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MY
LORD AND MY GOD!
Curt Simmons - Chicago, Illinois
June 2004
"Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger
here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into
my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said
to him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:27-28)
The resurrection, amazing as it is to us, was merely
another day at the office or walk in the park for Jesus.
It is simply one more truth about this amazing man that
separates him from any alleged competition about the
one we should choose to honor and obey as our final
authority. (Matthew 28:16-20) His birth. His fulfillment
of specific Old Testament prophecies. His miracles.
His teaching. His love. His perfection. His death. And
now, his resurrection! Throughout the ages, those who
have attempted to lay claim to being God's chosen one
have produced nothing even remotely close to the credentials
needed to back it up. But the greatest proof of their
unworthy candidacy-all of them remain in their graves
awaiting the day they will bow before the one who escaped
from his. (Philippians 2:9-11)
Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed and many others in probably
every generation have claimed to be God's final spokesman.
Today, billions still cling to the teachings of these
men from earth but know little or nothing about the
Man from heaven. How foolish!! None of these men ever
said they would resurrect from the dead. And most certainly,
none of these men actually rose from the dead. And since
it was clearly a non-issue to them, none even bothered
to determine how they would go about proving they had
risen from the dead. And check it out with any of the
current followers in these religious movements - none
of them will gladly give up their lives to tell the
world their leader has risen from the dead. Yet Jesus
truly conquered death and was totally unaffected by
its lasting sting. (1Corinthians 15:50-57) While Jesus
was alive, he wasn't apprehensive or insecure about
stating any of it as an "already done deal."
And when finally put to death and given the opportunity
to prove he wasn't just all talk, Jesus walked out of
the tomb within three days and accomplished this amazing
feat.
He predicted it
Talk about pressure! Over and over again, Jesus told
his twelve disciples and many others that physical death
would not signal the end of his life or his ministry.
(Luke 9:21-22) More often than not, his listeners failed
to understand the message of the resurrection, or perhaps
they blew it off as merely metaphorical or more than
they could handle at the time. Nevertheless, Jesus continued
to predict it. He wanted people to hear it. He hoped
they would write it down and then wait for it to happen.
He looked forward to his critics trying to make sure
it would never happen. He knew he had come from God
and was returning to God (John 13:3) and the tomb was
just a temporary stop. Three days would be enough rest
for Jesus, then he would go right back to work preaching,
loving, forgiving, interceding, judging and being for
a lost world what they still needed him to be - both
Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)
He performed it
Then he did it. Early that Sunday morning, life and
breath were given back to the crucified Son of God.
His brain waves began to function. His heart started
beating. His eyelids were opened. His muscles flexed.
His blood flowed. He woke up, sat up, stood up and removed
his temporary grave clothes. Then, as a company of Roman
soldiers shook with fear and froze as though dead, an
angel who would make Arnold look like a lightweight
rolled the tremendous stone away from the tomb's entrance
and Jesus walked out, never to die again. (Matthew 28:2-4)
He proved it
Now it was time to show his face. He knew many would
still wonder if it were true even after seeing him.
For Jesus, then, it was all about leaving convincing
proof. He didn't want anyone who saw him beyond the
grave to think he was only a mirage or a make-pretend
friend. He was Jesus and he was back from the dead.
And he needed to convince more than just a few. So for
forty days, Jesus proved this resurrection thing was
for real. People touched him and talked with him. A
privileged few ate with him and were taught by him.
Some received a rebuke from him for their lack of faith
as he showed them his crucifixion scars.
He appeared a number of times to different numbers of
people. Mary Magdalene was the first to witness the
resurrection. (Mark 16:9) He also had an extended conversation
with two disciples somewhere on the road to Emmaus.
(Luke 24:13-35) On another occasion, Jesus had a meal
on the beach with seven of the disciples. (John 21:1-14)
He met once with all the disciples except Thomas. (John
20:19-25) He fellowshipped with the remaining eleven
apostles a number of times over a period of 40 days
and with 500-plus believers on one occasion. (Acts 1:1-5,
1 Corinthians 15:6)
His visits were well calculated in anticipation of the
doubters who lived then and those who remain skeptical
today. What if Mary's resurrection claim wasn't taken
seriously because most people would perceive her to
be an emotional "basket-case" who just needed
some time to help her deal with her grief or move beyond
the denial stage after losing a best friend. Maybe a
similar claim from two trusted men who spent much of
one day with the risen Jesus would carry more clout
with the unbelievers. If that still wasn't enough proof
for some, maybe it would help to have a resurrection
rally highlighted by personal sharing from seven no-longer-scared
disciples talking of the time they sat around a fire
enjoying some fish and bread with a supposed dead man.
Perhaps then this resurrection rumor would establish
some credibility. If that were still being concluded
as "insufficient evidence" for the skeptics,
could a talk with Thomas put some of their unbelief
to death? After all, Thomas was well-known amongst his
peers for his intellectual skepticism. Maybe a "touching"
testimony from his lips would change their hearts. What
if all of that evidence was still judged to be incomplete
and unreliable for some? Could five hundred men standing
up and telling the exact same story about the day they
saw Jesus beyond the tomb help the cause? Certainly,
by this time, the "Jesus is alive" allegations
would have gained tremendous momentum and be deemed
by many as worthy of serious investigation.
He preached it
Letting a little more than five hundred people in on
the most important truth of all time was not the plan
of Jesus. He wanted everybody to know and called for
the truth of his resurrection to be the cornerstone
of the apostle's preaching. So he met with his disciples
on numerous occasions and methodically explained this
all-important truth from the Scriptures. (Luke 24:44-49,
Acts 1:1-9) He rebuked them for their lack of faith
that he would be resurrected and charged them emphatically
to let the world know what they had been privileged
to witness. (Mark 16:14-16) For forty days he trained
them for their mission. For forty days his physical
presence eroded any of their lingering doubts. For forty
days he listened as the disciples asked their questions
and for forty days he pleaded with them to preach about
the answers he supplied. For forty days he encouraged
his disciples to cling to the joy from understanding
how, even if their preaching led to a martyr's fate,
their death would lead to an amazing resurrection. (Acts
1:1-6) These eleven disciples were the key to the salvation
of all men and women from that day forward. And from
what we see documented in the book of Acts and confirmed
in the epistles (Colossians 1:23), and from the billions
who have clung tightly to the "resurrection truth"
since the first century, they were truly successful
in their mission to unashamedly convey that Jesus had
indeed conquered death. Today, we are the beneficiaries
of their boldness!
The resurrection of Jesus!! Should we be shocked? Should
we be surprised? Should we hope that it happened or
have full confidence? Should we doubt it or fully disclose
it? After watching and listening to an amazing presentation
of "talent" in the life of Jesus, doesn't
his encore seem to fit? And if the fireworks display
has made you ooh and aah, shouldn't the finale leave
you breathless?
Like Thomas, we, too, can confidently and proudly proclaim
the same truth that he came face-to-face with the day
he saw the risen Christ: Jesus - our Lord and our God
and our absolute proof that life after death is both
real and ready to change our perspective on life and
death.
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