It begins with an empty tomb. The basic fact upon which Christianity is based is an empty tomb. The body of a dead messiah was laid there on Friday. On Sunday, the tomb is empty and only the grave cloths remain.

The rational explanations for the empty tomb are ultimately unreasonable. If the disciples hid the body, would they later die for a lie? If the enemies of Jesus removed the body, they had only to produce it when the rumors of resurrection started. If Jesus orchestrated a hoax, would he then disappear and not profit from it? It’s not as though everyone was expecting a dead and risen messiah, you know. The whole thing had to be explained over and over again. There was certainly no guarantee that claims of resurrection would lead to a community of faith and eventual fame. If Jesus had thought it would, he was a megalomaniac, and could a man like that live and teach as he did?

No, the best explanation is that given by Christian faith. Jesus truly died, and rose again from the dead. He appeared to his followers in a risen state that proved he was not just resuscitated (and would die again), but was resurrected (to a new state of being). These appearances transformed his fearful disciples into bold witnesses to the life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. His own explanation of how he was able to do this and why he chose to do this, is that He is God and God chose to redeem creation.