Christ’s Resurrection: Scriptural Basis

Scriptural Basis—The Facts

Witnesses of the Resurrected Christ

Written Account of Those Who Witnessed the Resurrected Christ

Testified by an angel of the Lord and appearing to Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary

Matthew 28:1-10 (1) Now late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave….(5) And the angel answered and said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking Jesus, the crucified. (6) He is not here, for He has been raised, even as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. (7) And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has been raised from the dead, and behold, He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see Him. Behold, I have told you. (8) And they went away quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report this to His disciples. (9) And behold, Jesus met them, saying, Rejoice! And they came to Him and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him.

Appearing to the eleven disciples

Matthew 28:16-20 (16) And the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus directed them. (17) And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him, though some doubted.

Discovered by three sisters (discovering only the fact of His resurrection)

Mark 16:1-8 (1) And when the Sabbath was past, Mary the Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might come and anoint Him….(5) And when they entered into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, clothed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. (6) And he said to them, Do not be alarmed. You are seeking Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has been raised; He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him.

Appearing to Mary the Magdalene

Mark 16:9-11 (9) Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary the Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.

Appearing to two disciples

Mark 16:12-13 (12) And after these things, He appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking on their way into the countryside.

Appearing to the eleven disciples

Mark 16:14-18 (14) And afterward He appeared to the eleven as they were reclining at table, and He reproached their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

Discovered by the women (discovering only the fact of His resurrection)

Luke 24:1-11 (5) And they became frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, and the men said to them, Why are you seeking the living One among the dead? (6) He is not here but has been raised. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee,

Appearing to two disciples and to Simon

Luke 24:13-35, 34 (31) And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and He disappeared from them….(33) And they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and those with them assembled together, (34) saying, The Lord really has been raised and has appeared to Simon.

Appearing to the apostles

Luke 24:36-48 (36) And as they were speaking these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, Peace to you…. (46) And He said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise up from the dead on the third day, (47) and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (48) You are witnesses of these things.

Discovered by His seekers (discovering only the fact of His resurrection)

John 20:1-10 (1) Now on the first day of the week, Mary the Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was yet dark and saw the stone taken away from the tomb….(6) Then Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered into the tomb; and he beheld the linen cloths lying there (7) and the handkerchief which had been over His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in one place apart. (8) At that time therefore the other disciple also, who came first to the tomb, entered, and he saw and believed; (9) for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He had to rise from among the dead.

Testified by the angels sent by God (testifying only to the fact of His resurrection)

John 20:11-13 (12) And beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

Appearing to Mary the Magdalene

John 20:14-18 (14) When she said these things, she turned backward and beheld Jesus standing there, yet she did not know that it was Jesus. (15) Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She, supposing that He was the gardener, said to Him, Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away. (16) Jesus said to her, Mary! She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, Rabboni! (which means Teacher).

Appearing to the disciples

John 20:19-25 (19) When therefore it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and while the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, Peace be to you.

Appearing to His disciples and Thomas

John 20:26-31 (26) And after eight days, His disciples were again within, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though the doors were shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace be to you.

Appearing to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias

John 21:1 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And He manifested Himself in this way:

Appearing to His disciples for a period of forty days

Acts 1:3 To whom also He presented Himself alive after His sufferings by many irrefutable proofs, appearing to them through a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Witnessed by His apostles and by the Holy Spirit

Acts 5:29-32 (30) The God of our fathers has raised Jesus, whom you slew by hanging Him on a tree….(32) And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.

Witnessed by His apostles

Acts 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which He was taken up from us, one of these should become a witness of His resurrection with us.

Acts 2:32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we all are witnesses.

Acts 3:15 And the Author of life you killed, whom God has raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles gave testmony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

Acts 10:40-41 (40) This One, God raised on the third day; and He has made Him manifest, (41) not to all the people, but to witnesses appointed beforehand by God, to us, ones who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.

Acts 13:30-31 (30) But God raised Him from the dead. (31) And for many days He appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people.

Appearing to Cephas, to the twelve, to over five hundred brothers, to James, to all the apostles, and to Paul

1 Corinthians 15:5-11 (5) And that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve; (6) then He appeared to over five hundred brothers at one time, of whom the majority remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; (7) then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; (8) and last of all He appeared to me also, as it were to one born prematurely.

Written Account | Summary Table

Prophecies | Types | Accounts | Witnesses