6 Weeks To Resurrection: Resurrection? Is it real?

It is a fact, that Jesus is a point of controversy. It is very interesting that history and archaeology have shown that He existed and that His teaching rocked the world then and now. Even when He walked the earth, His teaching was controversial.  To the point that even people of His day didn’t know how to answer the question of who He was. Mt 16:14  And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Yet, Peter proclaims in vs.18, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Jesus tells Peter that only the Father in heaven can reveal things like this (vs.17; Jn.14:9).  Mt.16:21; Mk.8:31; Lk.9:23 all state that from this particular time forward, Jesus began to teach and show them several things that they would need to know, and that they would have to teach others too.

Many do not know, that there were several that lived in the same time era that claimed to be the Messiah of God.  A man by the name of Simon of Peraea, a former slave of Herod who lived in 4 B.C. lead a revolt and was considered by many to be a Messiah until he was killed by Romans. Another man named Athronges, a simple shepherd lead a rebellion against the

Romans during the time of Herod Archaleus (when Jesus was a small child Mt.2:13-23) and claimed himself a Messiah, whose end came at the hands of the Romans. So, when Jesus came along, the “so what’s new?” attitude was already in place. What made Jesus different?

Jesus taught His disciples that He too was going to die at the hands of the Jewish Authority and the Romans.  Yet, there is one remarkable claim that Jesus made, that not only set a stage of controversy – it also was partly what lead to His death. Jesus claimed, Mk. 9:31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise."  There are many that deny that this ever happened, and therefore never occurred. That it is a fable, myth, lore, and lacks any empirical evidence.  What I find interesting is the following:

• If the resurrection is not real and didn't occur, then why did the people crowd, even the Jewish Authority to see Lazarus when Jesus came riding in on a Donkey’s foal? (Jn.12:9)  Lazarus had died and was in a tomb 3-4 days before Jesus raised him (Jn.11:17).  Now here he is coming into the Temple to observe Passover and the crowd all see him.
• If resurrection is not real, they why did the Jewish Authority petition Pilate to have not only a guard placed at the tomb of Jesus, but have a seal set on the tomb (Mt.27:66) to prevent it from happening?
• If resurrection did not happen, they why did the guards report it to the authorities, and why did the authorities pay them to keep quiet about the matter? (Mt.28:11-13)  If it did not happen, there was nothing to keep quiet.
• If the resurrection did not happen, they why do up to the 100’s see Jesus up to a month after he is reported dead? (Acts 1:3, 15; 1 Cor.15:6)

All of this said, belief in the resurrection is a matter of faith. You either believe it or you don’t – just like air – you either believe it exists or you don’t. Yet, in all of this, I find it very fascinating, that if it did not occur, and if it is not real, then why does it cause so much consternation?  If it is not real, then aren’t we who believe just a bunch of wacky religious people who don’t know better?  Yet – if it is real (which I believe it is) then why has it, did it, and does it cause such nervousness with people? Could it be because if it is real and we don’t believe, that we know what the outcome is going to be?

1 Pet 3:21  Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Jim