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Don’t Be De-‘F.E.A.T.’-ed This Easter!

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“After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, or it is the most important fact of history.”

This was the statement Josh McDowell, an atheist who set out to disprove this crazy notion that Jesus Christ walked out of His own grave 2000 years ago, expected his research would produce.

But it didn’t.

After intensely studying the evidence and weighing the option to accept the physical resurrection of Jesus as history and reject it as a hoax, he placed his faith in our Lord as his only hope of salvation.

What kind of ridiculously obvious evidence convinced a convinced atheist to drop a bomb on his worldview and give his life to Jesus?  There must be some in your face facts surrounding this fantastic feat!

Yes, there are…and should you choose to continue reading, I will lay out for you the details of the astonishing *f.e.a.t. that changed the world forever.

“F”- F is for “fatal experience.”  Before we start talking about Jesus coming back from the dead, we need to establish the fact that He actually died, right?  Not a lot of options here, because someone is either breathing and their heart is beating, or they are lifeless.  According to eyewitnesses, here is the testimony about Jesus:

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last (Mark 15:37).

Crying out in a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I entrust my life.”After he said this, he breathed for the last time (Luke 23:46).

One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out (John 19:34).

Trust me, the Roman guards who crucified people on a regular basis knew how to kill their victims.  And just to be sure, they would pierce the heart chamber to see if blood and “water” (plasma) would flow out - because that only happens when you are dead.

And what other option do we have?  Well some have speculated that He merely fainted.  So that means He woke up in the tomb, broke out of a 140 pound body cast, rolled the 4000 pound stone that sealed His grave uphill, overpowered the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb, stumbled in a half dead condition back to the disciples, talked them into the lie that He was resurrected. And then the disciples spent the rest of their days being tortured and eventually killed for preaching the message of Jesus’ resurrection.

Um…no.  If you buy that theory, let me also sell you on Charlie the Unicorn and Teletubby Land.

“E”- E is for “empty tomb.”

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.  ² She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”  (John 20:1-3).

Again, there is an elite guard of 16 Roman soldiers – the most ruthless and lethal in Rome’s military. Four faced the east, four to the west, four to the south, and four to the north. They are trained from childhood, given a special diet, and tasked with making sure no one even got near the tomb of Jesus.  If they fail in any way, they would be burned alive as punishment.

So nope - no one could have stolen the body, the women obviously knew which tomb contained the body of Jesus, and yet three days after He was sealed in that cave, the disciples are boldly proclaiming that He rose from the dead in the same area!  If that message wasn’t true, they would have been laughed at and mocked, but just the opposite took place.  Forty days after Jesus rose, “at least 10,000 Jews were willing to give up their very sociological and theological traditions that had given them their national identity!” (Acts 17:6). Why?  Because they knew the tomb was empty!”²

P.S. - They still have not found the body after 2000 years of searching…

“A”- A is for “appearances.”

“Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.  After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

Jesus didn’t ascend into heaven that first Easter morning.  He stayed for 40 days and chatted (even ate with) over 500 people on 12 different occasions.  The message of His resurrection spread like wildfire in the first 30 years after it happened because if you doubted the claim, you could ask the people that saw Him!

“T”- T is for “transformation.”

What began as a tiny movement of 12 Jesus followers 2000 years ago exploded into the transformation of the entire Roman Empire in just 300 years.  And now in 2011, we are still amazed and completely changed by the mind-blowing fact that our God and Savior Jesus Christ walked out of His own grave as proof that we can be forgiven and transformed ourselves into disciples who live for THE Cause.

So if you were thinking that our celebration of Resurrection Sunday is the result of blind faith in a sketchy story, it’s time to doubt your doubts and follow the evidence where it leads.  Don’t be de-f.e.a.t.-ed this Easter, because…

Jesus is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed!

¹www.equip.org

²J.P Moreland: Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence p.251

 

This week presents one of the best - if not THE best opportunity to pray, pursue, and persuade your friends who don’t know Jesus.  Easter is a natural time to open up conversations about Jesus and the gospel message.  Ask your friends if they think the resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact, then pray for an opportunity to use the f.e.a.t. as a way to share the gospel.

Jesus, You have loved me far beyond anything I can imagine. You have loved the whole world, and endured the cross on our behalf. May the depth of Your love continue to astound me. May the light of Your life continue to shine in my life and in the world through me. Please give me opportunities to live for THE Cause and share the message of the gospel with those around me. 

Luke 24:4-7. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to 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.’ ”

   Pick up a copy of Venti Jesus Please to give to a friend who doesn’t know Jesus. The book captures a conversation between three friends at their local Starbucks – an atheist, agnostic, and Christian. Listen in on their real and raw conversation as they talk about life, God, truth and relationships. It’s a great outreach tool!