The Resurrection,resu-fiction or resu-fact?

When it comes to the Resurrection of Jesus, especially in recent times, there has been a growing sentiment that it’s just a nice story rather than a reality? And unfortunately, this is a sentiment that is even found within much of the church. Just the idea of this miraculous event is off the table and not even considered in the minds of most people.

In our lectionary reading this week, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, the Apostle Paul tackles this question head-on for us in his letter, and the focus of his arguments is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ isn't just a feel-good message, but it actually goes to the heart of our Christian faith. The core gospel message which Paul preached to the Corinthians was that Christ did indeed rise from the dead on the third day, and it is validation for God’s people from the dawn of humanity. The good news is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures and He appeared to many key eyewitnesses, including Peter, James, the Twelve, and over 500 people at one time.

But so often in trying to make sense of the historic evidence, the question is asked, what if this was just a vision or a metaphor? Maybe the resurrection was never a bodily one, or maybe the disciples went to the wrong tomb? But in reading the text itself, we find that scripture insists that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead, and in a completely new form of bodily existence, and so the implications of these different views are profound for us.

Our passage once again draws us into a topic the scope of which we could get lost in for years, decades even. So we will examine the historical evidence for the resurrection, including the empty tomb and the numerous eyewitness accounts. We'll also look at how the resurrection is at the heart of our faith and is actually the firstfruits of our own resurrection and the basis for salvation and hope.

So, is the resurrection just a nice story? Well, we’ll do our best to consider the resurrection and allow you to decide for yourselves about whether the scriptural accounts are resu-fiction, or resu-fact. My prayer is that as we delve into these questions it at least puts us on a path of finding the unshakable hope that the resurrection provides.

 Blessings

Josh