placed around the tomb; three days
and nights would settle the question, for the prediction would terminate
on the third day. Pilate granted the request, and a guard was set to
watch; they sealed the door of the sepulcher, placing the seal of the
state upon the great stone. The object of the seal was, doubtless, for
the satisfaction of all parties concerned in this matter.
It was a precaution against fraud. If the seal upon a door or box is
broken we know at once that it has been meddled with. When Darius thrust
Daniel among the lions he put his seal upon the door of the den, to
satisfy himself and his court that no human hand had interfered for
Daniel's delivery. When he came to the den and found his seal unbroken,
he was satisfied. A seal thus used is of the nature of a covenant. If
you deliver sealed writings to an individual his acceptance amounts to a
covenant between you that the same shall be delivered just as they were
received. If the seal is broken, it is a manifestation of attempted
fraud. There is no special agreement needed in order to the existence of
covenants by seals; it is an agreement which men are placed under by the
laws of nations. The sealing of the sepulcher where the body of Jesus
lay was to impose, by all the solemnities of the Roman state,
obligations upon all the parties interested in the person of Christ. It
was a grand effort on the part of the authorities to prevent any
interference with the dead body.
When impostors are known they become odious, and are but little noticed.
How was it with Christ? When the popular sentiment was that he was a
prophet the priests and scribes sought his life, believing that his
death would end his cause? When they and the people learned that he was
an impostor (?) they thought him unsafe after he was dead.
The prediction of Christ that he would rise the third day was publicly
known throughout Jerusalem; but why the chief priests should concern
themselves so much about it as to take all the steps to prevent its
fulfillment, is a puzzling question with infidels. Was it because they
had detected him as a cheat and an impostor? No, this is an unreasonable
conclusion. It must have been a secret conviction touching his mighty
power. The seal was a proper check upon the guards; the Jews could have
no other object in having it placed there. They were not so foolish as
to think, that by this contrivance they would outstrip Providence.
Guards were set to watch, and, doubtless, did their whole duty. But what
are sentinels when the power of Omnipotence is put forth? An angel of
the Lord makes his appearance. The keepers saw him, and fell down like
dead men. The angel rolled away the stone, and the conqueror came forth
to live in the hearts of millions, and to live forevermore.
The disciples, receiving power from on high, soon make their appearance
in Jerusalem, and boldly assert the fact of the resurrection. The
murderers of the Savior were there. What do the priests do next? They
had bribed the soldiers to tell a lie which was so base that it only
needed to be told in order to be known as a lie. Next, they arrest the
apostles; they beat them, they scourge them, and bid them shut their
mouths, and insist that they shall say no more about this matter. They
did not seem to regard them as liars and impostors, else they would
doubtless have charged them with the fraud. They try to assassinate and
murder these witnesses of the resurrection. They prevailed with Herod to
put one of them to death; but they never seemed to think of charging
them with stealing the body away. Their orator, Tertullus, could not
have missed such a topic as imposition and fraud if any had been
practiced. He did not seem to think of anything of the sort, but
contented himself with the charge of sedition, heresy, and the
profanation of the temple. Yet the very question of the resurrection was
under consideration; for Festus tells Agrippa, that the Jews had
"certain questions against Paul of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul
affirmed to be alive." After this Agrippa heard Paul's testimony, and so
far was he from suspecting imposition, that he said, "Almost thou
persuadest me to be a Christian."
Not long after the resurrection the apostles were taken before the
council and sanhedrim of the Children of Israel. They make their own
defense, a part of which is in these words: "The God of our fathers
raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree." The first impulse
of the council was to slay them all; but Gamaliel, one of the council,
stood up and related the history of several impostors who perished in
former days, and said: "If this work be of men it will come to nought,
but if it be of God ye can not overthrow it." He advised them to refrain
from the men and let time tell the story. The tree shall be known by its
fruits. The council acquiesced; they gave the apostles a whipping and
let them go.
A resurrection is a thing to be ascertained by men's senses. We all know
whether a man is dead by the same means by which we know whether a man
is alive. There are those who claim that "a resurrection could not be
proven by any amount of testimony, because of its being contrary to the
course of nature." But this is mere prejudice and ignorance. First: Who
can measure the extent of natural possibilities? Are they generally
known? Is it a greater thing to give life to a body once dead than to a
body that never was alive? The objection rests upon the thought that
testimony should be respected only in such cases as seem to us possible,
or in the ordinary course of nature. According to this, no amount of
evidence could establish the fact that water freezes and becomes solid
in a country where such is not the ordinary course of nature. Does a
man's ability in discerning and his truthfulness in reporting depend
upon the skill or ignorance of those who hear? We know facts that seem
to be as much contrary to the course of nature as anything could
possibly be. But, in all candor, I must claim that in appealing to the
settled course of nature, in a case like the one under consideration,
the question is referred not to the laws of evidence or maxims of
reason, but to the prejudices of men and to their mistakes, which are
many. Men form a notion of nature from what they see; so, under
different surroundings, their notions about the course of nature will
differ. The objection falls worthless at the feet of the INFINITE ONE.
There is no greater difficulty in accounting for the fact that the dead
live again than there is in accounting for the fact that they did live.