The Story of Jesus: Part VII - Evidence and Humble Curiosity
1. PRAYER
Living God, long ago,
faithful women proclaimed
the good news of Jesus' resurrection,
and the world was changed forever.
Teach us to keep faith with them,
that our witness may be as bold,
our love as deep,
and our faith as true.
Amen.
5. The future concrete act of God
raising the dead to live in the
age of a restored creation with
transformed bodies, in which all
injustice is made right, and God’s
kingdom of justice and peace is
fully established, without opposition;
all of which is inaugurated by the
surprising resurrection of Jesus
WHAT RESURRECTION IS
6. The religious discipline of
defending religious doctrines through
systematic argumentation and
discourse. Early Christian
writers (c. 120–220) who defended
their beliefs against critics and
recommended their faith
to “outsiders” were called
Christian apologists.
APOLOGETICS
7.
8. When it comes to the
Christian teaching on
resurrection,
we have to be content and
admit we can’t “prove”
our perspective, and rude,
insistent, uninformed
attempts to convince others
of our position doesn’t help
matters. Using evidence as a
source
for invitation to further
10. When it was evening on that day,
the first day of the week, and the doors
of the house where the disciples had
met were locked for fear of the Jewish
leaders, Jesus came and stood among them
and said, "Peace be with you.” After he said
this, he showed them his
hands and his side. Then the disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
JOHN 20:19-20
11. Jesus said to them again,
"Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, so I send you.”
When he had said this, he breathed
on them and said to them, "Receive
the Holy Spirit.” But Thomas, one of
the twelve, was not with them when
Jesus came. So the other disciples
told him, "We have seen the Lord.”
JOHN 20:21-22; 24-25a
12. But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark
of the nails in his hands, and put
my finger in the mark of the nails and
my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the
house, and Thomas was with them.
Although the doors were shut, Jesus came
and stood among them and said, "Peace be
with you."
JOHN 20:25b-26
13. Then he said to Thomas,
"Put your finger here and see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side.
Do not doubt but believe.”
Thomas answered him,
"My Lord and my God!"
JOHN 20:27-28
14. - Women in the garden
- Cleopas and his wife (“companion”)
- Simon Peter
- The 11 disciples, minus Thomas
- The 11 disciples including Thomas
- 7 disciples @ Sea of Tiberius
- Large gathering at Galilee (500+)
- James
- Paul
POST-RESURRECTION
APPEARANCES
20. Intangible, Invisible,
Metaphysical, Spiritual;
Ideas, Opinions & Values;
Artistic Expression
and Interpretation
Tangible, Visible,
Facts, Material,
Observable
Through Our
Five Senses
::CIRCLE B ::
Science/Reason
or the Natural
World
::CIRCLEA ::
Faith or the
Supernatural
World
21. Dawkins/Hitchens/Sagan Like CIRCLE B
And Criticize “Believers” of
Forcing Things From CIRCLEA
Into and Ignoring “Evidence”
From CIRCLE B
::CIRCLE B ::
Science/Reason
or the Natural
World
::CIRCLEA ::
Faith or the
Supernatural
World
22. I Would Argue Dawkins/Hitchens/Sagan
Do the Same Thing in the Opposite Direction,
Trying to Use “Evidence” From CIRCLE B
to “Disprove” CIRCLEA
::CIRCLE B ::
Science/Reason
or the Natural
World
::CIRCLEA ::
Faith or the
Supernatural
World
23. You Cannot Use “Evidence” From CIRCLE B
to “Disprove” Anything From CIRCLEA,
and You Cannot Use “Evidence” From CIRCLEA
to “Disprove” Anything From CIRCLE B!
(Observations, yes; definitive proof, no…)
::CIRCLE B ::
Science/Reason
or the Natural
World
::CIRCLEA ::
Faith or the
Supernatural
World
24. NO MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE,
FAITH IS NOT OPTIONAL;
IT IS REQUIRED.
THERE IS EVIDENCE
TO CONSIDER EITHER WAY,
AND IT CAN HELP YOU
UP TO A POINT…
25.
26. EVIDENCE FOR JESUS’
RESURRECTION
EVIDENCE ofTHE EMPTYTOMB
Jesus WAS there, then He WASN’T
EVIDENCE of EYEWITNESSES
Jesus WAS seen after his death
EVIDENCE of NEW LIVES/IDEAS
The disciples were CHANGED…
27. 7 MODIFICATIONSONTHE
JEWISHVIEWOF RESURRECTION
1. Resurrection wasn’t just “center
stage” among many others –
it WAS THE stage
2. The belief in a bodily resurrection
became inseparable w/Christian
thought/practice
3. A new clarity about the new body,
a physical one animated by the Spirit
28. 7 MODIFICATIONSONTHE
JEWISHVIEWOF RESURRECTION
4. No one expected anything
other than a large-scale resurrection
for all God’s people at once
5. A new sense of purpose arose
re: transforming the present
in light of the future
6. Resurrection wasn’t “return from
exile,” for Jews only, but for ALL
29. 7 MODIFICATIONSONTHE
JEWISHVIEWOF RESURRECTION
7. Jews didn’t think the Messiah
would die at all, but defeat God’s
enemies; Jesus’ victory over
sin and death, however, affirmed
him as Messiah for those
who chose to follow him
30. ARGUMENTS/RESPONSES RE:
JESUS’ RESURRECTION
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
Disciples WANTED it to be true…
The disciples weren’t EXPECTING
Jesus’ resurrection AT ALL!
This doesn’t explain the MAJOR
changes to 1st century Jewish belief…
32. ARGUMENTS/RESPONSES RE:
JESUS’ RESURRECTION
JESUS DIDN’T REALLY DIE
He’d been drugged; LOOKED dead…
Roman soldiers KNEW how to KILL
someone, and the disciples weren’t
going to be easily fooled
No WAY Jesus could have revived or
appeared “normal” given the TRAUMA
34. ARGUMENTS/RESPONSES RE:
JESUS’ RESURRECTION
JESUS’ LIMITED RE-APPEARANCE
He only appeared to those who
had already BELIEVED in him…
After he died, it’s likely NONE of his
disciples believed he was the Messiah,
much less DIVINE. Also: Thomas? Paul?
35. ARGUMENTS/RESPONSES RE:
JESUS’ RESURRECTION
OURACCOUNTSARE BIASED
We can’t the Gospels’ veracity or
authenticity; they’re too SUBJECTIVE…
ALL history, ALL journalism is biased
in one way or another, because it
generates from someone’s perspective;
that doesn’t inherently negate the
info…
36. ARGUMENTS/RESPONSES RE:
JESUS’ RESURRECTION
LOTSOF PEOPLE HAVEVISIONS
Especially of LOVED ONES who’ve died
They KNEW of such things and had
language for it (“angel,” “spirit,” or
“ghost”) – they would have USED such
language if that’s what they meant, but
they SAID, “He is risen from the dead!”
37. ARGUMENTS/RESPONSES RE:
JESUS’ RESURRECTION
THEY JUST HADA RICH
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
They FELT in touch with Jesus;
he was “alive” in the SPIRITUAL sense
That is a Greek/Platonic notion, not a
Jewish one; Resurrection = the DEFEAT
of death, not just a re-description of it
38. NO MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE,
FAITH IS NOT OPTIONAL;
IT IS REQUIRED.
THERE IS EVIDENCE
TO CONSIDER EITHER WAY,
AND IT CAN HELP YOU
UP TO A POINT…
FOR EXAMPLE:
39. material scientists have never seen,
but that scientists assume exists because
without it, the behavior
of stars, planets and galaxies
simply don’t make sense; gravitational
forces that seem to be at play in the
universe simply appear stronger than
visible matter alone can account for;
emits no light or energy and cannot
be detected by our sensors/detectors
DARK MATTER
40. “Dark Matter or Dark Energy
makes up 95% of our universe,
and we have no idea what it is.
We’re lucky if we even understand
4% of our universe today.
Astronomy is a very
humbling discipline.”
MATT
MOUNTAIN
(Astronomer)
41. “Dark Matter or Dark Energy
makes up 95% of our universe,
and we have no idea what it is.
We’re lucky if we even understand
4% of our universe today.
Astronomy is a very
humbling discipline.”
“Theology/religion
should be too!”
MATT
MOUNTAIN
(Astronomer)
42. CLOSING PRAYER
Blessed are you, O God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
in whom we receive the legacy of a living hope,
born again not only from his death but also from
his resurrection. May we who have received
forgiveness of sins through the Holy Spirit
live to see others set free, until, at length,
we all enter the inheritance that is imperishable
and unfading, where Christ lives and reigns with
you and the Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
