I love the power of cartoons and although they are not taken as completely accurate in every way, I’d do the same for someone talking or something that I watch on television and it’s always good to match it with what the Word says.
This is a particularly odd time of year for me. On the one hand I appreciate that in the Christian calendar the majority of those who are Christians would have celebrated Easter marking the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. On the surface, that shouldn’t be a problem for me. I am after all one who professes following Jesus. Yet I don’t engage in Easter celebrations because of its pagan origins. (After all, the concept of Easter is not something recognised in the early church and became instituted later on as part of something that wasn’t wholly pure in nature as some of the things related with Easter bear out.)
Yet it is also this time of year that those from my stream of Christianity celebrate the Lord’s Supper, a sacrament we acknowledge was instituted by Christ Himself at around this time of year, and it was indeed this time of year that after that supper He was wrongly tried, unjustly sentenced and brutally murdered on the cross.
So do I believe that? The question is relevant because even in Christendom the claims of this central part of the faith have been questioned. I have heard gentle, mild, sincere, tender, justice-loving people claiming to be Christians asserting with all their conviction that Jesus was not crucified as mentioned in scripture and that He certainly didn’t rise again from the dead. They are content to be impressed by the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus and follow that rather than necessarily have to subscribe to the supernatural elements of His life, ministry and particularly how His earthly time came to a close.
Yet you would have noticed I did mention this ‘central part of the faith’ and that should give you all the clue you need as to where I am on the subject. There are scholars who are convinced there is enough evidence to prove the historical details surrounding the end of Jesus Christ as recorded in the gospels. Archaeologists have dug up stuff to that end and documents would appear to corroborate it. Lee Strobel is a guy who’s been able to put the case together and put them across in a way accessible to people whether Christian or not.
Having strong extra biblical evidence is of use to those who wouldn’t accept what was written a few thousand years ago. I was already convinced of it before I checked the evidence because of the development of my journey with Jesus. This has proven to be important, because there are those who argue against the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. They endeavour to argue persuasively and if your mind is not clear this can quickly get you bogged down in argument and counter argument.
Where I am and what I am convinced about is that without the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ the faith and claims of God and Christianity are pointless. Jesus’ teachings were inextricably linked to His mission – withdraw the mission and His teaching doesn’t stand up so well – they could easily be the sayings of one or two sages, but put together and you can see why it is so important that how He ends up and what happens then must happen as stated. In the larger narrative of scripture the actions of those who followed Him in the light of all that the old scripture said about Him must have been convinced rather than deluded to be so sold out to the man that they too were willing to face ridicule, persecution and death for Him.
I know what I’ve experienced in my brief time on the planet and I am persuaded that this is of God. I am convinced that it’s no longer a case of my upbringing or the influences whom I knocked about with at the time. I am convinced that the Word came to life and lived with us and in fulfillment with everything written about Him, He suffered, bled and died on that hill far away, on that old rugged cross. What is more I am convinced that He miraculously rose from the dead – no one has been able to explain the empty tomb, no one has been able to explain what that’s all about. I believe in that glorious defeat of sin and death by the Risen Saviour. I am convinced by these things beyond an emotional response to the yearnings of a preacher, but a very real personal interaction with this self same Risen Saviour.
So being fully persuaded of these actions it is not such a stretch to accept His ascension and His position at the right hand of God making intercession for mugs like me, so that while I trip and slip on this journey, all the Father ever sees is the blood shed to reconcile me back to Him and the perfect Son in my place. Indeed He is all my righteousness and I stand complete in Him, which is why I worship Him. All the journey hinges on the reality of this historical event – and there is no doubt in my mind that this happened. Anything good about me is because of this fact. Every accomplishment I’ve ever made is because of this. All that is good (and bad) in my life is because of this.
So all I am and ever hope to be is because of who He is and what transpired in those amazing days all those years ago.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 