Opinion

Dear Readers,

Dear Readers,

We began last week by setting the foundation for our historical study of the resurrection of Jesus using Michael Licona’s “minimal facts” approach. When we look at the historical resurrection event, the agreed-upon bedrock facts about the fate of Jesus are these:

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A few months back I pitched a tent in our yard for some guests who were coming to visit. Before you think of me as an awful host I need to tell you it was my guests’ idea. There is a perfectly suitable guest room for them to use, with its own TV and bath, but they are seasoned campers and our “lawn” is more like a small county park anyway, complete with pond and dock, gazebo, firepits and swings. So this tent went up at their request. And it is no slouch of a tent. You can do jumping jacks in it. You can open it up on all sides to let the air through and you can seal it tight as a drum for bad weather.

You sit in a crowded waiting room, meticulously filling out the same paperwork you’ve seemingly already completed before. Nearby, someone coughs violently, without covering their mouth (of course), while sitting just a bit too close. You wonder why you had to take time off work for this. Then you remember: this was the only appointment they had available, and it takes months to see the provider otherwise.

So upfront, I’ve got to tell you that the claim that a man was resurrected from the dead is quite extraordinary. In fact, the mid-18th century philosopher David Hume put forward the extraordinary nature of the Christian resurrection claim as a question. Hume asked: “Is it more probable that a person is deceived, deceiving, or that the dead man actually rose from the dead?” In fact, it is so improbable that anyone claiming that a dead man rose from the dead is assumed to be lying. Hume put it this way: saying it is a strange thing that such miraculous events don’t take place in our day. “But,” Hume said, “it is nothing strange that men should lie in all ages.” You see, experience and probability tell us that the dead stay dead, that men lie, and that any story of the dead coming to life is probably just that: a lie. However, for the Christian, the narrative of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is not a lie. Christians hold that Christ died, was buried, was raised on the third day, appeared to Cephas, and then to the twelve. Then, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles and last, he appeared to Paul (cf 1 Cor. 15-3-8).

Dear Readers,