In Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, N. T. Wright challenges us to rethink our notions of heaven and the implications of the doctrine of heaven for the entire Christian faith.
In Chapter Four Wright explores “the strange story of Easter.” He begins by drawing attention to four “strange” features of the Gospels’ resurrection stories which compel us to take them as very early accounts rather than later inventions.
First, the resurrection narratives in the Gospels are almost absent of allusions to or quotes from the Old Testament, unlike the rest of the Gospels’ story. Unlike Paul or other church writers, they do not quote Psalms or the prophets in trying to explain the resurrection. This suggests they were written very early. Had the Gospel story of the resurrection been fabricated, it likely would have included Old Testament quotes and allusions.
Second, the Gospels present women as the principal witnesses to the resurrection. In the ancient world, women were not regarded as credible witnesses. Yet the Gospels present women as the first witnesses. Had the Gospel resurrection story been made up, women would not be featured so prominently.
Third, had the Gospel story been fabricated, it’s likely that the risen Jesus would have been described as shining like a star. This is how Daniel’s prophecy would have likely been interrpreted. Yet in the Gospels, the risen Jesus “appears as a human being with a body that in some ways is quite normal and can be mistaken for a gardener or a fellow traveler on the road.”
Fourth, none of the Gospel’s stories of the resurrection attempt to tie the story to the future Christian hope. They never say anything like “Jesus is raised, therefore there is life after death” or “Jesus is raised, therefore we shall go to heaven when we die.” Had the resurrection story been fabricated, such a link would have likely been included. In the Gospels, the resurrection “has a very this-worldly, present-age meaning: Jesus is raised, so he is the Messiah, and therefore he is the world’s true Lord; Jesus is raised, so God’s new creation has begun–and we, his followers, have a job to do!”
How do we account for the existence of this early story of resurrection? We are compelled to believe that 1) Jesus’ tomb really was empty, and 2) Jesus disciples really did encounter him in ways that convinced them he was not just a ghost or hallucination. Wright goes on to show the weaknesses of alternate theories to the resurrection (e.g., the disciples had a hallucination/vision, Jesus didn’t really die; the disciples met someone they thought was the resurrected Jesus; Jesus only appeared to people who believed in him; the accounts are biased; etc.)
Finally, Wright takes on the argument that the resurrection could not have happened because we “know” that things like this do not happen. Such an assertion is based on a worldview and is not merely based on “objective” science. The resurrection requires embracing a new worldview. Precisely because it was such a unique, unexpected, and extraordinary event, the resurrection requires a new worldview in order to be embraced.
