Don't miss out on this incredible, life-altering opportunity.
"The tomb of Christ is famous because of what it DOES NOT CONTAIN." - Sam Morris
When you go to the movies, don't you sit back and relax? For a while, you can ignore "the real world" that you must deal with on a daily basis. As you watch, for a time you think and feel as if you are actually present, a part of the film you are viewing.
This state of mind is called "suspension of disbelief."
As I write this, millions of people around the world are celebrating an event that makes every cinematic epic ever filmed pale by comparison. The man commonly known as Jesus is said to have literally overcome death itself.
Yet, your knee-jerk reaction to that assertion may be a strong one. It may seem hard to believe. You may have been conditioned by what you have read, or even by your own innate skepticism, to reject such a possibility out of hand.
But wait, just for a minute.
What if it were true? What if Jesus did literally overcome death, and return to life? Might it not be worth a few minutes of your time to contemplate the possibility?
I'd like to invite you today, at this auspicious time of the year, to suspend your disbelief.
I'm suggesting that, for the next few minutes, it may be worth seriously considering the possibility that the man Jesus truly and actually rose, literally and bodily, from the dead.
What might the implications of that be for you?
Risen from the Dead?
Photo courtesy of Andre Benz and http://unsplash.com
What if resurrection were an actual fact of history?
And furthermore, what if it were a reality that you could personally experience?
Death is a bitch. Everyone hates the idea of dying. Everyone would like to avoid that eventuality. And yet, in the course of human history, death is the only 100% statistically proven outcome of living. Everywhere in the world that I've traveled in my lifetime, I inevitably pass one or more cemeteries.
Death seems inescapable.
As do the historical accounts of Jesus' execution and death. And of course, in order for resurrection to be real, the prerequisite is that death must have occurred first. And, other than in the strained imaginations of the most hardened skeptics, there is no doubt that Jesus actually died.
Death by Torture...
Photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann and http://pixabay.com
According to the accounts,
Jesus was confirmed dead by the Roman soldiers who had been dispatched to break his legs and hasten his death. (They did not break them - he was already dead.) One of the soldiers stuck a spear into Jesus' side, releasing a flood of blood and water, clear evidence that death had already occurred.
Pilate would never have released Jesus' body for burial had he not been satisfied beyond any doubt that Jesus was dead. Jesus followers were utterly convinced of his death, because they managed the disposition of his body after his execution.
Let me ask you this:
If you had a dear friend who you believed to have died, would you proceed with your own hands to personally embalm him, if there were any doubt in your mind? If you're honest with yourself, I think you'll conclude that you would be all about resuscitation instead of burial, right?
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrapped Jesus' body like a mummy with strips of cloth and about 75 pounds of spices and chemicals to prepare it for burial. They put the body in a tomb and closed the tomb. There was no doubt in their minds that Jesus was dead.
"I know the resurrection is a fact"
- Charles Colson, Former White House Counsel
And yet, we have these anomalous reports.
A significant group of men and women, about two thousand years ago, reporting that someone they knew personally and intimately, cheated death. That he was undeniably dead beyond hope, and yet was seen again, quite alive and well, quite corporeal.
Many of the eyewitnesses of this unheard of event (resurrection) wrote about what they saw and heard and experienced. And, you'd better believe that they themselves were skeptical, even when face to face with a risen Jesus.
According to the historical accounts, after coming back to life, Jesus ate with his friends. He invited them to touch him, he walked and talked with them, he cooked for them, and demonstrated the reality of his physical presence in other ways.
How can reports of Jesus' resurrection be accounted for?
You could simply dismiss them, as so many have done with little regard for the fundamental nature of historical evidence. Or, as Charles Colson has done, you could recognize that any historical event with this much corroborating evidence cannot be trivially dismissed. What you ultimately believe about this could have far-reaching personal consequences.
"What's in it for me?"
I confess that I am looking at this matter "from the inside looking out." I already believe. I believe that Jesus is in fact the one, true, living God who created our universe and everything and everyone in it. As my Creator, I believe that he is completely at liberty to do what he will with me.
However, I have been utterly overwhelmed to discover that he is not an uncaring, unfeeling toy-maker who simply put it together, set it all in motion, and stood back to observe the failings and foibles of his design. I have come to know Jesus as one who cared enough about what he made to enter in and experience the deepest pains and sufferings of his creatures.
I have come to know Jesus as one who unselfishly, and with great love and compassion, gave himself for me. Those who knew and walked with him personally, who observed his death and his victory over death, tell us that Jesus paid the ultimate price for those who would believe on him out of love.
Jesus made some incredible statements and promises. Some of what he said seems at times difficult to understand. But wouldn't you expect that, if we are, in fact, creatures, and Jesus is, in fact, our Creator? If you've stuck with me this far, I'd love it if you would read this very short passage from John's book with an open mind:
"So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”" - John 6:41-51
"And I will raise him up on the last day."
Did you catch that promise?
Jesus claims he came down from heaven. Do you believe it? History tells us he literally died, and then literally, physically rose from the dead. Can you believe it? He says that God will teach us. Will you believe it? He says that, if you believe, you have eternal life. He says that if you accept him (i.e. "eat of this bread") you will live forever. And that, even as he rose physically from the dead, he will raise you up on the last day.
What's that?
Jesus is offering you a new, replacement body?
One that will last forever?
Wouldn't you like to believe that? I invite you to believe. If you struggle with believing, ask God to teach you, as Jesus said he would. Ask God to open your eyes to who Jesus is. Follow the link to John's book, and read it all to find out more about Jesus. I think you'll be glad that you did.
What do you have to lose, friend?
I wish you the most joyous Easter season ever.
FIN
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