The topic of Christ's death and resurrection has been much talked about in recent months because of the debut of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.  See my Review of the Passion of the Christ . In this movie, the world re-visited the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus.  We were able to view the torment and torture that our Savior endured so that we might be redeemed.  Many felt the anguish along with Jesus.  Others may have scoffed that it couldn't have been as bad as portrayed and that Jesus' crucifixion was some sort of scam to draw people in.  Yes, either Jesus was the consummate con artist--or we have to admit that He really who is says he was.

Over the centuries, followers of Christ have both persecuted others and been martyred themselves because of their belief that a man lived, died and rose again.  Today's disciples celebrate His life and death through the Passover or Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter). Sunrise services celebrate Jesus' resurrection.  (Traditions of bunnies and eggs have nothing to do with the resurrection.)  Unbelievers may scoff at this belief of a Risen Jesus.  One can read the Bible; however it's easy to say "yeah, but..."

Although The Case for Easter was written years before The Passion hit the big screen, Lee Strobel addresses many of the questions that come to mind.


As the subtitle indicates, "A journalist investigates the evidence for the resurrection." Strobel, was a legal journalist for the Chicago Tribune.  When his wife became a Christian, he decided to find out the "truth" through investigation and logic.  Instead of learning things that would change his wife's beliefs, Lee's beliefs were changed; he repented and asked Jesus into his heart on November 8, 1981.

Strobel proved to himself beyond a shadow of the doubt that Jesus really did leave the tomb and walk around among men before ascending to Heaven.  A series of interviews with Alexander Metherell (a research scientist and distinguished medical authority),  William Lane Craig (widely considered to be among the world's foremost experts on the resurrection),  and Gary Habermas (former president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society and author of seven books on the resurrection) led Strobel to the conclusion that Jesus really was who he said he was.  

These prominent men discussed medical information as given in the Bible and known from history. They used both logic and philosophy to answer the many questions.  Seeming contradictions were explained or exposed.

Did you know:
1. that there really is a medical condition called hematidrosis caused by extreme stress that causes blood to come out along with sweat?  This would explain Luke 22:44 .  

2. The several women, Peter, the twelve and many others saw the Risen Christ.   They were willing to teach this against persecution and even martyrdom.  The Apostle Paul testified of his later meeting with Christ.

3. Strobel contends that early Jewish time reckoning made any part of a day be considered a full day.  Therefore, when Jesus in Matthew 12:40 said that he would be in the grave for three days and three nights, the words should not be taken literally.  (Remember, we are reading an English translation.  The translators in 1611 were trying to put the Bible into readable English; they did not always know the customs, etc.)  However, I am aware of one and possibly two other time tables that support the facts from scripture involving the schedules of the Jewish high Sabbaths which did not necessarily occur on Saturday.  It doesn't really matter which is correct in regard to the rest of the facts.  The point is that Jesus' body didn't stay in the tomb and return to the dust over time.

4.  Discrepancies in the gospel accounts by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are probably a positive thing.  As we know, people do view situations differently.  If their testimonies were identical, it would seem as if they had gotten together to rehearse the story.

These were only a few of the points that struck me, Virginia, as I read this book.  I've learned more than I ever wanted to know about pericardial and pleural effusions, respiratory acidosis, hallucinations, flogging, the origin of the word excruciating, etc.  But these things all contributed to the evidence that Jesus Christ really was God and Man.  He came to earth, died, was resurrected from the grave, was then seen of men for some days before ascending to Heaven.

I highly recommend reading this book and/or other books by this author if you have the slightest doubt that Jesus really did rise from the dead on that long ago Resurrection morning.  Or, if you do believe He really is our Savior, this book will confirm and solidify your beliefs.  

Happy reading!
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The back cover of the book says:

Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the Dead?

Of the many world religions, only one claims that its founder returned from the grave.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very cornerstone of Christianity.

But a dead man coming back to life?  In our sophisticated age, when myth has given way to science, who can take such a claim seriously?  Some argue that Jesus never died on the cross.  Conflicting accounts make the empty tomb seem suspect.

How credible is the evidence for the resurrection?  Focusing his award-winning skills as a legal journalist on history's most compelling enigma, Less Strobel retraces the startling findings that led him from atheism to belief.  Drawing on expert testimony first shared in his blockbuster book The Case for Christ, Strobel examines:

The Medical Evidence--Was Jesus' death a sham and his resurrection a hoax?
The Evidence of the Missing Body--Was Jesus' body really absent from the tomb?
The Evidence of Appearances--Was Jesus seen alive after his death of the cross?

Written in a hard-hitting journalistic style, The Case for Easter probes the core issues of the resurrection.  Jesus Christ, risen from the dead: superstitious myth or life-changing reality?  The evidence is in.  The verdict is up to you.

Lee Strobel, educated at Yale Law School, was the award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and a spiritual skeptic until 1981.  He wrote the Gold Medallion Award-winning books The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith, as well as the new The case for a Creator.  A former teaching pastor at tow of America's largest churches, he and his wife live in California.