Of first importance: that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Of first importance, that Jesus Christ was buried. Of first importance, that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the third day. Of first importance, that Jesus Christ appeared in real time to real people in the days following his resurrection.
Jesus’ appearances following his resurrection are marked by an unexpected physicality. He walked with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus and broke bread with them. He appeared to the disciples in the upper room and ate a piece of fish. He extended nail-pierced hands and sword-punctured side to their doubtful exploration. He started a fire and gathered stones and made bread and cooked fish.
He appeared to people, not just once, but repeatedly, and not just for a day or two but over the course of forty days.
For more than a month Jesus personally demonstrated the reality of the resurrection.
But, I wrote last week that this week’s topic would be “eternal life,” and so it is. Consider this: since the resurrection of Jesus is true, everything Jesus said and did is true as well.
Here’s how it works. If Jesus had lied or intentionally/ knowingly misrepresented God in anything he said or did, he would have sinned against God and been deserving of death. And trust me, had he deserved death, he would still be dead. But, he is not dead. The empty tomb, the post-resurrection appearances, the origin and consistent continuity of the Christian faith in the face of global, historical rejection, even at the cost of lives of the faithful, all provide solid evidence for the reality of Christ’s resurrection.
Christ’s resurrection proves God’s affirmation of his life deserving rather than death deserving sinlessness. That means that everything Jesus said and did aligned with the truth of who God is and what God intended by Jesus’ existence in the world. And that means that whatever Jesus taught is true.
So, when Jesus says (as recorded in the gospel of John 17:3), “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent,” what he says is true. There is only one true God or else Jesus would still be dead for lying to us. Eternal life is a reality that comes through knowledge of the one true God or else Jesus would still be dead for lying to us. Jesus Christ was sent by the one true God to reveal the one true God and the way to reconciliation with the one true God or else Jesus would still be dead for lying to us.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that all Jesus lived and taught is true. Jesus claimed to have come to reveal the Father. That is true. Jesus claimed to be God. That is true. Jesus claimed that his death on the cross would serve as a substitute death for all those who put their faith in him. That is true.
Jesus claimed that God would accept and forgive the sins of and bestow eternal life upon those who take God at His word and put their trust in him. That is true. Jesus claimed no man could come to the Father except through the Son. That is true. If anything Jesus said were not true, he would still be dead, a dusty heap of bones in a tomb full of bones by now, but he lives, and all he said is true.
He could not have been a liar, a charlatan, a misguided, deluded soul, merely a nice guy, or a powerful teacher. For all those things, given what he claimed, he would still be dead. The resurrection of Jesus proves that all he said, all he claimed, all he lived and died for, is true, including the reality and means of eternal life.
If you would seek truth, you must seek Jesus. If you would have eternal life, you must seek Jesus. If you would find forgiveness and peace with God, you must seek Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Had he been lying or deceiving, he’d still be dead. But, he lives; therefore what he says is true. Seek Jesus.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. Pastor Dale McIntire has served as pastor of the Cornerstone Community Church in Grand Marais since April of 1995.
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