With Easter coming up, I think it is important to equip the ladies in our ministries with the proof of the resurrection since that is the crux of the Christian faith. Jesus was crucified, died on the cross, and resurrected three days later. Even Josephus and the Jewish Talmud confirm Jesus' crucifixion. Since it is so crucial, then it is important to give the objections to it and the evidence for it. Throughout April, we will take a brief look at some of the theories.
The Swoon Theory asserts that Jesus really just fainted on the cross and only appeared to be dead. Then Jesus recuperated in the tomb, recovered, and got out. However, Jesus not only would have had to survive the crucifixion, but would have had to survive the torturous scourging, all the beatings, loss of blood, and piercings of the sword to the heart and lung. Then he would have had to push away a heavy stone, nd get past Roman guards, walk down the road of Emmaus with strips of cloth soaked in blood, find the disciples, walk through the walls of the room, and convince depressed and disillusioned disciples that all was well, who would in turn be willing to die for a lie.
This theory not only gives an absurd reason for the empty tomb, but it means that Jesus would have completely deceived everyone to believing that he was the Son of God. This would go against every facet of his character and teaching. Therefore, the Swoon Theory has no validity whatsoever and raises more questions than proof.
Next week: The Stolen Body Theory
