"I HAVE WON
THE VICTORY"
God's
Promise In The Empty Tomb
His
Birth
The
words of King Herod when told of the birth of
Jesus.
"Kill him.
There is room for only one king in this corner of the
world."
The
number of religious leaders who believed a messiah had been born in
Bethlehem. Zero.
The
type of people who did. Some stargazers, night-shift
sheperds, and a couple of newlyweds who claimed to have more
expereience giving birth than having sex.
The
reward given to Joseph and Mary for bringing God into the
world. Two years in exile, learning Egyptian.
This was the beginning of the Christian movement. (And
these were the calm years.)
His
Ministry
The
word on the streets of Jesus' hometown when he claimed to be sent
from God. Wierd family. Have you seen his
cousin?
The
reaction of the hometown folks. Stone him.
The
opinion of his brothers. Lock him up.
The
number of disciples Jesus recruited. Seventy.
The
number of disciples who defended him to the authorities.
Zero.
The
assessment of Jesus' followers as found in the Jerusalem editorial
page. A group of unemployed ne'er-do-wells recruited off
the shipping docks and out of the red-light districts.
The
numbers of lepers and blind and lame people Jesus healed.
Too many to count.
The
number of healed lepers and blind and lame people who defended
Jesus on the day of his death. Zero.
His
Execution
The
popular opinion regarding Jesus before he cleansed the
Temple. See if he'll run for office.
The
popular opinion regarding Jesus after he cleansed the
Temple. Let's see how fast he can run.
The
decision of the Jewish council. Three spikes and a
spear.
The
talk on the streets of Jerusalem after Jesus died. He
should've stayed in the furniture business.
The
number of times Jesus prophesied that he would come back to life
three days after his death. Three.
The
number of apostles who heard the prophecy. All of
them.
The
number of apostles who waited at the tomb to see if he would do
what he said. Zero.
The
number of his followers who believed in the resurrection before it
occurred. You do the math.
The
odds a street-corner bookie would've given the day after the
crucifixion on the possibility that Jesus' name would be known in
the year 2000. "I'll give you better odds that he'll rise
from the dead."
His
Movement
The
official response of the Jewish leaders to the rumors of the
resurrection. Of course they say he's alive. They have to.
What else can they say?
The
actual response of the Jewish leaders to the resurrection of
Jesus. "A great number of the Jewish priests believed and
obeyed" (Acts 6:7)
The
decision of the Jewish leaders about the church. "If their
plan comes from human authority, it will fail. But if it is from
God, you will not be able to stop them" (Acts 5:38-39)
The
response of the church. "The number of followers was
growing" (Acts 6:1)
The
official response of the Jewish leaders to the conversion of
Saul. Good riddance to the former Pharisee. Won't be
months before he is in jail, and then what will he do? Write
letters?
What Saul, turned Paul, understood that his former
colleagues didn't. "God gave [Jesus] as a way to forgive
sin" (Rom 3:25)
The Movement
Continues
The
belief of French philosopher Voltaire. The bible and Christianity
would pass within a hundred years. He died in 1778. The
movement continues.
The
pronouncement of Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882. "God is dead." The
dawn of science, he believed, would be the doom of faith.
Science has dawned; the movement continues.
The
way a Communist dictionary defined the Bible. "It is a collection
of fantastic legends without any scientific support."
Communism is diminishing; the movement continues.
The
discovery made by every person who has tried to bury the
faith. The same as the one made by those who tried to bury
its Founder; He won't stay in the tomb.
The
facts. The movement has never been stronger. Over one
billion Catholics and nearly as many Protestants.
The
question. How do we explain it? Jesus was a backwater
peasant. He never wrote a book, never held an office. He never
journeyed more than two hundred miles from his hometown. Friends
left him. One betrayed him. Those he helped forgot him. Prior to
his death, they abandoned him. But after his death they couldn't
resist him. What made the difference?
The
answer. His death and resurrection.
For when he
died, so did your sin.
And when he
rose, so did your hope.
For when he
rose, your grave was changed from a final residence to temporary
housing.
The
reason he did it. The face in your mirror.
The
verdict after two millenniums. Herod was right; there is
room for only one King.
