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Revelations on Revelation: Part 3

A couple of weeks ago I began a series entitled, “Revelations on Revelation.” What I am attempting to do is help give you some insights into probably the most misunderstood book in the Bible—the Book of Revelation.

      Recall in my first post that we explored the following: First, I emphasized the importance of reading the book itself and suggested Metzger’s book to read along with the text itself. I hope you’re doing this because it is vital for understanding it. Second, I shared with you the fact that not even the most learned scholars can rightly say they have all of Revelation figured out. So don’t be surprised when you run into things that puzzle you. Third, we explored how John is writing in a literary style of his day—apocalyptic. So the important thing to remember when reading this book is that you can’t take it literally. If we do, we’ll completely miss what he is trying to say.  

In the second post I shared the importance of trying to go back into John’s time and reading this through his and his reader’s eyes. Only if we do this can we begin to understand what he was saying then and what it means now. If we don’t do this, we run the very great risk of making his words mean something he never intended.  

In this post, I want to share what I’ve learned about what was going on in John’s world. Once we have a better understanding of that, we will not only begin to better understand what John wrote but also why he wrote the way he did. Then we can also gain some insights into what this means for us. 

 Imagine, if you can, that you’re living in a country that has one supreme, all-powerful ruler whose word means life or death. To enforce his word and will, he has a virtually undefeatable army. In fact, he is no longer treated like a mere mortal but is considered divine. So, all his subjects must take an oath swearing political and religious allegiance to him. If you don’t, you can’t obtain a license to do business. Everything you own can be confiscated. Your whole family can be arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and executed. You can be sent to a government work camp where you’ll die from extreme manual labor. Worship the supreme ruler or face the consequences—it’s your choice.  

You don’t need to use a lot of imagination to get some idea of what this must have been like. Such conditions have existed throughout human history and still do to this day! For the eleventh year running, North Korea (much in the news lately) is the most difficult place on earth to be a Christian. One of the remaining totalitarian Communist states, it is vehemently opposed to any religion except the state religion. Christians face arrest, detention, torture, even public execution. There is a system of labor camps including the renowned prison No. 15, which alone reportedly houses 6,000 persecuted Christians.  

The second most difficult place to be a Christian is our so-called “ally” in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia. There is no provision whatever for religious freedom in the constitution of this highly repressive Islamic kingdom. Public Christian worship is forbidden; worshipers risk imprisonment, lashing, deportation and torture. Sharing the gospel with Muslims and distributing non-Islamic materials is against the law. Muslims who convert to Christianity risk being murdered and foreign Christian workers have been exposed to abuse from employers.  

Number three on the list is Afghanistan, where our troops are still fighting to preserve the current regime, which our government calls “democratic.” Here, persecution by the government has pushed the church underground. The state treats converts (who all come from a Muslim background) in a very hostile manner. Christians can’t meet in public; even gatherings in private homes require extreme caution. No church buildings exist and both local and foreign Christians are subject to kidnapping, abduction, killing and having to flee the country. The Taliban is regaining power and has vowed to purge all Christians from Afghanistan, both foreign and local. 

Persecution like this was the historical context for John and his readers. This was especially so during the reign of Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81-96). (Most scholars believe that the Book of Revelation was written during his reign, probably about A.D. 95.)  

One of the things Domitian did more than any of his predecessors was to revive the Imperial cult. In other words, he declared himself and his family divine, referring to his couch as the “bed of a god.” Part of what this involved was forcing everyone to make sacrifices and burn incense to a statute of the emperor and say, “Caesar is Lord!” Shrines set up for this were established throughout the empire. For example, one of the seven letters to the churches in Revelation is to Ephesus, where we know there was a temple for emperor worship. Obviously, this is something that a Christian couldn’t in good faith do. The very first creed for Christians was simply this, “Jesus is Lord!” Indeed, one of the ways the Romans rooted out Christians was to force them to bow before the emperor and say, “Caesar is Lord!” Those who refused to do this they knew to be Christians. 

For some time Christians had been protected. The Roman authorities had simply seen them as part of Judaism and Jews, for the most part, had been given an exemption from emperor worship. It is fair to say that Rome had never met anyone like the Jews before—that is, such ardent monotheists. Monotheism (belief in one God) was unusual in those days. The only way to have complete compliance to the worship of Caesar would have been to kill all Jews. But the Romans realized this would be a huge waste of resources for them, so as long as Christians were seen as essentially Jewish, they also enjoyed that exemption. But Rome began to discover that these Christians weren’t Jews at all, so the exemption was taken away. 

The practice of worshipping the emperor was as much political as religious. It was a way of trying to impose loyalty over a diverse population, bringing some uniformity or order to the whole empire. Those who refused couldn’t do business, all their property could be taken and they could be imprisoned and executed. Some would be sent into exile to work as slaves. In fact, this is the case with John, the writer of Revelation. One of the first things he writes in this book is this: 

I, John, your brother who shares with you in the hardship, kingdom, and endurance that we have in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and my witness about Jesus. (Revelation 1:9). 

In other words John, because he hadn’t bowed down to the emperor, has been exiled to a Roman “concentration camp” on the Island of Patmos! His prison isn’t made of stone but water—the sea. In fact, as you read Revelation, notice how often John refers to the sea in one way or another. John was suffering for his faith. He knew firsthand what his fellow Christians were having to endure, which is probably why he shares with them so early in his book his own circumstances. He is one of them! He understands! As one of them his words carry great weight and authority. He was also known by them, respected, even more so now because of his example of suffering. John isn’t merely telling them to do as he says but as he himself is doing! 

Basically, Christianity had been outlawed. It was an illegal religion.  Christians had to meet in secret, sometimes in sewers and catacombs. Meeting in such places made the Romans even more suspicious of them. Hearing rumors that Christians even drank blood and ate flesh, did not help improve their reputation with Romans. Why would they have thought Christians did such things? Right—Holy Communion, the “body” and “blood” of Christ. Christians had to hide their sacred writings. They lived in constant fear of being brought before the authorities, of being forced to make a choice—Caesar or Jesus?  

Some forsook their faith. Some worshipped the emperor but with their fingers crossed behind their backs, i.e., not really meaning it. But others, like John, refused and suffered the consequences. John, in some ways, was fortunate. He was only exiled. In Revelation 20:4 we read this: 

Then I saw thrones, and people took their seats on them, and judgment was given in their favor. They were the ones who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and God’s word, and those who hadn’t worshipped the beast or its image, who hadn’t received the mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life and ruled with Christ for one thousand years. 

Already some Christians had paid the full price for their faith—they had been beheaded. Beheading, along with crucifixion, were favorite forms of execution by the Romans. Roman citizens were beheaded; non-citizens were usually crucified. 

John’s message is one of encouragement.  “Remain faithful, no matter what! Don’t give in to the worship of Caesar as Lord. Only Jesus is Lord! Don’t compromise your faith, even if it costs you dearly. The emperor and the Roman Empire, contrary to how it may appear, are not all-powerful. Rome will be judged sternly. All it has imposed on others it will receive back in kind and worse. Those who remain faithful to the end will share in Christ’s ultimate victory and be given a crown of eternal life. So stay faithful, no matter what!” 

John has held himself up as an example of this. He is in exile because of his faith. But notice that even before he says this about himself he says this in the first chapter of Revelation:  

Grace and peace to you from the one who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before God’s throne, and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth (vv. 4-5).

John refers to Jesus as “the faithful witness.” The Greek word for “witness” is the one from which we get the English word “martyr.” In other words, John is holding up Jesus as the supreme example for them. Jesus faced Roman persecution, was tortured, was crucified but remained faithful to the end! They could too! And that was not the end for Jesus. He was the “firstborn of the dead”—a reference to resurrection. He arose! He is “ruler of the kings of the earth”—even and especially Caesar! He sits at the right hand of God and will come at God’s appointed time to bring an end to this persecution and establish, as we see in the last two chapters of Revelation, a new heaven and a new earth! They, too, will share in all of this and more. So, be faithful to the end, even if it costs you your life. Your life is ultimately in the hands of a risen Lord!

Revelations on Revelation - Part 2

Last week I began a series on one of the most confusing and misunderstood books in the Bible—the Book of Revelation. My hope is to throw some light on this much disputed and often mysterious last book in the Bible.

The next “revelation” I would share with you on the Book of Revelation has to do with the vital importance of asking the right questions in the right order.

       If there ever was a book of the Bible that raised questions, it’s the Book of Revelation. In fact, it has spawned so many questions and confusion that, as I shared, some have thought it best just to ignore it. I can imagine that if you have lots of questions already. That’s a good thing. Asking questions is the right step to better understanding it. However, we need to begin with the right question. That question is simply this:

“What DID it mean?”

       In other words, what was John trying to say to his people in his time? How did they understand it? What was the historical, political, religious context in which he wrote? What was going on with John and his first readers? Unless we first ask and seek to answer, “What did it mean?” we cannot rightly and accurately go on to ask, “What does it mean for us today?”

When we fail to ask, “What did it mean?” we risk making it mean whatever we want; we are very likely to misuse and abuse it, making it say or mean something it was never intended to mean. This is quite true of the whole Bible for that matter—that if we ignore its original context and setting, you can make the Bible support just about anything you want. So it is that the Bible has been used, for example, to justify the persecution of Jews and other people over the centuries. It was used to support slavery. Some still use it to exclude women from leadership in the church or to keep lesbian and gay people from fully participating in the life of the church. Rather than looking at the contexts of these passages and the whole message of the Bible, persons come to it seeking to find support for views they already hold, not to discover what it really has to say.

To get a little more technical, the word for finding out what the Bible really says is “exegesis.” It means to “bring out” the meaning of a biblical text. In other words, to discover what it meant. The opposite of this is “eisegesis,” which means reading a meaning “into” the text.

I remember a cartoon that had a little boy lying on the floor flipping like crazy through the Bible. His sister walked up to him and he said to her, “Don’t bother me! I’m looking for verses to back up my preconceived notions!”

Who hasn’t been guilty of that, of doing more eisegesis than exegesis?

One of the major concerns I have about many of the popular books about Revelation is that they pretty much ignore the first and most crucial question. They rush right onto, “What does it mean?” without having first asked and answered, “What did it mean?” Why? Because they already have a lot of “preconceived notions” about what it should mean and are very creative in finding passages that they can cut and paste and twist to support their views.

Most of their views or understandings of Revelation can be traced back to an Irish clergyman named John Nelson Darby. Darby lived in the 1800’s during times of great political, social and economic change and turmoil. It must have seemed like apocalyptic times to him. Many began to believe that the end was near. Darby began a whole system or understanding of the Bible based on his belief the end was near. He saw the Bible as basically prewritten history, that is, a record not so much of what happened but what was to happen. Many of the most popular ideas being written and preached about today, like the rapture and the great tribulation, go back to him. He began to spread his ideas in the late 1820s, going everywhere he could, preaching and teaching his beliefs. Many Bible students and pastors were attracted to his views, which became known as “dispensationalism.” One of them was a lawyer named Cyrus I. Scofield, who was so inspired by what he saw that he had an idea—a Bible with notes. This is simply the King James Version with C. I. Scofield’s notes, based on the ideas and theories of Darby. This came to be called the “Schofield Bible,” and it had a huge impact all across America.

My concern about this approach is that it doesn’t begin with Revelation itself but with ideas, theories, and preconceived notions that are imposed on Revelation. All too often, the result is the blatant distortion and abuse of scripture, using it to support views and political agendas that are the very opposite of what the Bible actually teaches.

One book about Revelation I ran into on Amazon.com is Can America Survive? Updated Edition: Startling Revelations and Promises of Hope, written by one of my least favorite TV preachers, John Hagee. Here are some selected comments from Amazon’s blurb for the book:

. . . the seeds for tragedy. . . evidenced by the disturbing economic, geopolitical, and religious trends that now threaten to dismantle the very nation itself. . . . recent events . . . that could bring down the “unsinkable” United States of America including:

. . .  history’s evidence of the danger to any nation that challenges Israel’s God-mandated right to exist

The dangerous belittling of Iran’s nuclear threat . . . the super-weapon that could stop the U.S. in its tracks instantly

. . . Iran as one of six countries that will form an Islamic military force “as a cloud to cover the land”

The . . . national economic trends that are poised to bring about the death of the American dollar

The criminalization of Christianity around the world . . .

And so forth.

Books like Hagee’s are a total abuse of the Bible and a cynical manipulation of the very real concerns and fears of many. (No doubt, in spite of the economic disaster Hagee predicts, his own financial situation will improve considerably as fearful, worried and gullible people buy his book!)

Here’s the point. The writer of Revelation isn’t here to defend himself. He can’t say, “Hold on there! That’s not even close to what I was saying!” So, we must go to some lengths to put on first-century glasses, to try and understand what John was saying in his own historical context. In other words, we must first ask and answer, “What did it mean?” setting aside as much as we can all our preconceived notions about what we think or want it to mean.

James Efird, a professor at Duke University, often used a wonderful illustration about how important it is to understand the original context and setting for biblical writings. He held up an editorial cartoon from a newspaper. (Keep it in mind that the year was 1976.) The cartoon had a large, grinning peanut on it with lots of teeth standing on top of the world. Professor Efird asked, “What if in 200 years from now, someone found this and declared, ‘Oh no! Peanuts are going to come alive, unite and take over the world!’ Would that be an accurate interpretation?”

Actually, this cartoon was referring to the fact that in 1976 a peanut farmer named Jimmy Carter was elected as President of the United States, the most powerful country in the world! Dr. Efird went on to make the point that too many people do the same thing with the Bible. They read something in it and then jump to conclusions about what it means before they ever ask, “What did it mean?” What was the original and full context?

I hope you’re beginning to understand this vital point for the Bible as well. Context is everything. What it really comes down to is this—truly respecting and valuing the Bible! It is far easier to misuse it, than doing the painstaking study necessary to understand what these writers were saying in their own time and setting. That takes work! It’s far easier and quicker to lay on the floor flipping through it looking for support for preconceived notions! It’s far better to try to come to it, not seeking to impose our views on it, but rather listening for its views, hearing its story and letting them inform, correct and challenge our own. Yes, it is far easier to read and preach and teach the Bible un-biblically than biblically!

Think about this in another way. If the writer of Revelation was just writing for those in the distant future, of what possible use was he or his book to the people of his own time? No where do I hear him saying, “Uh, sorry, fellow Christians. I know you need help and comfort and guidance right now, but I’m writing for TV preachers and bestselling authors 20 centuries from now!” The fact is that John had a powerful message for the people of his time, whom he loved dearly. Had it not been so, it is doubtful that this book would have been preserved at all. If we are to do right by the author and benefit from his message, we must not begin with, “What does it mean?” but, “What did it mean?”

Next week I’ll share with you more revelations about what Revelation meant. Keep reading it or start if you haven’t. Remember as you read that Revelation had a powerful, timely message for those Christians living under persecution by the Roman Empire in the first century—a message that we will also discover is relevant for us as well!

REVELATIONS ON REVELATION: PART I

There is no book in the Bible that has been more abused, misused and confused than the last one, the Book of Revelation.

When it comes to Revelation, there seem to be two extremes. On one hand there are those who hardly read, preach or teach from any other book—convinced that it’s kind of a crystal ball in which to see the future, if you know how to look, and they think they know how. Thus we find an endless stream of books and even movies—from Hal Lindsay’s The Late Great Planet Earth to the “Left Behind Series”—very popular fictional novels based on a particular interpretation of Revelation. Note that: a particular interpretation of Revelation.

On the opposite extreme are those who’ve given up completely on Revelation. They ignore it; they seldom if ever read or teach or preach from it. For them, it’s irrelevant, impossible to understand, a book that’s more trouble than it’s worth. They had just as soon it had never been made a part of the Bible. There are a number of persons throughout history who have felt the same way. The great reformer John Calvin, my favorite historical theologian, ignored it completely. It was the only book in the New Testament about which he never wrote anything (and, believe me, he wrote a lot).

I think most people are somewhere between these two extremes. We don’t feel obsessed with the book of Revelation nor would we ignore it altogether. We’re the “Huh?” people. We find it a mysterious, difficult-to-understand book—but it’s in the Bible, so we think it must have some value, some message for us. This is where I’ve found myself over the years and so I’ve done quite a bit of study on Revelation and other apocalyptic literature.

I also grew weary of leaving this book to persons who I don’t think really understand it at all and use it in ways it was never intended.

I’ve learned a few things that I would like to share with you in a series of posts. Over the centuries this mysterious book has, in fact, been of great comfort and help to millions of Christians, and I am convinced that it can be for us as well, that it has great relevance for our time, though not in the way it’s often portrayed in so many popular books and movies.

The first revelation on Revelation that I’d suggest to you is to read it for yourself. Don’t depend on TV preachers, best-selling writers or even me to do your thinking for you, especially without knowing what’s in it for yourself. It’s too bad that many Christians skip the book itself, replacing it with other books that claim to explain it. Without having first-hand knowledge of the book itself from having read it, then we don’t know if these books about it are accurate or make any sense. Maybe you aren’t biblical scholars, but you can read and think for yourselves. Don’t let others do the thinking for you. I fear that many persons who read such books as the “Left Behind” series have never read Revelation itself and so swallow hook, line and sinker what books like this say. I’m not saying at all that’s it bad to read other books, I’m just saying read the book of Revelation first!

Let me recommend that you do this—begin reading it. Get a solid modern translation like the New Revised Standard Version (please DON’T use the King James Version). Focus on the text itself. Or, if you wish a more modern, easy to read translation, use the Common English Bible or the Good News Bible. They both give a fresh rendering in today’s English. But the vital thing is to read the Book of Revelation itself.

There’s an even better way to do this. I’d recommend to you another book that I think is one of the best out there. It was written for non-scholars by Bruce Metzger and it’s entitled, Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation. Then read portions of Revelation as Metzger covers them, reflect on what you read in the text itself, and then read what Metzger has to say about each section or chapter. Then re-read Revelation in light of Metzger’s insights. If you do this, the book of Revelation will begin to make more sense.

The second revelation on Revelation that I’ve discovered is that no one can rightly claim to fully understand all of it. Beware of anyone who claims otherwise!

Take a couple of examples. We’re told that the writer is named John; but which John? There are four “Johns” named in the Bible. Is it one of them or some other about whom we don’t know? The name “John” was very common in the first century, just as it is today. Tradition says it was John the Apostle of Jesus, the son of Zebedee. But nowhere is that stated and most scholars don’t think it was he. So, we don’t know for certain the identity of the author. He assumes that his readers know who he is. Besides, not knowing who he was does not keep us from getting a good deal of understanding of what he wrote.

The other example is the reference to “the seven spirits before the throne” in verse 4. Just about every commentary I’ve read has a different take on this. We can make some educated guesses. Are they angels? Is this a reference to the Holy Spirit? Is he talking about the pastors or key leaders of the seven churches to whom he writes? We can’t be certain. Revelation uses so many such references, symbols and numbers like this for which no one can say, “Oh, I know for sure what they all mean!”

So we all need to approach Revelation with humility, realizing that we know only in part.

The third revelation on Revelation has to do with why we really don’t understand all of Revelation or at least why we find it such a challenge to understand.

Most people today are familiar with—even if they don’t read it—the literary style called “science fiction.” Take “Star Wars,” for example. It’s about other planets, weird aliens from all over the galaxy, star ships, light sabers and Jedi Knights. These are not foreign to us because this style of writing has been a part of our culture for some time.

Now, let me ask you, if John or anyone in his day—the first century—came across a copy of “Star Wars,” do you think they would understand it? Not likely. Why? Because it’s not a kind of literary style of which they have ever seen. It would be as confusing and mysterious to them as the Book of Revelation is for us!

John was writing in a literary style that had been popular for several centuries. He understood it. His readers were familiar with it. It’s called “apocalyptic literature,” which flourished from about 200 B.C. to A.D. 100. Even the Greek title for this book is αποκαλυψις (The Apocalypse), meaning the unveiling, the uncovering of what God is doing and is about to do. John expected the things of which he wrote to happen very soon, that is, most likely within his lifetime and that of the persons to whom he was writing. This poses significant questions for those with their pull out time charts showing how Revelation was and is to be fulfilled over the last two thousand years! John didn’t have the distant future in mind. He was focused very much on his own time—as we will see. He had good reason to do so, for they were dark and desperate times. This isn’t to say that his words and visions have nothing to say to us. They do, and I hope to discover this with you, but we will find its meaning isn’t what it has so often been portrayed to be.

Anyway, the point for right now is that John is writing in a style that he and his readers were very familiar with. In fact, this style is found especially in the Old Testament books of Ezekiel and Daniel. Indeed, there are 404 verses in the 22 chapters of Revelation; 278 of those verses contain one or more allusions or even quotes from these two Old Testament books! John was steeped in this style of writing.

Apocalyptic literature uses highly symbolic language, which we can’t take literally or we will never understand it. Take for example, his use of numbers like 7, which he uses all the time—7 churches, 7 spirits, 7 seals, 7 angels, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls, etc. For John 7 was a holy, sacred number. Whenever you read it in Revelation, think of completeness, perfection, something holy and good. Likewise, the number 6 is an evil number (you know, the famous “666”) and I’ll talk more about that later. Suffice it to say that this isn’t so different than what we do when we have lucky numbers—like 7—and unlucky ones like 13.

Here’s another example. In Chapter 13, John talks about a “beast.” He describes it like a leopard with feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. Elsewhere he speaks of a beast with many horns and eyes. These are terrifying descriptions. But they are symbolic. He’s talking about nations—mostly evil nations—especially Rome, which was acting every bit like a horrible beast to him and the early Christians to whom he’s writing. But this, too, isn’t so different from what we do today in comparing nations to animals. America is represented by what? An eagle. Russia? A bear. England? A lion and so forth. Why, even the major political parties are represented by animals—an elephant for the Republicans and a donkey for the Democrats!

So we know that John and his readers are using symbolic language. This is why it’s sometimes difficult for us to understand—we simply don’t know in all cases what he meant or intended. Yet we can understand the essential message he’s seeking to convey.

Let’s go back to “Star Wars.” John and his readers could understand some things about “Star Wars.” It’s a story of a galactic battle between the forces of evil and good. The evil is represented by the emperor and his general, Darth Vader, and their storm troopers, who are seeking to brutally conquer everyone. The good side is represented by Luke Skywalker, who is a messianic figure. Luke unites the Jedi Knights and others to do battle against the evil empire. There is a great battle and evil is defeated.

John and his readers would have understood this. Indeed, one of the themes in apocalyptic literature is a great cosmic struggle between the forces of good and evil. For them, the evil is Satan or the devil who is personified in another emperor, the head of the Roman Empire, along with his many generals and their own storm troopers, Roman legions stationed all over the empire. Together they were oppressing and persecuting Christians. The good side is represented by the Messiah, who is gathering his own Jedi Knights—angels. These two will clash and evil will be defeated. Rome will fall. Christ and his followers will be victorious in the end. It seems to me, in fact, that literature like “Star Wars” is really a kind-of modern version of apocalyptic literature with much the same themes, just using different language and symbols.

In conclusion, remember three things: First, start reading the text itself. Refer to Metzger’s book as you read. Second, don’t get discouraged when you come across things you just don’t understand. Even the most learned scholars can’t say they understand everything. Third, keep in mind this is a style of writing that uses highly symbolic language. John has specific persons and things in mind for everything he writes. So think symbolically as you read the text and Metzger will really help you do this, so I strongly urge you to get Metzger’s book.

In my next post, I’ll share some more “revelations on Revelation,” specifically, how important it is to ask this question: “What did it mean?” What was John trying to say in his own time? Only when we have understood something of what it meant can we rightly go on explore what it means for us.

Living In the Nonsense of the Resurrection

Have you ever taken careful note of the reaction to the women's story of the resurrection of Jesus on the part of those closest to him? Check out Luke 24:11: “Their words struck the apostles as nonsense, and they didn’t believe the women” (Common English Bible). 

What a fascinating thing for the writer of Luke to include in the resurrection story! Here we are, celebrating the greatest event in the history of the world. Here we are, come together to re-hear the greatest story ever told—that death has been defeated, that sin holds no power to destroy us, that the rule of God awaits us, that there can be new life now. Here we are, and what do we hear? We hear that those closest to Jesus during the three years of his ministry, those who heard him preach on hillside and beside water, those who had shared in miracles, those who had broken bread with him as only friends can in the intimacy of the upper room, those who had heard him teach with patience about the kingdom of God, now we hear that when they heard the amazing story of the empty tomb, they thought it was nonsense!

 Does that shake your faith a bit? It does mine. I have always had this image of the disciples—the true followers of Jesus. These were the eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry. If they hadn't shared what they saw and heard, we wouldn't have the story of Jesus to tell. Here they are—these people of faith, the ones Jesus told about his new kingdom he was establishing. Here they are, the ones whom Jesus tried to tell about what would happen after three days—they thought it was nonsense then, too.

You know what? They were right! The story the women told them is nonsense. 

Who ever heard of someone regaining life after being declared dead for three days? Preposterous! Physiology tells us the brain cells would have died; the body would be decomposing. It is nonsense to think that someone who went through the agony of crucifixion and had the life, breath and blood squeezed out of him could suddenly have enough strength to walk out of a damp, dark tomb. And what about that huge stone rolled away from the tomb's entrance? Explain that! This whole resurrection story is so much nonsense—it defies medical explanation. It goes against rational thinking. It just isn't possible!

But the Bible says it happened! It makes no sense, but it happened.

I believe one of the biggest problems with Christianity is that people want to take the nonsense out of it. I've heard radio preachers and television evangelists and all manner of Christians try to tell me that Christianity makes sense—that it's the easiest, most natural thing in the world to believe in Christ. I've been told and preached to and almost convinced that being a follower of Jesus is simple, that the stories of miracles and healings and the accounts of Jesus' life—some of them incredible to me—are easy to accept. I've been told that it's logical to believe in someone who walked this earth almost 2,000 years ago in an obscure corner of the world, someone who performed miracles, who fed 5,000 people with a few loaves and fish, who raised a friend from death, who forgave the sins of a scorned woman at a well. Tell me, is it logical to believe in something that happened so long ago, so far away, something that defies medical, scientific, rational explanation?

I don't buy it. I'm in the camp with the disciples. It is nonsense. For me to believe any of this would be for me to accept what isn't possible. Believing in an event, in a story, that is so radical would have to change my perception of life. If I believe the women's story who ran from the tomb that first Easter morn, then I'm stuck with believing something so new, so different, so radical, that my life will have to change, to be new, different, radical as a result of the belief!

 I don't care what anybody says. It doesn't make sense to believe in Jesus Christ. It is nonsense, this story of resurrection. 

Here’s my point: It’s precisely because it is nonsense, precisely because it defies explanation, precisely because it is radical, that my life is dramatically changed by it.

Because Jesus Christ lives, I too can live—that's radical. Because of Jesus Christ, I can love my enemy; I can pray for those who persecute me; I can turn the other cheek when someone slaps me; I can give until I hurt when others hurt—that, my friends, is radical. It is not the way of the world. 

To be a Christian is not to be a rational, logical part of this world. To be a Christian means to live in the nonsense of the resurrection. It means living a radical new life because Jesus lives and is here now with us, in a way we can’t comprehend. Because of what he did, love can triumph over hate, goodness over evil, truth over lies, hope over despair.

We are new creatures—radical, nonsensical people who live, believing an incredible story. We are new creatures in our baptism into this Christ of the empty tomb. We are new creatures—with love to share, with a story of hope to tell, with forgiveness to embrace our neighbor, with hands and hearts that can reach out beyond our own selfish concerns to that person who needs us. We are new creatures living in the nonsense of the resurrection. 

I really like what Pope Francis I said in his Easter Vigil Homily:

Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives! Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed down by our sins? Do we think that we won’t be able to cope? Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him.

Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed. If following him seems difficult, don’t be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do.

May he make us men and women capable of remembering all that he has done in our own lives and in the history of our world. May he help us to feel his presence as the one who is alive and at work in our midst. And may he teach us each day not to look among the dead for the Living One.

Along with the pope, I assure you—Jesus lives! Therefore, so do we. We live radical new lives of faith and love. Jesus lives! So do we. We live changed lives filled with hope and joy. Jesus lives! So do we!