Why is the Resurrection so Important?

Seeing is NOT believing. Our senses can deceive us! Right?

A Quote… Seeing is not believing – from a TV show called “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” The cosmos… is stranger than we ever could have imagined. Light, time, space, gravity conspire to create realities which lie beyond human experience.

A Finding… MIT physics professor Max Tegmark wrote – “the bombshell announcement of the discovery of cosmology’s holy grail: tell tale signature of ripples in the very fabric of space from our cosmic origins.” “… if this discover holds up, it would go down as one of the greatest in the history of science.” “It teaches us humans that we need to think big, because we are the masters of underestimation”.

Easter is… Is that ripple in the fabric of our reality This ripple is less about our origins, but rather our destiny It all started with – “he is not here, he is risen!” A gruesome death Too many good deaths in history

Easter is… It was too good to be true Why is it never – “too bad to be true?” Can the dead, live? In our modern culture, we call those dead come to life – zombies But Luke tells the resurrection story where it was considered “an idle tale” by the women

Easter is… However, the empty tomb is evidence more of the desecration of the dead than the resurrection of the dead the empty tomb raises concerns, but not the dead Example – the latest funerals & memorials we have attended recently Talk of resurrection sounds too good to be true. Too big.

Easter is… So from common accounts in the bible leads to one thing – no one saw the resurrection coming! Fast forward 20 to 40 years after the resurrection – the New Testament reads & regards the resurrection as “of first importance!” By that time, the resurrection had become the explanation for their whole existence

Easter is… By that time, the resurrection of Jesus had become the hope for all who had died and will die It had become a cornerstone of the Christian message By then the Christians had to think big! There was something deeper than death There was a love stronger than death

Easter is… This rippled through the fabric of time And it’s still rippling here with us more than 2,000 years beyond its origin Here we gather to hear the good news and remember to think big – to never be the “masters of underestimation”

Easter is… C. S. Lewis once said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Indeed, Christ is risen!

BUT some want evidence… THE CRUCIFIXTION Options to consider: Jesus died on the cross vs. Jesus pretending to die on the cross THE EVIDENCE The soldier’s observation that Jesus was dead The blood & water from Jesus pierced side Medical evidence

BUT some want evidence… THE EMPTY TOMB The big & heavy stone removed The body gone The grave clothes folded neatly THE ALTERNATIVE Stolen body explained Soldiers asleep

BUT some want evidence… THE WITNESS Mary Magdalene The disciples on the first day The disciples including Thomas The disciples in Galilee

BUT some want evidence… THE ALTERNATIVE That the witnesses were credible, truthful & honest There were so many witnesses, at different times & different locations Witnesses gladly suffered for their belief

AND the significance of the resurrection is… Jesus is everything that the bible and Jesus himself claims to be He is the Son of God