Easter: Our resurrection hope

Happy Easter everyone. In looking back at the life of Jesus and his followers, I would say that today was the game changer. Any loss of hope and any discouragement that was plaguing them after seeing their teacher be crucified was turned on it's head after this momentous day. It is crazy to me when I read the gospels and I see how many times that Jesus literally told his followers how things were going to go down, but when it happened they all just fell apart.

One example where Jesus revealed the upcoming chain of events is Matthew 16:21 (NIV‬), "From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." This wasn't a single prediction either, he did this multiple times, and when it happened just as he said it would, his followers scattered and were absolutely devastated. It says in John 20:19, that after Jesus died and was resurrected, "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!"" They were so afraid of being persecuted by the religious leaders that they locked themselves in a room together, when all of a sudden Jesus shows up.

Jesus didn't just appear to one or two people, an account which would be easy to refute. No, in ‭1 Corinthians 15:5-8 (NIV‬) it says "that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

I believe Christianity to be true primarily on an intellectual basis. Although I have had many personal encounters and experiences with God, those do not provide the foundation of my faith. When I look at the mountain of evidence I find it all in favor of this gospel being true. When you read the Bible and are actually open to what it has to say, you soon realize there is simply no way this is made up by people. I think that a lot of people who criticize the Bible or say it is impossible to believe have never actually read it themselves. I also find it very interesting at how many people say the Bible is too hard for them to believe, yet they often have alternate beliefs, often spiritual,  that in my opinion take even more faith to believe in.

I think that a large part of people who reject Christianity do so on an emotional basis rather than for logical reasons. There are many reasons for this, people see hypocrisy, spiritual abuse, the list goes on, but in the end they reject Jesus because they don't like what they see in people. This cannot be discounted and it deserves sensitivity from Christians to listen to people who have been hurt or burned by those in the church. Still, the problem is that when you reject Jesus for those reasons, you're not actually rejecting him based on who he is, you're rejecting him because of people failing to represent him properly. That's why it is so important to go to the source and do your own research. The Bible actually challenges us to "‭Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him," (Psalms 34:8 NIV‬). Don't look to people, look to Jesus. People get it wrong all the time unfortunately because we are subject to our failing bodies and sinful nature. Go to Jesus, the source.

If Jesus' resurrection was a made-up story, Christianity would never have gotten as far as it has. If Christianity weren't true, so many of Jesus' followers and members of the early church wouldn't have been willing to die for it, but they did. I believe that Christianity provides the best framework that allows me to make sense of the world when I look at it through my own eyes. I believe that Jesus is the living son of God, and that he is exactly who he said he was. I believe that he died and rose again, proving his authority as the son of God. I believe that the power of the gospel is as true today as it was back then and it is demonstrated in the lives of those who believe him and follow him closely. The truth of the Bible literally changes people's lives if we allow it to.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes," (‭Romans 1:16 NIV‬).

He is risen.

He is risen indeed!