Time to Disband the Church?

It is, if the information presented by James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici in The Lost Tomb of Jesus is true! This docudrama, presented by the Discovery Channel on Sunday night, March 4, purported to show overwhelming statistical evidence that Jesus, his mother, his siblings, and--shades of the DaVinci Code!--his wife, Mary Magdalene were all buried in Jerusalem. If you watched it, as I did, you were certainly amused by the train of details offered as evidence. It's amazing how facts that argue against the case are turned into facts that help prove it. "True, no one by that name is recorded in the family records of the Bible, but--get this--there is a great, great, great grandfather and a great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather by that name in the family records, so that proves that a person by this name was really all in the family and the fact that he is not mentioned anywhere is inconsequential!" Well, you get the idea.

I am glad that so many archaeologists and other experts who are not even believers have thoroughly called into questions not only the methods but also the conclusions. That means I don't have to waste time debunking another annual (or more often) "Jesus is a fake--or at least the church turned him into one" campaign! I hope you have checked some of them out if you were in any way intrigued by the program.

Actually, what bothers me is more subtle. Have you noticed that some people--so-called believers--tried to downplay the damage that would be done to the faith even if Jesus' bones were found? Some said such things as, "We should expect to find his bones somewhere" or "Some see the resurrection as spiritual, not physical, so this kind of discovery would not affect us at all."

Let's make this clear and make no mistake about it: if Jesus did not physically rise from the dead, as the Bible clearly claims, then our faith in dead. It always amazes me to discover that some people who preach and teach "Christianity" actually believe the story is untrue--or at least, to them it doesn't matter if it is true. All that matters to them is that the story has the power to inspire and to make people feel better psychologically. They may not believe there is really a heaven for people to go to, for instance, but they think the idea of heaven is a nice, sentimental story that may comfort those who are dying, and it is psychologically reassuring to people who have recently lost a family member or a close friend to death. They also may think to help other people believe in Jesus will make them nicer people and inspire them to do better things in life. How noble they are!

But I would not want to be counted among that number. I want to know the truth, even if it not pleasant. I don't want to believe a lie, even if it makes for a more pleasant psychology. And I especially would not give my life to the propagation of a lie. Can you imagine devoting your life to telling people about how the Easter Bunny can change their lives? That's what pastors like me would be doing if Jesus were not still alive. Sorry, I think I could find better (and more honest) things to do. (I might even actually use my degree from Georgia Tech!)

The apostle Paul, among others, would agree with me. (Or, obviously it would be more accurate to say that I agree with him.) Here's what he wrote about the reality of the resurrection and the implications if Jesus was not actually raised bodily and later ascended into heaven (and therefore we could find his bones in a tomb):

1 Corinthians 15.12-32 (NIV)

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.... If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

Without the resurrection of Jesus, Paul says compellingly, there is no faith, and we are are wasting our time. But the resurrection is real. Over 500 eyewitnesses saw him. And how else can you account for the changed lives of the disciples, who hid behind closed doors from fear right after the crucifixion but boldly stood up to the same folks who killed Jesus after the resurrection? How do you account for their willingness to die for their faith--when they knew for sure whether Jesus appeared to them or not? (Would they die for what they knew to be a lie? Or were they willing to die because they knew they would be raised from the dead, too?)

Paul was certain. That's why later in 1 Corinthians 15 he writes:

"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (verses 54-58)

Yes, let us stand firm. Our labor is not in vain. Jesus was really raised from the dead, and he really is alive today. Oh, and we can keep the church together--for now!