"Jesus raised from the dead?
Sure.
Right.
And I have a bridge I'd like to sell you."
That's how Thomas might have responded if he had lived in the year
2000. "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger
where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not
believe it."(1) He'd seen dead people before. And Jesus was dead. He
sounds like sophisticated rationalists of the Twentieth Century. "It
isn't plausible," they would contend. "It didn't happen."
But what if it did happen?
Thomas was convinced when Jesus appeared to him, reached out his hands
to Thomas, and said, "Put your finger here."
Thomas dropped to his knees. "My Lord and my God!"(2)
It was self-hypnosis, you counter. The disciples wanted to believe
that their Lord was not dead, so they just invented it out of whole cloth.
Really?
Let's look at some of the evidence.
1. First, Jesus' body was missing. If the Jews could have found it,
they could have stilled the preaching of Jesus' resurrection that
filled Jerusalem. But they could not.
2. Next, the body wasn't stolen. The Romans had no motive. The Jews
had no motive. Ah-ha, you say, the disciples stole it. There is the
matter of the Roman guards, and the disciples' initial disbelief when
the women brought them the news early that Easter morning. This brings
me to my third point.
3. If the disciples had stolen the body, you wouldn't expect them
to risk their lives. People don't die for what they know is not true.
But the disciples put their lives on the line, and nearly all were
eventually martyred for their faith. They certainly believed it.
4. Followers of Jesus in the city of Jerusalem grew from a few
dozen to thousands upon thousands soon after Jesus' resurrection. They
believed it was true.
5. Even contemporary documents refer to the event. Thallus the
Samaritan, Suetonius, Tacitus, Pliny contain references to Jesus.
Jewish historian Josephus writes about Jesus' crucifixion and
resurrection. They knew something had happened.
Jesus' resurrection from the dead is actually more plausible than any
other explanation. That's why we Christians make such a big deal about
Easter. That's why we celebrate.
Jesus' resurrection means that death is not the end. That though my
body may lie mouldering in the ground, Jesus, whom the Father raised
from the dead, gives me eternal life. Ultimately, we Christians
believe, our bodies, too, will be raised from the dead.
And since Jesus is not dead, people can encounter Him today. You can
know Him through a personal relationship. I could point to lots of
people who can testify what Jesus has done in their lives to bring
them from the brink of disaster to peace and meaning and joy. He
changes people for good.
If you're not sure, and can't really say you've met this risen Jesus,
this Easter Sunday why don't you slip into a church to seek Him. And
perhaps in the midst of our celebration, you'll find Him for yourself.
I hope so. For your sake!
He's alive, you know.
HE'S RISEN! That's what Easter is all about!
Reference
(1) John 20:25 (NIV), and
(2) John 20:27-28 (NIV).
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
