It is historical fact that the women and the disciples went to the tomb and found it empty. They were already in shock because of the death of their teacher and guilt-ridden because of their own pathetic abandonment of him. So how could the common and popular slander ever be true ("The disciples stole the body to pretend he was raised")?
They become changed men—from craven and cowardly to courageous and eloquent. They defied Caiaphas to his face. These men who were afraid of being known as associated with their teacher were now willing to face prison and whippings for his sake, and come back for more. Who endures this kind of thing if he/she knows it is for the sake of perpetuating a fraud?
What else (Whom else) did they see that produced such a miraculous transformation? What could end their guilt if not the gift of forgiveness and the peace that came as a result? If they were truly forgiven, by Whom was the forgiveness given? If they were truly “Apostles,” then by Whom were they sent (for that is the meaning of the word ‘apostle’)?
It’s all about what John Henry Newman long ago called “converging probabilities” that make the act of faith, while still an act of faith, a reasonable thing and not an utter absurdity.
Go to “the tomb” today at your church—open the eyes and ears of your heart. What might you see and hear that could make all the difference and transform you, as His followers were transformed almost 2,000 years ago?
Enjoy the grand finale of Messiah, the great hymn of praise from Revelation 5 which celebrates the promise of the ultimate victory of Love. Happy Easter!
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