Easter post - 2026

Back in the days of the Jesus Seminar, I remember there being debates about whether the resurrection of Jesus was a metaphor. John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg both seemed to think it was all just a metaphor and that the authors of the gospels didn't even intend to say the resurrection of Jesus was a literal historical event.

Paul definitely appears to be talking about a literal event when he wrote the following:

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. ~1 Corinthians 15:12-19

These comments came right after Paul reminded the Corinthians of the gospel had had preached to them earlier, which says that Christ was raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:4). If Paul taught them, as part of his central message, that Christ was raised from the dead, why might the Corinthians have thought there was no resurrection?

One possibility is that Paul actually does use resurrection language in a metaphorical way. In fact, he seems to use both Christ's death and resurrection as things that happened to us. For example, Paul says that he was crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:19). He says that when we are saved, we are raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). He says we are buried with him in baptism (Colossians 2:12) and that we have been raised with him (Colossians 3:1).

These metaphors Paul uses appear to refer to the fact that when we are saved, we "die" to our former way of being and are "raised" into a kind of new mode of existence. It's not a literal resurrection. It's a metaphorical resurrection each of us experiences when we are regenerated. Paul uses Christ's literal resurrection as a metaphor to explain our spiritual transformation.

It may be that the Corinthians misunderstood Paul to be talking strictly of a metaphorical resurrection, and that's why they denied an actual resurrection at the end of the age. In reality, it is the fact that Jesus' resurrection happened literally and historically that makes it such a powerful metaphor when applied to our lives. By placing our faith in him, we die to our old selves and are reborn or resurrected to new life.

But that does not diminish the fact that we will one day join him in glory. We will be literally resurrected from the dead just as he was.

Happy Easter!

Prior year Easter posts:

2025 - Some thoughts on the empty tomb and minimal facts
2024 - My annual Easter resurrection post
2023 - My Easter resurrection post - 2023
2022 - Can grief hallucinations explain the appearances of Jesus?
2021 - A quick and dirty argument for the resurrection of Jesus
2020 - Jesus was raised from the dead

Why didn't most Jews in the first century believe in Jesus?

I've been asked a number of times over the years why the vast majority of Jews didn't believe that Jesus was the messiah during his lifetime. These questions are always asked as if it were a reason for us to doubt that Jesus is the messiah.

I want to share three reasons I think most Jews did not believe Jesus was the messiah during his lifetime. There are probably other reasons, but these jump out at me.

First, Jesus was not the only person in the first century who made himself out to be the messiah. There were multiple people who either made overt claims to being the messiah or else took actions suggesting a messianic claim. Josephus lists about a dozen of them. There's a section in L. Michael White's book, From Jesus to Christianity, where he discusses some of them. I'd list a few, but I don't have the book with me. I may update this post later. With multiple people all claiming to be the messiah, it's natural to be skeptical of any particular claim.

Second, Jesus did not fulfill all the prophecies the messiah was expected to fill during his lifetime. Jesus didn't re-unite Judah and Israel, he didn't re-establish the throne of Israel or accomplish national sovereignty, he didn't usher in an era of peace and prosperity, etc. Unless somebody has fulfilled all the messianic prophecies, there'll be reason for doubt. We Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead and that he will fulfill all the prophecies, but it's understandable why a Jew in the first century would be skeptical until all the prophecies had been fulfilled. The fact that Jesus died without fulfilling the prophecies would've been the nail in the coffin if not for the resurrection.

Third, most of us have a natural skepticism toward lofty claims that people make about themselves. First century Jews were no different. When somebody makes a lofty claim about themselves (e.g. that they are the answer to prophecy, or they are God's chosen king), we expect proof before we buy into such claims. Even John the Baptist, who declared Jesus to be the lamb of God, later questioned whether he was the one to come or whether they should expect another (Matthew 11:2-3). The gospels report that multiple people asked Jesus for a sign to establish his credentials. Most of us would probably dismiss somebody out of hand without even asking for a sign because, let's face it, we think people are crazy when they say the kinds of things Jesus said about himself. That's why "lunatic" is part of C.S. Lewis' famous trilemma.

The fact that Jesus was the messiah was never, by itself, a guarantee that everybody would recognize it. For an average Jew living in the first century, there was plenty of room for doubt. In fact, I'll add a fourth reason - most Jews in the first century probably never even saw Jesus or heard him speak. At most, they might've heard a rumor about him. It would not surprise me if a large fraction of Jews never even heard about him during his lifetime.

Since there's no reason to expect that most Jews would've believed in Jesus during his lifetime even if he had been the messiah, the fact that they didn't believe in him is no reason for us to doubt that he is the messiah.