Former Blackout Artist

How Often Do You Think About It?

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If the resurrection of Christ were to rest on reason, then only the highly reasonable people could be converted. If the resurrection of Christ were to rest on man’s ability to gather and weigh evidence, then the man trained in the gathering and evaluating of evidence might believe, but the simple-hearted man could never believe. The man who works with his hands and does not do much deep thinking would remain unconverted. With Christ, it was just the opposite. The common people heard Him gladly. – “The Crucified Life” by A. W. Tozer

I don’t know about you, but I’m grateful that I didn’t need a degree in theology to come to know Jesus. Nor did I have to have a certain level of education or a particular socioeconomic status. I didn’t have to be of a certain race, or come from a “religious” family. And when we consider that it was the common people who heard Jesus gladly, we can trust John the Apostle when he writes:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3:16-17

If Christ’s resurrection required sophisticated reasoning or the ability to meticulously analyze evidence, I would stand condemned, and so would a lot of other people. I’ve received some nice compliments in my life, but intellectually gifted wasn’t one of them! But the truth is that I didn’t have to be. The message of Jesus, including His resurrection, was intentionally designed to be received by everyone – especially the humble and unlearned. And His truth resonated deeply with ordinary people – people just like you and me – not just the academia or the elite.

The truth is that both Jesus’ message and His resurrection transcends all human intellectual barriers. It’s not a matter of brains, but a matter of heart and Spirit, revealed by God Himself and embraced by you and me, through faith. That makes it universally acceptable and inclusive, not exclusive.

So… we don’t have to wait for Easter to roll around to think about what it means that Jesus overcame the grave. Let us spend some time today thinking about what His resurrection accomplished for us, shall we?

Jesus lived. Jesus died. And Jesus arose on the third day.

For us.