Easter Sunday is in two days, so me being who I am, I can’t resist. Humor me.
Christians celebrate the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.
Every so often, a popular newspaper or magazine like Newsweek publishes an article on the Jesus Seminar.
Basically, there are two things that the Jesus Seminar claims. First, the Resurrection didn’t happen; There’s no evidence for it. Second, that doesn’t matter; Christians can still celebrate Easter with its message of hope and new life.
I disagree with the Jesus Seminar on both points, but in this column I don’t want to debate the first claim. Doing that would spill over the confines of this paper. Rather, I want to focus on the second one.
They want us to believe that nothing ultimately meaningful is given up because of their views. They claim that despite the Resurrection being false, it still carries hope and meaning because of the story it tells.
The Apostle Paul staunchly disagreed. He wrote that if “Christ has not been raised … your faith is worthless. … If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
That’s a pretty astonishing statement coming from Paul. You’d figure that he’d try to “save face” or something, just in case the whole enchilada was a hoax.
But nope. He admits that if the Resurrection is false, then he’s going to be the first one to hop out of the Jesus boat.
The Resurrection of Christ is an event that has transformed millions of lives. Ten of the eleven apostles who ran in fear when Jesus was on trial willingly and joyfully died, in the end, for the Resurrection.
Hundreds of people die for their religious beliefs in the present time. Countless more have sacrificed everything to follow Jesus.
Now, if the Resurrection is false and unimportant, if the Jesus Seminar is right, do these sacrifices make sense? Heck no!
I agree with Paul. If Jesus is not really who the Bible portrays him to be, then these people have died and given up everything for what is ultimately a lie, an embellishment of the original facts, nothing more than a slightly inspiring fairy tale.
If it’s all just a sham, then no matter how inspired they may be, the people who die for Christ and the millions around the world who suffer for him are stupid.
In that case, Christians on this campus have better things to do than be schleps for Jesus, constantly nagging others about him. No, really, I’d have much more fun making fun of brother Jed if it’s all a hoax.
Author Greg Koukl states that contrary to the Jesus Seminar, “pretty stories not grounded in fact save no one.” Worshipping a dead man is nothing to be happy about.
However, if the occasion of celebration on Easter is a beautiful truth instead of an embellished myth, that changes things.
Then the key to human existence lies in his very person. Then, you and I can have everlasting life. Then, we can have real substantive hope of life after the grave; because he lives, we can live also.
It’s not as if some ‘Joe Schmo’ rose from the grave either.
German theologian Wolfart Pannenberg states, “The resurrection of Jesus acquires such decisive meaning, not because someone or anyone has been raised from the dead, but because it is Jesus of Nazareth, whose execution was instigated because he had blasphemed against God. The Resurrection can only be understood as the divine vindication of the man who was rejected as a blasphemer.”
You see, Jesus made some pretty astounding claims in the Scriptures; claims that are silly at best if he’s still dead, but they are mind boggling truths if he lives. The Resurrection confirms those claims.
Some people from the Jesus Seminar call Jesus a “cynic sage.” Well, if Jesus was just a Palestinian smart aleck, I want nothing to do with him. However, if he really did rise from the dead, that makes all the difference.
In other words, The Jesus Seminar is blowing smoke up your rears. Of course the Resurrection is important! Christianity stands or falls on it.
Rich Bordner can be reached at [email protected].
