Short answer
Because there was no risen man to react to. Acts says Jesus was seen alive for forty days, after a public execution in Jerusalem. News like that should have caused an uproar. Yet no text says Pilate, the Roman governor, tried to arrest him again, or that the high priests searched for him. In Matthew, the authorities' only reaction is money paid to the guards. The apostles were later arrested for preaching it, yet no account has the council check the claim. Outside the church, no writer of that century records Jesus seen alive. The one exception is a line in Josephus that scholars widely hold to be a Christian addition. The Qur'an gives the answer that fits: Jesus was not killed or crucified, and Allah (﷾) raised him up unto Himself.
Full explanation
What Acts says happened
Acts says that after his suffering, Jesus showed himself alive to his followers for forty days, by "many infallible proofs". He told them not to leave Jerusalem. He was then taken up from the Mount of Olives, a short walk from the city.
“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”
“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.”
What should have happened
In the Gospels, Pilate has Jesus crucified in public at Passover, the Jewish spring festival. The charge is "King of the Jews". In Luke and Acts, the same man is then seen alive in and around the same city over six weeks. News like that would have caused an uproar and fear among the people. The Roman rulers would have been alarmed, and so would the priests. Anyone would expect searches, arrests and questions. Yet, as the rest of this page shows, no account has anyone in authority look for him.
“And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”
Pilate, who crushed crowds, did nothing
More than once, Pilate used deadly force. Luke mentions Galileans whom Pilate had killed as they offered their sacrifices. Josephus, a Jewish historian who wrote later in that century, records another case. An armed crowd of Samaritans, a people living north of Judea, was gathering at Mount Gerizim. Pilate sent horsemen and foot soldiers against them. Some were killed, many were captured, and Pilate had the leaders put to death. After the Samaritans complained, he was ordered to Rome to answer to the emperor. In Matthew, the priests had already told Pilate that Jesus said he would rise after three days. Yet no Gospel and no part of Acts says Pilate or his officials heard of a condemned man seen alive. None has him search, arrest anyone or send troops. A governor this quick to use force would not have ignored a condemned "King of the Jews" seen alive. That silence makes no sense.
“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.”
Records that a man persuaded the Samaritans to gather, armed, at Mount Gerizim, promising to show them sacred vessels Moses had buried there. Pilate seized the roads with horsemen and foot soldiers, who fell on the crowd at the village of Tirathaba. Some were killed, others fled and many were taken alive, and Pilate had the leaders put to death. The Samaritan council accused him of murder before Vitellius, governor of Syria. Vitellius ordered Pilate, after ten years in Judea, to Rome to answer to the emperor; Tiberius died before he arrived.
“Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.”
“And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
The priests knew the saying, and only paid the guards
Only Matthew has a guard at the tomb. In his Gospel, the priests had told Pilate that Jesus said he would rise after three days. The guards report to the chief priests "all the things that were done". The priests do not search for Jesus or question anyone. They pay the soldiers to say the disciples stole the body. They also promise to keep the soldiers safe if the governor hears of it. This is the only reaction by any authority that the Gospels record. If the priests believed the body was stolen, they would have hunted for it and for the thieves. If they feared he was alive, they would have looked for him. They did neither. They only paid for a story.
“Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.”
“Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”
Told to their faces, the council never checked
Soon after, the temple authorities arrested Peter and John, two of Jesus' closest followers, for preaching the resurrection. Later the high priest had the apostles arrested again. Before the council, the Jewish court of Jerusalem, they said they were witnesses that God (﷾) had raised Jesus. The council did not look into that claim. It wanted to kill them. Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the law on the council, advised waiting. If the movement was of men it would fail; if of God (﷾), no one could stop it. So the council had them beaten, ordered them not to speak in Jesus' name and let them go. The council was told to its face that the man it had condemned was alive. It did nothing to test the claim. It only tried to silence the men making it.
“And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.”
“Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.”
“Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”
“And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”
Never shown to the men who condemned him
In the Gospels, the high priest and the council condemn Jesus, and Pilate orders his death. They were the people best placed to confirm a resurrection, and the ones it most concerned. No account has Jesus appear to any of them. Acts says plainly that he was not shown to all the people. One appearance before his judges would have settled the matter in a day. Yet they are the very people he is never shown to.
“And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
“Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.”
Thousands of believers should have left a record
Acts says about three thousand were baptised in one day. Soon the number of the men was about five thousand. The high priest complains that the apostles have filled Jerusalem with their teaching. Years later James and the elders tell Paul that many thousands of Jews believe. Paul tells a king that these things were "not done in a corner". A movement that large, built on a man seen alive in the capital, should have left outside reports of Jesus seen alive. As the section on the writers of the time shows, the only one is widely held to be a Christian addition.
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
“And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.”
“Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
“And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:”
“For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.”
Dead saints in the city, and no other Gospel records it
Matthew says that graves opened as Jesus gave up his spirit. Matthew says that after his resurrection, many dead saints came out, went into Jerusalem and appeared to many people. The city was crowded for the Passover festival. Dead people walking its streets would have caused fear and uproar. The Roman soldiers and the temple guards would have had to act. Mark, Luke and John tell of that same week in that same city, and none of them mentions it. If many people in the capital had seen the dead come back, those writers would not have left it out. Michael Licona, an evangelical scholar who defends the resurrection, judges the passage best read as a poetic device, not as history. He then asks whether the resurrection itself might be more of the same, and argues that it is not.
“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
An evangelical scholar's defence of the resurrection as history. On the saints raised at Jesus' death in Matthew 27:52-53, Licona judges it best to read the passage as a poetic device, "special effects" meant to show that the Son of God had died and judgment awaited Israel. He then asks whether, if some of the wonders at Jesus' death are poetic, the resurrection might be more of the same, and argues that it is not.
Apart from one disputed line, the writers of the time say nothing of Jesus seen alive
Writers often pass over a teacher's deeds in the villages. A condemned man said to be alive in the capital, with the council told of it, is another matter. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish writer alive at the time, wrote about Pilate's rule in Jerusalem. He never mentions Jesus. Josephus, born about the year 37, wrote in detail about other leaders and their followers. He records a Theudas and a Judas of Galilee, the names Gamaliel gives in Acts. Josephus mentions Jesus twice. The short passage names James as the brother of Jesus called Christ, with no word of a resurrection. The longer passage says Jesus appeared alive on the third day. Scholars widely hold that this line, and others like it, were added by Christian copyists, the scribes who copied the books by hand. The Roman historian Tacitus, writing about the year 116, records the execution under Pilate. He says nothing of an appearance. So a claim that should have filled their pages left no trace in them apart from that one line.
Written in the early 40s CE. In the letter of King Agrippa I to the emperor Gaius that Philo gives, Pilate sets up gilded shields in Herod's palace in Jerusalem. The people protest, with four sons of the king at their head, and the emperor Tiberius orders the shields moved to the temple of Augustus at Caesarea. Philo says nothing of Jesus here or anywhere in his works.
Names Judas the Galilean as the founder of a fourth school of Jewish thought, whose followers say that God alone is their Ruler and Lord and will call no man lord.
Records that under the governor Fadus (about 44-46 CE) a man named Theudas led a large crowd to the Jordan, claiming to be a prophet. The governor's cavalry killed many of them, and Theudas was beheaded and his head carried to Jerusalem.
Records that the high priest Ananus had James, whom Josephus names as the brother of Jesus who was called Christ, stoned in about 62 CE. The passage says nothing of a resurrection.
The passage on Jesus as it stands in the surviving manuscripts, written in the 90s CE. It calls him a wise man and a doer of wonderful works, says Pilate condemned him to the cross, calls him the Christ, and says he appeared to his followers alive again on the third day.
Argues that Josephus' passage on Jesus (Antiquities 18.63-64), as it now stands, contains three Christian additions: the doubt whether Jesus should be called a man, the statement that he was the Messiah, and the statement that he appeared to his followers alive on the third day, as the prophets had foretold. Removing these leaves a shorter core that Meier holds comes from Josephus. Treats the short reference to James, brother of Jesus (Antiquities 20.200), as authentic.
Written in about 116 CE. Explaining the name of the Christians whom Nero blamed for the fire of Rome, Tacitus says that Christus was executed under Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate, and that what he calls a superstition, checked for a moment, broke out again. He says nothing of Jesus being seen alive.
Five hundred witnesses, and not one named
Paul says more than five hundred people saw Jesus at once, most of them still alive when he wrote. He names none of them, and no Gospel tells of this appearance. A crowd that large should have left some trace. Yet only Paul speaks of it.
“After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”
Even some of the eleven doubted
Matthew says that when the eleven disciples saw him on the mountain in Galilee, some doubted. The two oldest complete Greek manuscripts of Mark end with the women fleeing the tomb and telling no one. They have no appearance at all. Luke's Gospel tells the ascension at Bethany with no mention of time passing. Acts, by the same author, puts forty days first. The page on whether the resurrection accounts agree sets these differences out in full. If even his closest followers were not all sure, and the accounts differ on the forty days, the claim rests on weak ground.
“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.”
“And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”
“And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.”
On the ending of Mark, reports that verses 9-20 are missing from the two oldest Greek manuscripts, Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, and from some early translations; that Clement of Alexandria and Origen show no knowledge of them; and that Eusebius and Jerome say the passage was absent from almost all the Greek copies they knew.
“And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.”
“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”
The only account that fits: the Qur'an
The Qur'an states that Jesus was not killed or crucified, but that it was made to appear so to them. It states that Allah (﷾) raised him up unto Himself. If no executed man came back, there was no one for Pilate to arrest again. There was nothing for the priests to investigate. There was no appearance for the city or its writers to see. The silence of the records is exactly what this account leads one to expect.
“That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-”
“Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;-”
The usual answers
Acts 10:40-41 — Acts of the Apostles, chapter 10, verses 40-41
“Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.”
Cited for
God chose not to show the risen Jesus to everyone. He appeared to chosen witnesses, who then carried the message.
The response
Acts does say this. But then no one outside his circle saw him, so every report rests on his followers alone. And when the apostles told the council that God (﷾) had raised him, it never looked into the claim.
Where it lands — The reply explains why outsiders saw nothing only by granting that no outsider saw anything.
Acts 1:3-4 — Acts of the Apostles, chapter 1, verses 3-4
“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”
Cited for
The appearances were private, and the disciples stayed quiet until Pentecost. By the time they preached, Jesus had gone, so there was no one for Pilate to arrest.
The response
Matthew says the guards told the chief priests on the very first day, and the priests planned for the governor hearing of it. Paul says five hundred saw him at once, and Matthew has saints coming out of their graves and appearing to many in the city. No account has anyone in authority look into any of it.
Where it lands — On the New Testament's own telling, the news reached the authorities at once, and still no one searched.
Josephus, Antiquities 18.63-64
The passage on Jesus as it stands in the surviving manuscripts, written in the 90s CE. It calls him a wise man and a doer of wonderful works, says Pilate condemned him to the cross, calls him the Christ, and says he appeared to his followers alive again on the third day.
Cited for
Ancient historians rarely noticed small religious groups. Silence proves nothing, and Josephus does mention Jesus.
The response
Acts itself describes no small group. Thousands were baptised, Jerusalem was filled with the teaching, and nothing was "done in a corner". Philo wrote about Pilate and says nothing of Jesus. Josephus recorded Theudas and Judas of Galilee, yet his line on Jesus appearing alive is widely held to be a Christian addition.
Where it lands — By Acts' own account the event was public, so the silence of the writers of the time counts.
Acts 5:40-42 — Acts of the Apostles, chapter 5, verses 40-42
“And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”
Cited for
The apostles were beaten and kept preaching, and the church grew fast. They must have seen something real.
The response
Their courage shows that they believed. It does not show that Jesus walked through Jerusalem alive for forty days, which is the claim in question. The church grew by preaching, and Matthew says that even some who saw him doubted.
Where it lands — Sincere belief explains the growth. It does not supply the public evidence that is missing.
Matthew 28:11-15 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 28, verses 11-15
“Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”
Cited for
The guards' story shows that his opponents admitted the tomb was empty and argued only about why.
The response
The guard and the bribe appear only in Matthew. So this is one Gospel's report of what opponents said, not their own record. On Matthew's own telling, the priests heard everything and hid it, rather than searching for Jesus.
Where it lands — One Gospel's account of its opponents is not their admission, and it still shows no one looking for Jesus.
Luke 16:31 — Gospel of Luke, chapter 16, verse 31
“And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
Cited for
Jesus said that those who reject Moses would not believe even if one rose from the dead. Appearing to his enemies would have been useless.
The response
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, those words are spoken by Abraham. Acts calls the appearances "many infallible proofs". Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, had persecuted the church, and says he changed sides after he saw Jesus.
Where it lands — By the New Testament's own account, appearances did persuade enemies, so the reply does not explain why none were made to the authorities.
Perspectives
Chosen witnesses and a growing church
Jesus showed himself only to witnesses God had chosen, as Acts says. The preaching began only after he had gone, and Paul passes on an early list of witnesses. Ancient writers ignored small sects. The church's growth and the apostles' suffering show they saw him. Matthew shows opponents admitted the tomb was empty. A public appearance would not have persuaded his enemies anyway.
Acts says Jesus was shown "not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God". So the lack of public appearances was deliberate.
Rebuttal
Acts does say this. But then every report of the forty days comes from his own followers. When the apostles told the council that God (﷾) had raised him, it never looked into the claim.
During the forty days the appearances were private, and the disciples waited in Jerusalem as told. The preaching began at Pentecost, after he had gone, so there was nothing for Pilate to act on.
Rebuttal
In Matthew the guards told the chief priests on the first day, and the priests prepared for the governor hearing of it. Paul says five hundred saw him at once. No account has anyone in authority look for him.
Paul passes on an early list of appearances, which many scholars date to within a few years of the events. It includes five hundred at once, most still alive, whom readers could ask.
Rebuttal
An early list from believers still names no priest, no council member and no Roman. The five hundred are unnamed and appear in no Gospel. So the silence of the authorities stands.
Ancient historians took little notice of small Jewish sects, so their silence about the resurrection proves nothing.
Rebuttal
Acts describes no small sect. Thousands converted, Jerusalem was filled, and it was "not done in a corner". Josephus recorded Theudas and Judas of Galilee, yet his one line on Jesus appearing alive is widely held to be a Christian addition.
The church's rapid growth, and the apostles' readiness to be beaten for their message, show that they really saw something.
Rebuttal
Suffering shows that they sincerely believed. It does not show that a public event took place. The church grew by preaching, and Acts says he was not shown to all the people. Matthew says even some of the eleven doubted.
Matthew 28:15 shows that even opponents admitted the tomb was empty, and only argued about how.
Rebuttal
Only Matthew tells of the guard and the bribe. So this is Matthew's report about opponents, not their own admission. It also shows the authorities hiding the matter, not searching for Jesus.
Jesus said that those who reject Moses would not be persuaded "though one rose from the dead". So public appearances would have changed nothing.
Rebuttal
Acts calls the appearances "many infallible proofs". Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, had been an enemy of the church and changed sides after, he says, he saw Jesus. On the New Testament's own account, appearances did persuade. So keeping them from the authorities still needs explaining.
The Islamic perspective
The Gospels say Jesus was publicly executed by the Romans. A man seen alive for weeks after that would have moved the governor, the priests and the writers of the time. The records show no such reaction. That silence fits what the Qur'an states: Jesus was not killed or crucified, and Allah (﷾) raised him up unto Himself.
Acts says Jesus was seen for forty days after his execution, and told his followers not to leave Jerusalem.
Matthew records only one reaction from the authorities. They bribed the guards and promised to deal with the governor.
The apostles told the council they were witnesses that God (﷾) had raised Jesus. It did not look into their claim, and Gamaliel advised waiting.
No account has Jesus appear to the high priest, the council or Pilate. Acts says he was not shown to all the people.
Only Matthew reports dead saints rising and appearing to many in Jerusalem.
Philo, who wrote about Pilate's rule, never mentions Jesus. Tacitus records only the execution, and Josephus' James passage says nothing of a resurrection.
The line in Josephus saying Jesus appeared alive on the third day is widely held to be a Christian addition.
The Qur'an states that Jesus was not killed or crucified, but it was made to appear so to them. Allah (﷾) raised him up unto Himself.