I Believe in Resurrection (2)

 

Luke 21:1-10

 

2- The second reason I believe in resurrection is because the Word of God is my source and it is alive.

I don’t know how you look at the Word of God. Do you believe that the Word of God is the book that is inspired by God or it is just some stories written by men. In Armenian the Bible is called “Asdvadzashounch”- meaning the breath of God.  God inspired all these writers to tell us the TRUTH. One more time, either you believe it or not.

 

If this story was fake, why did the church and the faithful believers keep this event and told it from generation to generation? There is a time limit for any news. Once the Dallas Cowboys were a legend, everyone spoke about them. Once the Chicago Bulls were a legend, everyone spoke about Michael Jordan. Stories come and go away. Why is the resurrection story alive today?

 

I read a story from the days when East Germany lived under an oppressive regime. A young man deeply involved in the life of a church community was seized by the Communist authorities, and never returned. Sometime later, another young man, well known as a hardened leader in the Communist-organized youth movement, began attending youth meetings and worship services at the same church. The congregation’s suspicions were aroused, and the pastor took the fellow aside and asked why he was coming. The young man replied by asking, “You know the fellow from your church who was seized and taken away?” 

“Of course,” responded the pastor. “I knew him well, but we have not heard from him since.” 

“Well,” said the visitor, “I saw him when he was being harassed and tortured. Not only did he refuse to betray his friends, but through it all he never showed any bitterness toward his tormentors. Even in the hour of death, there was no anger towards those who were about to kill him. Instead, he spoke of Jesus Christ, forgiveness, and God’s love.” The young man concluded, “And when I saw him die, I knew I must come, in spite of what it will cost me, to learn of his Christ and the love for our enemies that strengthened him in his last hours.”1

 

The Word of God Asdvazashounch is my source. It has so many prophecies about Jesus, one can not ignore it.

Let me give you some examples:

 

-The Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a colt. This is can  be read in the Old Testament (Zechariah 9:9).

-The Messiah would be betrayed by a friend. This is can be read in Psalms 41:9

- The Messiah would be sold for 30 pieces of silver. One can read this in Zechariah 11:12

- The Messiah would be spit upon and beaten. Old Testament (Isaiah 50:6).

- The betrayal money thrown in the temple and given for a potters field. One can find it again in Zechariah 11:13.

- The Messiah would have his hands and feet pierced: Read it in Psalm 22:16.

And many other prophecies that I did not mention…..

 

The resurrection story is alive. Either you see it or not. I saw the movie Amazing Grace. It was inspiring, to hear that amazing song’s words again: “I was once lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.” How come the resurrection of Jesus, which thought us about amazing grace, become alive in these men?

 

Lately the resurrection of Jesus was challenged one more time by a man who makes movies. His name is James Cameron. He is the one who made the famous movie Titanic. He made a documentary movie about the tomb of Jesus. The discovery was not new. It was discovered in 1980. Why did it become big news at this time?

 

In this tomb it was written names: “Yeshua bar Yousef,” (Jesus son of Joseph), “Maria,” (Mary, mother of Jesus?), “Mariamene e mara” (Mary Magdalene), “Matia” (Matthew), “Yosef” (Joseph), “Yehuda bar Yosef,” (Judah son of Jesus). Cameron and his friends were claiming that they discovered the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem. Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, and had a son called Judah. They were claiming that they proved it through DNA examination.

 

I found an interesting response by a theologian called James Emery White.

 

a -The names, Jesus, Mary, Joseph and Matthew were the most common names at that time. More than one out of every five women was named “Mary”. And Jesus, Joseph and Judah were at the top of the list of favorite names.

 

b- The inscriptions of the tomb were in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). This suggests that this is an intergenerational tomb. (Most likely after A.D. 70).

 

c- Cameron concluded that the two were married because the two ossuaries were not genetically related. Let me quote from James White:

“To establish anything definitive about Jesus and another person through DNA, you would have to have control samples of Jesus’ DNA to compare another person’s DNA to, which we do not have.  (*And all Cameron and crew had was mitochondrial DNA, which cannot even establish XY chromosomes and genetic coding).”

d- Why should the tomb be in Jerusalem? There is problem in the location. James White says:

“The problematic location of the tomb itself; rather than his ancestral home of Bethlehem, or his adult home of Nazareth (where the family still lived after his death), it is in Jerusalem.  And even then, not even near the Temple Mount.”

 

e- Why would Jesus’ disciples proclaim that Jesus is alive and declare that the tomb is empty if they would build a public tomb for Jesus?

 

Dr. White ends his essay stating that even archaeologist Amos Kloner, who wrote the official report on the tomb in 1980 for the Israel Antiquities Authority, called Cameron’s claims NONSENSE. (For more see the appendix that follows the sermon).

 

What a pity that such a creative film director Mr. Cameron, puts all his energy, time and money to prove that the tomb was not empty. Worse, the media likes it and publishes it. We, the consumers, listen, watch, and are entertained.  Unfortunately, when we do not know enough about Jesus, anything the media says can be reality. Be careful.

 

This moves me to the third reason why I believe in resurrection.

3- I believe in resurrection, because I experience it in my life. Jesus Christ son of God is resurrected in MY LIFE.

 

Paul is very bold about the reality if resurrection. He writes to the Corinthians:

 

“12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”(15:12-14)

 

If there is no resurrection, there is no Christianity.

 

I wonder about the tomb. There was a large stone. The tomb was closed. The women were the first who wanted to be there and do their rituals. We read:

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” (1)

The stone was removed. Why? Do you think it was so that Jesus could go out? Not necessarily. If you read more, then you see that Jesus had new kind of body which appeared suddenly in the midst of disciples. Jesus did not need the stone to be removed so that he could go out. God moved the stone so the women would see that the tomb was empty. “The stone was removed, not to let Jesus out, but to let the women in. It was God’s way of making the glory and power of the resurrection accessible to them.”2

 

Today you have the choice to experience it as I have experienced it. I can not prove or disprove the resurrection of Jesus to you. But one thing is very clear. If you want to see the truth about resurrection, there is enough evidence to believe in Jesus and his words.  Let me also make a clear point here. If you say, “Let Jesus appear to me then I will believe” you are wrong. Believe in him, and you will experience the resurrected Jesus in your life. Remember God removed the stone so WE CAN SEE.

Do you have many stones that hinder your sight?

Ask God this morning to remove them for you.

Maybe you have doubts, bring them to God.

Maybe you used to believe in resurrection then something happened in your life and changed your attitude about Jesus.

 

Today is the day.  Believe in him, and you will experience the resurrected Jesus in your life.

 

1 Donald Shelby, Bold Expectations of the Gospel, quoted by Joel D. Kline, Who’s Holding on to Whom?                                                                                                                                       2 Easter letter by Rev. Ron Tovmassian,  April 2007

 

 

Appendix

The Real Challenge from Cameron

 

Vol. 3, Bonus Update

 

 

Here we go again.

 

Jesus married Mary Magdalene, had a son named Judah, and one day we’ll find his tomb.

 

Strike that.  Now we have found his tomb, thanks to James Cameron, director of the movie Titanic.  Citing everything from DNA evidence to statistical proof, Cameron puts his claim forward on the Discovery Channel this Sunday, March 4, in a documentary titled The Lost Tomb of Jesus.

 

The tomb in question is hardly new, having been discovered in 1980.  The crypt in question contained 10 ossuaries, none of which contained human remains.  Six of them were inscribed with names;  “Yeshua bar Yosef,” “Maria,” “Mariamene e mara,” Matia,” Yose,” and “Yehuda bar Yeshua.”

 

Cameron and the documentary’s actual director, Simcha Jacobovici, claim that the names refer to Jesus, Jesus’ mother Mary, his apparent wife, Mary Magdalene, and his son, Judah – along with Joseph and Matthew.  The reasoning is based on the supposed 600 to 1 statistical improbability of these six names being together in one tomb.  And the marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene?  It’s based on DNA evidence that the ossuary inscribed “Jesus” and the ossuary containing “Mary” demonstrate they were not related (and thus must have been a couple).

 

Yep, that’s it. 

 

Overlooked:  These were six of the most common names of the day, akin to Tom, Dick and Harry, and with the last name of Smith.  (*More than one out of every five women during the time were named “Mary,” and Jesus, Joseph, and Judah were among the top ten names of the day).

 

Overlooked:  The inscriptions are in different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek), suggesting an intergenerational tomb, probably dating after A.D. 70.

 

Overlooked:  Jesus is never called “Jesus son of Joseph” (as inscribed here) by his followers, much less anyone who knew him well, in any of the biblical accounts of his life.

 

Overlooked:  That two of the ossuaries were unrelated is meaningless.  And to establish anything definitive about Jesus and another person through DNA, you would have to have control samples of Jesus’ DNA to compare another person’s DNA to, which we do not have.  (*And all Cameron and crew had was mitochondrial DNA, which cannot even establish XY chromosomes and genetic coding).

 

Overlooked:  To calculate the “odds” of something demands proper statistical input, and it has been pointed out that they did not, in fact, use the proper input.

 

Overlooked:  The problematic location of the tomb itself; rather than his ancestral home of Bethlehem, or his adult home of Nazareth (where the family still lived after his death), it is in Jerusalem.  And even then, not even near the Temple Mount. 

 

Overlooked:  Why would Jesus’ disciples publicly proclaim a risen Jesus while simultaneously build a public tomb for his bones?  (*And the décor on the tomb was designed to draw attention to it, as opposed to keeping it secret).

 

Now wonder that the archaeologist in charge, Amos Kloner, who wrote the official report on the find in 1980 for the Israel Antiquities Authority, called Cameron’s claims nonsense.  So once again, James Cameron invites us to join him on a sinking ship.  Or more to the point, one that never set out to sea to begin with.

 

So what is really at hand here? 

 

First, a demonstration of how easy it is in our day to orchestrate a media event with little more than the promise of sensationalism and the right celebrity involvement.  No real substance, fact, or discovery.  Question:  What might we do as followers of Christ for good, and with truth? 

 

Second, how willing members of the media are is to seize on the sensational headline, even if the story itself reveals the dubious nature of the story itself, thus injecting the idea into the mainstream of cultural thought.  Question:  Have we so tamed the gospel, and life in community, that there is nothing sensational for the media to report? 

 

Third, a reminder of the tedious – but important – work we must continually do in light of the torrent of misinformation that is being paraded through the public square; whether due to a documentary on the Discovery Channel, HBO, or the corner Cineplex.  Question:  As we answer such challenges, do we do so with a sincere spiritual seeker in mind?

 

But finally, on a more promising note, Cameron and crew offer all brisk admonishment to those who follow Christ that our culture is fascinated not simply with the spiritual, but with Jesus Himself – not to mention the heart of our faith, which is that we will never find a tomb with His remains.

 

Which leaves me, at least, with the ultimate question:  Do I have one ounce of Cameron’s passion, energy and commitment to put that forward to the world?

 

James Emery White

 

 

Editor’s Note

 

Don’t forget that you can now log-on to www.serioustimes.com to join the conversation on this Update as an active blog.

 

Sources

 

“Crypt Held Bodies of Jesus And His Family, Film Says,” Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times,  Tuesday, February 27, 2007, p. A10.

 

“Debate of biblical proportions,” Dan Vergano, USA Today, Tuesday, February 27, 2007, p.10D.

 

“Remains of the Day,” Tabby Yang, Christianity Today Online, posted 2/28/2007 (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/februaryweb-only/109-33.0.html).

 

http://www.benwitherington.blogspot.com/

 

 

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