Many Witnesses Saw the Risen Jesus
Month 12: Risen & Sending · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though 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 to one of untimely birth.
Memory Verse
“Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””— John 20:29 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 2 Timothy 3-4; Titus 1-2
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable — Paul, near the end, charges Timothy to "preach the word.")The Heart of It
Yesterday Jesus blessed those who believe without seeing. But our believing isn't a leap into the dark. It rests on a crowd of people who did see, and who told what they saw. Paul wrote to Corinth only about twenty years after the cross. He hands them a list that reads like names called in a courtroom. The risen Jesus "was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present" (). That little phrase, "the greater part remain," is Paul practically saying, "Most of them are still alive. Go ask them yourself." You don't invite people to fact-check a story you made up. And Paul says he received this summary and passed it on. That means the wording was already old when he wrote it. It traces back to within a few years of the resurrection itself, far too early for a legend to grow.
Then comes the most unlikely witness of all. "Last of all He was seen by me also" (v. 8). Paul had been the church's fiercest enemy, hunting down Christians to throw them in prison. Something turned the persecutor into a preacher. He would suffer beatings, shipwreck, and finally execution rather than deny what he had seen. People will die for what they sincerely believe is true. But no one knowingly dies for a lie they themselves made up. So when Jesus calls us "blessed" for believing without seeing, He is not asking us to believe nothing. He is asking us to trust the testimony of frightened cowards turned into fearless witnesses. The testimony of a brother who once doubted. The testimony of an enemy who became an apostle. We open our eyes. We look at the evidence. And then we believe.
Around the Table
LOTS of people saw Jesus after He came back to life — more than five hundred at one time! They all said, "We saw Him! He's really alive!"
Let's do it: Hold up all ten fingers over and over and try to count to five hundred — that's how many saw the risen Jesus at once!
Paul said most of the witnesses were still alive, so people could go ask them. You can't trick people that way — the witnesses were real.
Let's talk: Why does it matter that there were so many people who saw Jesus, not just one?
This early creed dates to within a few years of the cross. That is far too early for a legend to grow. And Paul, who once hunted Christians, names himself as a witness, ready to die for it.
Let's go deeper: Enemies like Paul and doubters like James, Jesus' own brother, became believers willing to die for the resurrection. What is the best explanation for that?
💬 Conversation Starter
Imagine five hundred people all told you the same surprising thing they personally saw. Would you believe them?— That's part of why we can be confident Jesus rose.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "The resurrection is just an old legend that grew over time": Kindly point out that is a creed Paul "received." It was already in use within a few years of Jesus' death. It names living eyewitnesses anyone could question. Legends take generations to grow. This was the church's bedrock claim from the very start. As Peter urges, we "always be ready to give a defense… with gentleness and respect" (). And here the facts are genuinely on our side.
For Dad · Go Deeper
The "minimal facts" approach to the resurrection rests on data even skeptical scholars largely grant. Jesus died by crucifixion. His tomb was found empty. The disciples sincerely believed they met Him risen. And both an enemy, Paul, and a doubter, James, were turned around by what they were convinced they saw. The honest historian then has to ask one question. What single cause best explains all of that at once? Hallucination theories collapse before a group of five hundred. Theft theories fall apart on the disciples' willingness to die. The resurrection itself fits the evidence best. You don't need a seminary degree to give this gift to your kids. Just teach them that Christianity welcomes investigation rather than fearing it. A child who learns young that their faith can survive honest questions won't crumble when a professor or a podcast comes for it.
Draws on: Gary Habermas & Michael Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for the many people who saw the risen Jesus. Thank You that they told the truth, even when it cost them everything. Build our family's faith on what is real and true. Make us ready to share it kindly and bravely. In Jesus' name, amen."
We believe without seeing, but never without reasons. A crowd of witnesses saw the risen Jesus and staked their lives on it.