Wayne Schuller’s Blog

The Fulfilment of Old Testament Prophecy and Hope

There are so many Old Testament hopes and prophecies that come together in the resurrection. God promised King David there would always be a Davidic King on the throne: “Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me, your throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:16). This failed hope is fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus, the descendant of David who will rule forever at God’s right hand (Psalm 110:1, Psalm 16, Psalm 132).

The resurrection affirms God’s commitment to his created order which is assumed throughout the Bible.

The resurrection makes Jesus the head of a restored humanity, the new Adam.

The more I read my Bible the more I see how much all the Bible’s hopes centre and are perfectly executed through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The Existence of the New Testament

The New Testament is an extraordinary collection of documents. Multiple authors, mostly independent, all testifying to the same historical events and reality. The groundswell of careful copying of these documents is amazing.

The resurrection accounts have the sense of authentic testimony, they feel real. They are imperfect enough such that they definitely do not appear to be made up.

It is hard to explain the shape and resurrection focus of the New Testament other than by the fact of the resurrection of Jesus.

Many Many Eyewitnesses:

(This table taken from Little, “Know Why You Believe”, p45.)

This claim that many people witnessed the resurrection is important for these reasons:

• They explain the concrete memory of events with the risen Christ – eating meals etc.
• The large amount of people explains the large number of proclaiming witnesses which led to such explosive growth.
• The more witnesses are claimed, the easier it should be for someone to disprove – but this did not happen.

The New Day of Worship:

Pliny and other historical writers of the first century note the specific tradition of Christians to meet on the first day of the week – Sunday, corresponding to “The Lord’s Day”, that is, the day of the Resurrection.

Yet the the Christian “sect” emerged out from the disciplined religion of Old Covenant Judaism. One of the most core beliefs of the Jews was the Sabbath day (on the Saturday). This was one of their most cherished and distinctive beliefs. What would cause so many Jews to join this new movement and give up the Sabbath for the “Lord’s day”?

Why did the Apostles suffer so much for their message?

Acts 12:1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

“I [Paul] stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection”… The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them… (Acts 23:6, 10)

“I [Paul] have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-27

The Explosive growth of the Early Christian Church:

A common theme as we read the Roman historians was the explosive growth of Christianity despite the intense persecution they received. For example Tacitus wrote at the end of the first century:

“Christus”, from whom their name is derived, was executed at the hands of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. Checked for the moment, this pernicious superstition again broke out, not only in Judea, the source of the evil, but even in Rome, that receptacle for everything that is sordid and degrading from every quarter of the globe

The question raised by this historical evidence is: why did Christianity break out a second time?

Why didn’t this movement fade into nothing just like hundreds of other failed messiahs of the same era?

The Puzzle of Impotent Roman and Jewish Opposition

The announcement of Jesus’ resurrection and Lordship began spreading 40 or so days after the death of Jesus. The authorities did everything in their power to undermine or discredit the Christian movement. Why were they not able to disprove the 1-2 month old claim of resurrection? Why could it not be properly discredited by consulting the relevant parties in the first 5 years or so?

The Roman and Jewish authorities did everything in their power to stop the Christian movement in its tracks. They were not just concerned with masochistic punishment of non-conformist Christians, they were adamant to disprove its message from the very beginning. They had every resource of empire and education. So why couldn’t they disprove the resurrection?

The Transformation in the Life of the Apostles:

By their own accounts, the disciples Jesus chose were not much better than a selfish bunch of whingers! Their leader (Peter) denied Jesus on the night before his death. They all fled when Jesus was arrested. They were cowards and frightened.

Then suddenly they turned into great leaders of an amazing historical movement. What caused this transformation?

The Puzzle of the Empty Tomb:

Resurrection was at the heart of the message of the early church. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the ground of the message. All that had to happen was the body of Jesus be produced, and Christianity would be rubbished and completely undermined. Even just to show that the tomb had been tampered with or to check the guards on duty.

The empty tomb is presumed on in the preaching of the early church, and was not questioned as all knew it was empty – this was verifiable and undisputed at the time. Much of the preaching of the gospel in Jerusalem was done in walking distance of the empty tomb!