Today on planet earth over 2 billion people will be celebrating something that perhaps another 2 billion believe is a lie.
We will sing about the empty tomb, about the risen Jesus, about the sure hope it gives us for the reality of forgiveness, the identity of Jesus as God’s chosen King, and for life beyond the grave.
But for the world’s 1.6 million muslims, Jesus did not even die, let alone rise from the dead. Their belief is that Christians are simply deluded. Stupid, foolish, pitiful.
For the world’s 500 million convinced atheists, belief in God, the resurrection, life beyond the grave is simply wishful thinking. Stupid, foolish, pitiful.
And the intriguing thing is that Christians would agree with them. Writing to the Corinthian church about the resurrection, Paul says this:
"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 5 v 19)
And there lies the big difference. The Christian faith is truly falsifiable. If you get into a friendly conversation with a convinced atheist, it doesn’t take long to work out that they consider their beliefs are unassailable: there is no evidence or proof you could offer that would shake them from their rejection of the existence of God (while at the same time, insisting that atheism is not a belief—go figure).
If you get into a friendly conversation with a muslim, it doesn’t take long to get to the place where the absolute and utter infallibility of the Qu’ran becomes the only thing that matters. It is impossible to argue about, discuss or contradict its statements, because they are the perfect: the very words of God himself.
But Christian faith is different. Like Paul, we rely on whether the tomb was empty on that first morning. If someone digs up some bones in the Middle East, or comes up with some reliable evidence that demonstrates that Jesus did not, in fact, rise from the dead, we would all hold up our hands, and sadly admit the same. We are stupid, foolish, pitiful. Christian faith, community and experience delivered so much to us in this life, but it’s a pitiful lie, and we were foolish and stupid to believe it. We would move on.
Our faith is not primarily founded on belief in the authority and truthfulness of a book.
Our faith is not centred on our personal experience of God or the warmth of being part of a loving community.
Our faith is not even founded on the intellectual coherence and robustness of Christian thought and doctrine.
It is founded on the belief that Jesus Christ did, in fact, die, was buried, and rose from the dead, as he himself predicted, and as the Old Testament Scriptures foretold. And that event, testified to by the witnesses to it, is the proof and anchor of all the rest that follows.
All our hopes, dreams, experiences. The understanding of our meaning, purpose and destiny as human beings. All the value we place on our family, friends, children. All the respect and honour we give to others. All the joy we feel at being known and cared for by God; the happiness of being part of a warm community of other like-minded believers. If Jesus has not risen, it’s all worth nothing. Stupid, foolish, pitiful.
However, Paul concludes:
"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead."
(1 Corinthians 5 v 20)
There will be family, friends, neighbours who shake their heads in pity or bewilderment at our smiling faces as we sing lustily and with good courage our triumphant Easter hymns this morning. They may think the date ironic—and that we are the April fools today.
But the empty tomb, and the testimony of hundreds and hundreds of eyewitnesses suggests the reverse is the case.
Tim Thornborough is the founder and Publishing Director of The Good Book Company. He is the author of The Very Best Bible Stories series, and has contributed to many books published by The Good Book Company and others. Tim is married to Kathy, and they have three adult daughters.
