John Dillinger, a notorious Hoosier bank robber, was shot and killed outside Chicago’s Biograph Theater on July 22, 1934, by police and federal agents. When he came out of the theater, they opened fire on him, killing him. Three shots killed him. His body was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana, with thousands of people standing out- side the cemetery in the pouring rain. Now his nephew wants to exhume the body to prove that it really is Dillinger who is buried there. Allegedly efforts were made by Dillinger to al- ter his appearance by plastic surgery and his burning off his fingerprints with acid. So, the nephew wants to confirm that his uncle is really buried there. The History Channel was in- terested in making a documentary on him. Perhaps that is the reason the nephew wanted to exhume the body. Maybe there was money to be made. Other family members are opposed. A judge has just ruled that the body could not be exhumed without permission from the cemetery, which has rejected the request of the nephew. I feel certain he is buried there, but there may be a sliver of doubt in the minds of some.
One of the facts upon which Christianity is based is that there is no body of Christ to be found (1 Cor. 15 1-4). He was resurrected on the first day of the week, the third day after his death (Mark 16:9; Luke 24: 1, 13, 21). The preponderance of evidence is just too great. One cannot go to the grave of our Lord and say, “He is buried here.”
Skeptics would say that he did not really die but merely swooned on the cross. The Roman soldiers knew he was dead. One even pierced his side with a spear (John 19:33-37). Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus knew that he was dead, for they took his body off the cross and buried it. They buried him in Joseph’s tomb in which no one had ever been buried (John 19: 38-40).
Another might say that the followers of Jesus went to the wrong tomb; consequently, when they arrived, there was no body in it. However, there were women who observed where he was buried (Matt. 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55). The word “beheld” (θεωρέω) used by Mark and Luke denotes “to observe something with continuity and attention, often with the implication that what is observed is something unusu- al.” (Louw-Nida.) No, they knew where Jesus was buried.
The atheist would say that his enemies stole the body. Of course, the apostles affirmed his resurrection on the first Pen- tecost following his death. If they had stolen the body, that Pentecost would have been a good time to produce it to show that Jesus was still dead.
Did the apostles steal the body? The enemies of Jesus paid the soldiers who were supposed to be guarding the tomb to say that the disciples stole the body while they slept. Crazy. If they were asleep, how would they know the body was sto- len? How would they know it was the disciples who stole the body? And were not Jesus’ followers as surprised as anyone that the tomb was empty? Mary thought the gardener had tak- en the body. Would his followers have died for a lie? If they knew where his body was, would they have been willing to suffer?
Just think of all the effort to secure the tomb: a large rock rolled before the entrance of the tomb, the tomb was sealed by the Roman government, and guards were placed at the tomb.
The many witnesses who saw Jesus after his resurrection are the greatest proof. Luke records, “The former treatise
have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed him- self 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:” (Acts 1:1–3.) Jesus did not just show himself alive after his passion. He showed himself by proofs, no, many proofs, no, he showed himself alive by “many infal- lible proofs.” And he did so for forty days. There are about 10-12 appearances of our Lord after his resurrection. Paul lists several: “And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 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. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” (1 Cor. 15:5-8.)
The resurrection of Christ is one of the greatest, if not the greatest proof, of his deity. Paul wrote of Jesus Christ: “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” (Rom. 1:4.) In every major sermon in the book of Acts, there is a ref- erence to his resurrection. One’s baptism would have no meaning nor validity if Jesus had not been raised from the dead (Rom. 6:3-4;1 Peter 3:21). There would be no guarantee that all men will be raised from the dead if Jesus had not been raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15: 20-22). An appointed day of judgment is coming based on the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. We have this assurance: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30–31.)
I feel fairly certain that John Dillinger is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery; however, regardless of where his body may be, it, along with all others will be raised one day (John 5:28-29; Rev. 20:11-15).