Let’s try to picture the arrest and death of Jesus from His disciples’ point of view: These mostly rough and tumble guys had walked away from their ordinary lives to follow Jesus. In return, for the next few years, they got to bask in the notoriety of being part of Jesus’ inner circle. When they walked into a new town with Him, they likely did so with a bit of swagger.
Because where Jesus went, He brought the miraculous. Can you just hear these guys saying, “Yeah, I’m just passing through. With Jesus.”
But then Jesus was arrested — and they scurried into hiding, abandoning Him! UNTIL, that is, something miraculous happened, transforming them from quivering cowards into super bold evangelists. Not even repeated threats of death could stop them — a fate that 11 of these 12 men would meet).
Why did they refuse to save themselves? Because now they KNEW that every claim Jesus had made about Himself and God was true.
Jesus “Gets” Our Skepticism
For 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus gave His followers the opportunity to engage with Him in community before He returned to Heaven. He proved Himself in the ways they needed: He ate, drank, and spoke with them. He reminded them of where they had been, and where they were headed. He revealed to them how Old Testament scripture had been fulfilled by His grisly death and glorious resurrection. He even pushed back his sleeves and opened His robes to reveal His wounds to Thomas, the doubter on record who asserted to the other disciples:
“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” ~ John 20:25
Poor Thomas; he has no idea that history has forever pegged him to this moment. But let’s not judge Thomas too harshly; we can be just as bad with our faith requirements. Don’t we use the “I won’t believe it” argument regularly today?
Thomas redeemed himself a week later, when Jesus appeared to the disciples. Jesus gently chided Thomas for trusting more in his eyes than in Jesus’ promises, but it’s clear that Jesus wasn’t judging Thomas for his low moment of faith. Just as Jesus didn’t judge Peter when he faltered in walking on the lake toward Jesus, or when Peter publicly denied Jesus three times after His arrest. Rather, Jesus lovingly lifted Peter from his own shame and self-condemnation. God is ALWAYS all about our restoration to Himself.
Our Creator is generous with His grace when we fail Him. Patiently, He points out to us the mental and emotional roadblocks we put up that stall our choosing to trust Him.
Develop Your Confidence in Jesus!
So what’s it gonna take for you to believe that Christ is who He said He is?
Do we believe that chairs will hold our weight? Yes. Because we’ve tested them. Do we believe that lemons are sour? Yes. Because we’ve tasted them. Can we likewise test the Bible, to KNOW that what it says about Jesus is true? Yes!
Here are some links to blog posts that provide you with truthful, vetted facts about Christ’s resurrection:
~ Resurrection of Jesus: Code Critical
This post explains defines the term “resurrection,” and explains why Jesus’ rising is so significant for us today.
~ Resurrection of Jesus: Pre-Resurrection Facts
This post shows that Christ was verified to be dead before they removed His body from the cross, historical context for Jewish burial practices, and physical details about Christ’s tomb.
~ Resurrection of Jesus: Hoax or Truth?
This post looks at various theories scholars and critics have proposed over the centuries to debunk Christ’s resurrection. Ironically, we can debunk them using logic and science.
~ Is Jesus’ Resurrection Fact? History Weighs In
This post looks at details of the empty tomb, discarded grave clothes, and 12 distinct instances highlighted in the Bible in which Jesus appeared to individuals or groups of people after He rose.
In our next blog post, we’ll look at the hope we have for spending eternity with Jesus.
