Day 98 - FOUNDATION STONES IN A YEAR
Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 1 - 20
What we have seen so far in our studies for Easter, is that the resurrection of Jesus in some way answers the riddle of death that has been with us since Genesis 2 and the expulsion from Eden.
But…is it true? Before we can even consider the significance and relevance of the resurrection of Jesus for our own lives, we need to know whether it did, in fact, happen in time and space. And there are plenty of people, even amongst Christian leaders, who have made it their business to refute the resurrection.
Centuries of debate surround the resurrection of Jesus. From as early as AD 100, Justin Martyr found it necessary to defend this Biblical truth and after him, Origen and then Augustine. In the 18th Century a Hebrew scholar by the name of Reimarus published a series of articles claiming that the disciples had stolen the body and invented the resurrection story. In the 19th century, Paulus created the ‘swoon’ theory and in our time, sensationalist author Barbara Thiering, claims to have discovered a secret code in the Gospels that explains how Jesus drank snake poison, lost consciousness and then later recovered. So controversial is the mainstream Church’s insistence on the literal, bodily resurrection, that a ‘Resurrection Summit’ was even held in 1996 in New York at which prominent scholars debated various opinions.
And why? Because we all know that dead bodies don’t come back to life….don’t we? So there must be some other explanation…mustn’t there?
Prayer
Lord, I haven’t spent much time considering your resurrection in the past…but now I’m hooked. Tell me more, show me more.
For the family
You will find the resource below a helpful guide to celebrating Easter with the family