Believer or Disbeliever?

Monday, August 03, 2009

A guy died. You saw him take his last breath. You heard him scream out. You winced as his body collapsed to the earth.

Two months later you were at an international festival. Crazy things were happening. You saw a crowd in the distance ... they were gathered around what appeared to be a lunatic. He was quoting some prophecies about a savior. The image of the broken, bloodied, soiled-stained body pierce your mind. You saw it. You were there. The voice from the yelling man trumpets loudly: " . . . God raised [the dead guy] up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power." Acts 2:1-36.

I've heard some crazy stories in my life and this one has to be on top of the list. Imagine the modern day (skewed) equivalent: Michael Jackson dies. There is an international celebration. As his music plays, the words are heard in the native tongue of the listener. At the end of the celebration concert, Ozzy Osborne (...I said it was far fetched...) stands up and says with all might: "The King of Pop lives. He was raised from the dead."

Don't get me wrong. There is nothing remotely similar between the King of all Kings and the King of Pop. But your disbelief may be the same as those hearing Peter's words. Peter began his sermon with a public statement of Christ's resurrection. This was a hugely powerful statement because many of the people listening had been in Jerusalem during Passover and had either seen or heard about the crucifixion of Jesus.

The resurrection was the ultimate sign that what Jesus said about himself was true. As crazy as it sounds, are you a believer ... or disbeliever?