“Jesus is alive!” Can you imagine the excitement in the voices and faces of the women who told their good news to the disciples? Even more, can you imagine the disbelief in the hearts and the minds of those who heard the declaration?
Skeptics often are quick to point out that we live in a scientific age, in which we simply cannot accept the possibility of the miraculous. We are sophisticated to the point that this no longer makes sense.
But let me point out the obvious.
Even in the first century, dead people did not walk out of graves, and everybody knew it. They did not have the medical advances that we take for granted today. There were no MRI machines. There were no ultrasounds. No one had open-heart surgery.
But let me repeat this: They knew that dead people did not walk out of graves alive. You did not have to convince them of this. This is why, even while speaking to the risen savior, Mary Magdalene did not recognize him. She was not expecting to see Jesus outside of the grave.
That is why Thomas was adamant in his declaration, “I will not believe it.” And that is why Peter and John sprinted to the grave in order to check out the story. They could not believe that it was true. It did not make sense.
But then something happened. They met the risen savior in person. That changed everything. It changed their perspectives, it changed their outlook, and it changed their lives.
On Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. The day is called Easter. Many will dress up in their finest Sunday clothes and make their way to church, some for the first time in months. We will sing songs that speak of the resurrection. Hopefully, the pastor will make a big deal out of the fact that Jesus is alive.
But here is a question you must answer: Do you really believe that Jesus is alive? Paul says, “If Christ is not raised from the dead, our faith is empty.” He even said that we still are in our sins if that is the case. The fact is that our whole faith hangs on the reality of the resurrection. If Christ is not alive, then all that we say is a lie.
But the evidence points to this wonderful truth. Jesus is alive! The women saw him. The disciples saw him. Paul said that more than 500 witnesses attested to the fact that they had seen the risen savior. I’m counting on that fact. I hope you are, too.
Happy Easter. And thank God for this truth. Jesus is alive!