A Jewish Perspective on the Resurrection of Jesus
In the religion section of Time Magazine, May 7, 1979, was a curious story. An orthodox rabbi had written a book claiming that the resurrection of Jesus was a true historical event. The rabbi, Pinchas Lapide, did not become a follower of Jesus, but had to admit that the evidence for the factuality of the resurrection was overwhelming. In this article, I will briefly summarize Lapide’s case from his book, The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective.
RESURRECTION IS A JEWISH DOCTRINE
In the Roman world of the first century, there were varied beliefs about the afterlife. Pagan religions spoke of a shadowy, bodiless existence in Hades. Only the Jewish people spoke of a bodily resurrection from the dead, in which the faithful were to exist in body and spirit in the kingdom of God.
This, for Pinchas Lapide, is the first evidence of the truth of the resurrection. That resurrection was believed in the first century is demonstrated both from the Bible and early Jewish sources. Daniel says, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt” (12:2). The scholars of the house of Hillel and Shammai both believed in bodily resurrection and debated how best to prove this doctrine from the Torah. The Talmud later reflected this early attitude: “These are they that have no share in the life to come: he that says no resurrection of the dead is taught in the Torah . . .” (Sanh 10:1).
NONE OF THE DISCIPLES OR THE WOMEN BELIEVED JESUS WOULD RISE
It seems that this point would argue against the truthfulness of the resurrection accounts, but it actually argues for them. You see, if the disciples believed that Jesus would rise, they might write the gospel accounts simply to vindicate their claim. The unbelief of the disciples prior to the resurrection is a touch of honesty that cannot be attributed to fiction, says Lapide. This remarkable fact also sheds light on the power that the resurrection event had on the early believers, transforming them from fearful, faithless followers to courageous, confident proclaimers of the message of Jesus.
The hundreds who followed Jesus during his lifetime all deserted him upon his death. When Jesus died, it seemed that another false Messiah had been shown for who he was. The disciples, even at the end, expected Jesus to overthrow Rome. When he died, Lapide notes, they all deserted him. Even Peter, James, and John returned to fishing. The women went out to prepare his body with spices, apparently thinking his burial was long term and not merely for a few days.
THE GOSPEL ACCOUNTS EXHIBIT EXTREME HONESTY
Think about the gospels as fiction for just a moment. Suppose you were a founder of a religion based upon what you knew to be a falsehood. Suppose that you wrote a gospel intended to verify your claims about a risen Messiah who you knew to be dead and gone. If you were trying to get people to believe your religion, would you:
Have your hero cry out on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Show your colleagues, the disciples, a bunch of fearful, faithless, and rather dense followers?
Choose, in your story, to portray women as the first witnesses of the empty tomb? Would you do this, knowing that the testimony of women was considered invalid in the Jewish courts of the first century?
Choose to show the women closest to your hero going to anoint the body with burial spices even though they were supposed to believe he would rise?
Choose to portray the greatest of your colleagues denying his master three times on the night of his trial?
Choose to show your hero, in his post-resurrection appearances, only appearing to a few of his own followers rather than to larger groups including non-Jewish observers?
The gospels seem too honest to be fiction.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE BAND OF DISCIPLES
Here is Lapide’s greatest point. In fact, no Christian writer, in my opinion, has ever said this better. The transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest proof that they actually experienced the resurrection of their leader. As Lapide says:
“When this scared, frightened band of apostles which was just about to throw away everything in order to flee in despair to Galilee; when these peasants, shepherds, and fishermen, who betrayed and denied their master and failed him so miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society, convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before, then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation.” (p.125)
PINCHAS LAPIDE’S CONCLUSION
Remarkably, Pinchas Lapide believes Jesus rose from the dead, but does not believe he is the Messiah. In his view, Jesus was a Galilean rabbi of extraordinary righteousness. The rabbis of Jerusalem and Judea, the “establishment” as it were, thought very little of this hick rabbi from the far-flung north who attracted large followings. They opposed him and conspired with the Romans to have him executed. The Romans were only too happy to do this, fearful that Jesus was a Messianic figure who could start a revolt.
God raised Jesus from the dead, not because Jesus was the Messiah, but out of mercy and in foresight. Seeing such a faithful follower killed unjustly, God raised him. God also had foresight of the effect that Jesus’ resurrection would have on Gentiles, drawing them to faith in one God and to read the Hebrew scriptures. But the disciples then misunderstood Jesus’ message and God’s purpose in raising him.
ANOTHER CONCLUSION
But is this conclusion logical and sound? The fact is, Jesus was crucified as a messianic pretender, one who claimed falsely to be the Messiah. Lapide discounts this, choosing as some scholars do to pick and choose texts in the gospels. He discounts the messianic claims of Jesus in the gospels as later additions. Legitimate scholarship, however, cannot afford to select passages from historical documents based upon modern preconceived ideas about truth.
Jesus claimed on many occasions to be the Messiah (Matthew 11:2-6, 16:16-17, 23:10, 24:5, 26:63-64; John 4:25-26). He was crucified as a blasphemer for claiming to be the Messiah, as this passage illustrates:
“But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, ‘I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.'” (Matthew 26:63-64, NRSV)
Jesus was raised from the dead to vindicate his claim to be the Messiah and the Son of God, as Paul says: who “was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:4, NRSV).
WHAT’S YOUR CONCLUSION?
If Jesus was raised from the dead, then there are many reasons to believe in him and follow him as the Messiah. The message of the Bible is simple regarding how to do this.
Repent: That is, you must admit that you have been living apart from him and committing transgressions. Turn from these and confess them to God. “Rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.” (Joel 2:13)
Ask forgiveness: God is ready to forgive and will do so for those who accept Jesus as their substitutionary sacrifice (one who died in our place, taking our punishment on himself). “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Start following him. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)