Christ's Resurrection: A Truth Worth Accepting!Chikamu

From Timid Mice to Bold Lions

The Jewish leaders had managed to get Pilate to order Jesus' crucifixion. They gloated as they mocked Him on the cross. They weren't about to afford the disciples the opportunity to steal Jesus' body and claim that He had resurrected.

So the leaders requested that a Roman guard be posted at the tomb to ensure Jesus stayed put. Dead. A has-been. A lunatic, perhaps — but certainly not God.

But here's the thing: God's plans can't be stopped! Not by you, not by me, and not even by the most powerful leaders on the planet.

On day 3, as prophesied throughout the Old Testament, Jesus' tomb sat empty -- and the guards couldn’t explain why. They were in a big jam, actually, as a disappearing body under their watch meant severe consequences. The Jewish leaders quickly promised to cover for the soldiers, and threw in a monetary bribe, to boot. All the soldiers had to do was stick to the story that Jesus’ body had been stolen from right under their noses.

Think about the utter silliness of that lie.

Highly trained and weaponized Roman guards had been outwitted by Jesus' disciples? Wait, we're talking about the men cowering in fear in hiding, right?

But then disciples were lit up by the Holy Spirit, and there was no stopping them from sharing the Good News!

To try to silence the disciples, the Jewish leaders threatened, beat, and imprisoned them. But Jesus' hand-picked followers were no longer timid mice trying to go undetected. They were now bold, roaring lions. They wanted to be seen and heard -- despite the cost. Even if they had to die for Jesus, they were now all in!

According to early church testimony, all but one disciple was murdered for sharing the Good News: Matthew died by the sword, Mark was dragged by horses, James was beheaded, Luke was hanged, James was clubbed to death, Bartholomew was beaten to death, Thomas was reportedly stabbed, Jude was killed with arrows, and Andrew and Peter were crucified. The apostle Paul fared no better; he was beheaded.

Pinchas Lapide, an Israeli historian, notes: “Without the experience of the resurrection, the crucifixion of Jesus would most likely have remained without consequences and forgotten….Thus the Christian faith stands and falls not with Golgotha, the infamous ‘place of the skull,’ where thousands of Jesus’ brothers were murdered cruelly by Roman mercenaries, but with the experience ‘on the third day’ after the crucifixion, an experience which was able to defuse, to refute, and even to make meaningful this death on the cross for the community of disciples.”

Not a single disciple recanted his testimony. Why? Because once they were certain of the truth -- and the eternity that awaited them -- there was no turning back. When we truly have a relationship with Jesus, we simply can’t live without Him.

Reflection:

If you're up for it, watch The Passion of Christ. What is your emotional response to seeing Jesus suffer so gruesomely to prove His love for you? Jesus willingly came. Here's the kicker: if you were the ONLY sinner He needed to die for, He would have still come. That's how valuable you are to God. Love!