Looking for the Living among the Dead, Part 1
February 26, 2007
No doubt the blogosphere will be agog today over James Cameron's announcement (he of Titanic fame) that he has found the tomb of Jesus (and his son, of all people). The first advance notice I saw of today's press conference was on Tim McGirk's Time/CNN blog from the Middle East this past weekend.
As it happens, I was preaching on the empty tomb from Luke 24 yesterday, and was impressed by the fact that in this gospel Jesus does not appear bodily until much later on Easter Sunday. The dramatic effect of this is to put the emphasis on the words of Jesus that the women at the tomb are told to remember: his gospel words that prophesied both the crucifixion and the resurrection.
While evidences have their place in apologetics, we are to take Jesus at his word, both for the cross and for the empty tomb. His word should be enough for us, as it should have been enough for the women on the morning of the resurrection. In fact, the angels seem to suggest that they should not have gone to the tomb at all, but already believed what Jesus promised! We too may believe, even without going to the tomb ourselves, if only we will take him at his word.
As it happens, I was preaching on the empty tomb from Luke 24 yesterday, and was impressed by the fact that in this gospel Jesus does not appear bodily until much later on Easter Sunday. The dramatic effect of this is to put the emphasis on the words of Jesus that the women at the tomb are told to remember: his gospel words that prophesied both the crucifixion and the resurrection.
While evidences have their place in apologetics, we are to take Jesus at his word, both for the cross and for the empty tomb. His word should be enough for us, as it should have been enough for the women on the morning of the resurrection. In fact, the angels seem to suggest that they should not have gone to the tomb at all, but already believed what Jesus promised! We too may believe, even without going to the tomb ourselves, if only we will take him at his word.
