Reasons to Believe the Resurrection, Part Two ~E Reiss

“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” ~Tim Keller


If the Gospel is an open question for you, you probably have 100 problems, 1000 questions, 5 objections, it might be a long list.  What I’d like to suggest is a radical idea. Clear all of that off the table for a minute and ask 1 question.

Did Jesus really rise from the dead? 

Because if He did, He can answer any question, solve any problem, quiet any objection. And for everyone who hears this, this is VERY good news. The world is filled with reasons not to go, it’s too cold, there’s no rain, the soil is bad. But I want to challenge you. Make the trip, see for yourself. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Think deeply about these stories that have come down to us to help us. Have a piece of fish, and let that blow your mind!

Know that the Resurrection is not just for Jesus, but it’s for us as well. When He opened that door, He opened it for all of us - His power can restore us, right here, right now, today. And on that final day, all the ones who have passed away will rise again and stand in the presence of God, Who is both loving and holy. And we’ll give an account of what we did with the Gifts He has given us.

Here's a recent message from the Surge, exploring this idea, and below is a single section, pulled from that message!

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I'm not Aquinas (just in case anyone was wondering), but a simplified form of his question / objection format might be useful here.

Question: Could the Resurrection be based on a Hallucination? We know sometimes people hallucinate things that can seem very real...

Such experiences are not uncommon among people who have suffered a traumatic loss or who are under extreme emotional stress or psychological stress. Were the disciples in extreme stress?

Surely.

Jesus, who they thought was the Son of God, the Messiah, the One Who was going to literally fix the broken world, just got arrested and executed. Very horribly, and very publicly. Of course they were freaked out!

Now can you have a group of people who thought they saw something they didn’t actually see? Sure. David Copperfield makes good money doing this 150 times a year.

Objection:
But there are two reasons I don’t find this compelling.  My first objection would be that the post Resurrections sightings were too spread out. This idea becomes much less believable if you have to say that Mary hallucinated, THEN Peter hallucinated, THEN the guys on the Road to Emmaus hallucinated, followed by 10 disciples in a room, THEN another hallucination by 7 disciples on the beach, THEN another hallucination of 500 people at once - all having similar, sometimes individual, sometimes shared hallucinations that all are consistent and pointing the same direction.

Luke 24:40-43

40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.

My second objection is that hallucinations don’t eat fish As reality checks go, that’s pretty good. And it was really after the snack that they all relaxed and were able to accept this amazing event.

This may be an idea worth developing... Snack Theology anyone?