Jesus Appeared to 500

In the last lesson, we saw how the Twelve were sincere and united in their conviction that Jesus rose from the dead. Today we're going to consider another scenario. Yes, the disciples were sincere and united, but not because they were liars. Rather, they were mistaken. But how? How can you get a resurrection wrong?

A leading theory is that they shared experiences of cognitive dissonance and/or hallucinations. Here's how Kris Komarnitsky develops this perspective:

"In conclusion, cognitive dissonance reduction is a powerful human phenomenon that seems fully capable of explaining the rise of the resurrection belief among Jesus' followers..."

So, does the cognitive dissonance or hallucination theory fit the historical record?

Notice that after Paul cites the creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, he provides additional evidence: "Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:6).

The New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham understands this phrase to provide further confirmation of the resurrection:

"The explicitness of this detail — which looks like one that Paul has added to the traditional form — shows that he intends it to be a kind of authentication: if anyone wishes to check this tradition, a very large number of the eyewitnesses are still alive and can be seen and heard."

**500 people is a sizable crowd.** Crucially, it's far larger than the number of people who were potentially expecting that Jesus would be raised from the dead.

Further, hallucinations are solitary experiences - like dreams. The closest scientific diagnosis for a shared hallucination is called "Shared psychotic disorder." According to webmd.com, "These pairs tend to have a close emotional connection to each other. But apart from that, they usually don't have strong social ties."

I also invite you to consider how you became a Christian. Were you eager to follow Jesus? Or did it happen with some reluctance? That's how C.S. Lewis described his own conversion:

"I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England."

**In summary, 1 Corinthians 15 provides us with specific details - the appearance to 500 people at one time - that makes it less likely the original witnesses were mistaken about the bodily resurrection of Jesus.**