Today, some event occurs in the world someplace, which only a few people actually saw. The television reporters go to them to get all of the information that they can. A typical news report goes something like this, … “A Sports Utility Vehicle heading south on I-39 overturned this afternoon in the high winds. The truck caught on fire and killed the driver and his passenger. Witnesses say that the SUV was travelling at very high speeds, then began to swerve, before it flipped over and rolled a few times, and immediately caught fire. Lisa Abramson is on the scene. Lisa? ….” Another one might go like this, … “A man and his 6 year old daughter were found dead in their house this morning. Witnesses say that they heard gunshots in the home about 6:30 in the morning and saw a man in dark clothes flee the scene of the crime in a pick-up truck. Ted Franks has the story….” The testimony of witnesses is so important in news broadcasts today, that one particular network calls it’s news, “Eye-witness News.”
The apostles were no different. They considered themselves as giving straight-forward, factual testimony to what they experienced in the events surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were able to tell people that they were with Jesus before He was crucified. They were able to tell people that they were with Jesus after He rose from the dead. A news reporter might have said, …”Our next story comes from Jerusalem. A band of followers of a certain Jewish teacher, named Jesus, claim that their teacher, who was recently crucified by Roman soldiers, is now alive and well. There are witnesses who have seen Him alive. Marshall Jenkins has the story …”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is grounded in eye witness testimony, not in philosophy.
Enjoying His Grace 