An Easter to Remember

If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.
                                                                                                – Timothy Keller

This Easter will be like no other that we have experienced in our lifetime. With the closure of churches across the country and the world, faithful Christians will be forced to worship and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the safety of their own homes. But pandemic or not, the resurrection story remains unchanged.

If, that is, the story is true.

Many claim that the resurrection of Jesus Christ (after his cruel death from Roman crucifixion) was the most significant event in human history – perhaps even changing its course. But regardless of whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, few can dismiss the significance of Christ’s earthly life but more so, his turning the tables on death itself and how that played out in the emergence and practice of the Christian faith.

Much has been studied and written as to the veracity of the resurrection story. As reported in all four Gospels of the New Testament, on the third day after Jesus’ crucifixion, Mary Magdalene and other women approached Jesus’ tomb very early in the morning. Upon arriving, they noticed that the large stone sealing the tomb had been rolled away. This massive circular rock was often set in a channel and on an incline that could only be moved away from the opening by several men rolling it back up the incline. And with Roman guards stationed at the entrance of the tomb, only an order from the Roman authorities could reopen the burial vault. It is there that the women encountered angels who informed them “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” (Luke 24:5-6, NIV). So the empty tomb is the one most obvious piece of evidence supporting the resurrection and one that could not be refuted by Jesus’ detractors or by any conspiracy theories.

Many scholars have also stated that if the story of Jesus’ resurrection was fabricated, the fact that women were the first to witness and report on the empty tomb would not have made sense in that women were not viewed as credible witnesses in that time. But as it turns out, Jesus appeared first to Mary and the other women, and then later to Peter and the other disciples, and to over 500 other people over a forty-day period. As we know today, multiple witnesses in a court of law tend to bear testimony to the truth of what occurred.

Perhaps most compelling to me is that Jesus’ disciples and followers continued to spread the gospel message of Jesus (gospel meaning “good news”) long after he was taken up to heaven. This was done, of course, at great risk to their lives, as Jesus’ adversaries continued to round up and persecute anyone who had any association with him. So if the resurrection story was a fabrication, why would his closest followers, who either cowered or denied knowing him during his final days, continue to espouse his message at the risk of losing their own lives (which all of them did)?

Charles Colson, former advisor to President Nixon, who was implicated and served time for his involvement in the Watergate affair, said this:

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world – and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

In light of the evidence, it may actually require more faith not to believe in Christ’s resurrection than to do otherwise. But that is for each individual to decide for him or herself. As for the world’s practicing Christians, this Easter will surely be different in the customary sense. While church buildings will be closed, the Church itself will not be shut down. Church structures will be vacant but the faithful will huddle in their homes, resembling the early believers who, following Christ’s death and resurrection, met in their homes to celebrate the risen Lord. May Easter 2020 be remembered for more than a deadly virus and our need to self-quarantine. Hopefully, it will be recalled as the moment when our faith was renewed and our hope in a risen Savior took on fresh meaning.

Happy Easter! He is risen!

When he said He would rise again from the dead, the third day after He was crucified, He said something that only a fool would dare say if He expected the devotion of any disciples – unless He was sure He was going to rise.       – Wilbur Smith

Bonus Easter Story: https://billbentley.home.blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-easter-miracle.pdf