We celebrate Easter and the resurrection for one reason–because the early disciple gave testimony that Jesus arose from the dead and made numerous appearances to His disciples.

What made them believe?

They certainly had plenty of evidence.

The empty tomb gave a strong reason to believe that Jesus is alive. Matthew noted that the Jewish leaders started a rumor that Jesus’ followers had stolen the body. Later Jews repeated this accusation for centuries (Matthew 28:11-15).

Not only is the empty tomb an evidence for the resurrection but so is the accusation made by the Jewish leaders and their successors. They obviously could not produce the body. If they could have, they would not have made the accusation that the body had been stolen.

This is a powerful piece of evidence, but it is not the reason they believed.

The vision of angels surely would be sufficient to believe that Christ had been raised from the dead. When the women went to the tomb, they saw what some of the disciples called a “vision of angels” (Luke 24:19-24). I doubt the women would have described what they saw and heard in this way. The Angel asked them the most pertinent of questions: why do you seek the living among the dead? The Angel asserted that Jesus had been raised and would meet His followers in Galilee.

Could you not believe the words of one of God’s messengers?

This is an amazing reason for believing, but this too is not why they believed.

The early disciples believed for one and only one reason. He appeared to them in His resurrection body.

Two disciples walked dejectedly from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a distance of about seven miles. They knew the message of the women, the empty tomb, and the message of the angels. None of this mattered.

Only when their eyes were opened and they saw the Lord did they believe.

They hurried back to Jerusalem where they were met with the words that “The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34). These two disciples and Simon Peter believed only because they saw the risen Lord. His resurrection appearances made them believe.

Like you and me, only one thing could make them believe. They had evidence they and no one else could refute. The One who had been crucified appeared to them.

Two other of the early disciples became believers for the same reason. Jesus appeared to His half-brother James who later became the leader of the Jerusalem church.

The amazing story of the Paul the Apostle can only be explained by realization that he too had seen the risen Lord.

Paul described it this way: “Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born” (1 Corinthians 15:7).

Because He appeared, Paul, James, and all the apostles believed. Like Thomas, they could not believe without having seen the Lord.

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