Dear friends,
Words 'sphere' comes from Greek's sphaira. Its simply meaning "globe, ball"; a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Just like a circle in three dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point. This distance r is known as the radius of the sphere. This then is the reason why I choose this vocabulary to centralize our attention to Easter.
To help you with what I mean here, below is a nice reading relate to the Easter theme written by James C. Dobson, Ph.D., Founder and Chairman of Focus on Family. It enlightens you about Christ and His death to the resurrection, and and expanding horizons to the fact that He is way too absolute to be denied.
Here is his complete article :
This month you and I are celebrating the most important holiday on the International calendar. Easter is, at its heart, the Christian commemoration of the death of Christ and, three days later, His emergence from the tomb, and all of the freedom and victory that those events entail. The Resurrection is the historical marker that lies at the center of everything we believe.
In observance of this annual occasion that is simultaneously solemn and joyful, I’d like to share a few words from two individuals with whom you may be familiar. The first comes from my great friend and colleague, Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a leading commentator in our culture. Those of you familiar with Focus may also be aware that Dr. Mohler is a distinguished member of our own board of directors, and that I consider him to be one of the most intelligent and insightful Christian leaders in the world.
The following article was written a few years ago in response to the so-called “Jesus Seminar.” This group of very liberal scholars was assembled in 1985 to “re-evaluate” the person of Jesus Christ and to deconstruct the biblical accounts surrounding Him. The Jesus Seminar members concluded that the biblical claims of Christ’s divinity were false and that the accounts of His physical resurrection were fabricated. In fact, they discounted much of the New Testament itself as fictional. Their influence can still be felt in works such as The Da Vinci Code. When you see major news magazines running cover stories such as “Did Jesus Really Exist?” — which happens, like clockwork, during the Easter season — you can be sure that someone associated with the Jesus Seminar will be quoted therein. It is their mission to discredit the truths of Scripture.
Dr. Mohler’s commentary is not merely a reasoned response to the wacky claims of the Jesus Seminar. It is a bold, celebratory examination of the true, historical Jesus — risen, reigning and coming again.
The Scandal of the Empty Tomb: The Glory of the Resurrection
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
“I do not think that anyone, anywhere, at any time brings dead people back to life.” That blunt assessment comes from John Dominic Crossan, a leading figure in the Jesus Seminar, and one of the most influential authors on religion in post-Christian America. Thomas Sheehan, another fellow of the Seminar, put it even more directly: “Jesus, regardless of where his corpse ended up, is dead and remains dead.”
The claim that Jesus actually rose from the dead on the third day is perhaps the greatest scandal of authentic Christianity in the face of modern secularism. The bodily resurrection of Jesus is so absolutely fundamental and necessary to biblical Christianity — and to the Gospel — that its abandonment would mean the end of Christianity as revealed in the New Testament. Jesus would be just one more Palestinian rebel; one more wisdom teacher with rag-tag disciples.
Just in time for Easter, the Jesus Seminar is out with The Acts of Jesus, advertised as “The search for the authentic deeds of Jesus.” True to form, the fellows of the seminar have rejected most of the content of the New Testament as legendary. Using their customary procedure of voting by colored beads (red=authentic, pink=probably authentic, grey=probably not authentic,black=definitely not authentic) the seminar found only 16% of the events they considered to be either authentic or probably authentic.
In 1993, the Jesus Seminar released their version of the New Testament gospels. Using the same color-coded system, the seminar voted that only 18% of the sayings of Jesus recorded in the New Testament are either true or probably true. Put simply, their red letter edition of the gospels shows very little red.
Turning to the central issue of the resurrection of Jesus, the seminar released the following conclusions:
• The resurrection of Jesus did not involve the resuscitation of a corpse.
• Belief in Jesus’ resurrection did not depend on what happened to his body.
• The body of Jesus decayed as do other corpses.
• The resurrection was not an event that happened on the first Easter Sunday; it was not an event that could have been recorded by a video camera.
• It is not necessary to believe in the historical veracity of the resurrection narratives.
This denial of the resurrection as historical fact is now common in modern theology. By the nineteenth century, the biblical critics made a distinction between the mythic Christ and the historical Jesus. Later critics would name this division the Jesus of History vs. The Christ of Faith. With the rise of historical criticism, the resurrection and the miraculous world of the New Testament were simply out of date. As Rudolf Bultmann, the most influential New Testament scholar of the twentieth century, commented: “It is impossible to use electric light and to avail ourselves of modern medical and surgical discoveries and at the same time believe in the New Testament world of demons and spirits.”
We now know, claimed Bultmann, that bodies do not rise from the dead, and it is high time Christians stopped making such claims. Bultmann attempted to rescue some spiritual meaning from the disciples’ belief in the resurrection, but later critical scholars saw little worth recovering. Gerd Ludemann, formerly of Vanderbilt University, minces no words, but simply states that “the tomb of Jesus was not empty, but full, and his body did not disappear, but rotted away.”
Marcus Borg, another fellow of the Jesus Seminar, denies that the empty tomb is necessary to the Christian faith. “I think the resurrection of Jesus really happened, but I have no idea if it involves anything happening to his corpse, and, therefore, I have no idea whether it involves an empty tomb . . . so I would have no problem whatsoever with archaeologists finding the corpse of Jesus. For me that would not be a discrediting of the Christian faith or the Christian tradition.”
The empty tomb does not matter? The Apostle Paul saw the case quite differently. Speaking for the modern secular naturalistic worldview, the Jesus Seminar may dismiss the resurrection as myth, claiming that, as all right-thinking moderns know, dead persons simply do not rise from the dead. Paul, who evidently would not qualify for membership on the Jesus Seminar, leaves no room for negotiation: “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.” [I Corinthians 15:13-14]
Paul sets himself — and the true Church — against Bultmann, the Jesus Seminar, and all who deny or deride the empty tomb. Either the tomb is empty, or our faith is in vain. Paul wants nothing to do with Bultmann’s effort to find a spiritual meaning without a historical event, nor with the Jesus Seminar’s anti-supernaturalism. Against modern skeptics, Paul cared deeply about whether the tomb was empty.
Why do so many hate the very idea of the risen Christ? Because the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the vindication of God’s purpose in sending his Son for the redemption of sinners. A world full of degenerate moderns — who do not even see themselves as sinners — wants nothing to do with Jesus Christ as our sinless substitute, who shed his blood for the remission of our sins.
The work of the Jesus Seminar tells us virtually nothing about Jesus, but a great deal about the liberal scholars who sit around with colored beads, creating a Jesus in their own image. The Jesus invented by the Jesus Seminar is a Palestinian smart aleck who sounds like a cynical and sarcastic intellectual. Coincidence? No historical apologies are needed for the New Testament. The Jesus Seminar fascinates the media because its reports make for a good story.
But the Church knows the real story, and celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The tomb was really empty. The Jesus of history is the Christ of faith. Looking into the empty tomb, the women heard the angels ask, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.”
That has been the faith of the true Church throughout the centuries. That will be the faith of the true Church when the risen Christ returns to claim his own. He is risen. He is risen indeed!
Dr. Mohler, I couldn’t have said it better myself! Before moving on to the second Easter essay, I need to tell you that doctors discovered a pre-cancerous tumor on Dr. Mohler’s colon last month, which will necessitate further testing and surgery. As a result of this health crisis, Dr. Mohler will forego his recent nomination to the position of president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In his own words, “I have decided to give my greatest attention right now to addressing this new challenge and to ministering to my wife and children. This is clearly not the right time for me to accept this nomination.” I hope you’ll join me in praying for Dr. Mohler in the days ahead, asking the Lord to guide the hands of the physicians entrusted with his care and to grant Dr. Mohler a full and speedy recovery.
The second Easter essay is titled “Resurrection Morning,” and its author needs no introduction to most of you. Max Lucado is one of the most well-known and widely admired authors and preachers in the world today. He served for nearly 20 years as senior minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, and has written more than 50 books with an astonishing 28 million copies in print. Reader’s Digest named him the “best preacher in America,” while Christianity Today dubbed him “America’s Pastor” in 2005. That same year, he served as the Honorary Chairperson for the National Day of Prayer (NDP), composing an eloquent “prayer for the nation.” He also appeared on the Focus radio broadcast to discuss his involvement with NDP.
The following is taken from the book Tell Me the Story. It adds a dramatic element to the hours immediately following Christ’s resurrection. It has been excerpted due to space limitations. In this wonderful work, you’ll meet a fictional character — a Roman centurion named Claudius — who comes to the upper room to tell the apostles what he saw outside the tomb. I would encourage you to pick up a copy of this beautiful book of delightful and poignant short stories.
Resurrection Morning
Max Lucado
“He is not here. He has risen from the dead as he said he would.” Matthew 28:6
“When I first saw Him being led up the hill, I noticed He was different. He didn’t demand we let Him go. He didn’t shout or resist. And when we hammered the spike into His hand —” Claudius paused, wondering if he should have mentioned this. An encouraging nod from one of the women told him to continue. “— when we placed the spike in His hand, He held His hand still. He didn’t fight.”
“Sounds like something He would do,” a man in the back stated. Several nodded in agreement.
“He never seemed angry.” Claudius’s voice grew softer as he continued. “He never blamed anyone. People were cursing and laughing at Him, but not once did I see His eyes lose their calm.”
No one moved as Claudius spoke. When he had shared these events with his superiors earlier in the day, they had scoffed. It didn’t matter to the Romans how Jesus had acted. But it mattered to these people. They wanted to know every detail. For the first time Claudius felt a camaraderie with his listeners — a camaraderie based on a fascination with one Man.
He continued, “‘Forgive them,’ I heard Him say. And when He spoke, I looked up. He was looking at me. His face was a mask of blood and spit. But He was praying for me.”
The only movement in the room was the nodding of heads.
“After the crucifixion I helped lower the body and lay it on the ground. I waited as these women ––” He motioned to several near the front. “I waited as they prepared the body, and then I saw that it was placed in the tomb.”
“I thought my day was over. It took four men to close the grave’s opening with a huge stone. When we turned to leave, word came that Pilate and the Temple leaders were nervous that someone would steal the body. We were told to seal the tomb and stand guard all night.”
“There were several of us, so we built a fire and took turns. I was the first to sleep. When they woke me for my turn, it was an hour before dawn. The night was black – as black as any night I can remember. The moon was small, and the stars were hidden by the clouds.”
“I stood on one side. Another soldier stood on the other. He laughed about how easy it was to guard a tomb. Not often does a soldier get guard duty in a cemetery. Maybe we dozed off, because at first I thought I was dreaming. The ground began to shake – violently. It shook so hard I fell to the ground. Rocks fell from the walls behind us. Sparks flew from the fire. The soldiers asleep on the ground jumped up. I know they were standing because when the light hit them, I could see their faces like it was broad daylight.”
“What light?” someone asked.
“You tell me!” Claudius demanded. “Where did that light come from? The rock rolled back and the light roared out. A burst of fire with no heat. A gust of wind blew from the tomb, put out the fire, knocked us back, and the next thing I knew, the tomb was empty. I looked at the soldiers. They were stunned. About that time these two women appeared.”
“That’s when we saw the angel!” Mary blurted. “He was sitting on the rock! He told us that Jesus was not here. He told us that . . .”
She hesitated, knowing her words would be hard to believe.
“He told us that Jesus is no longer dead!”
Her words rang in the room like the peal of a bell. No one dared speak. Finally one did. A clean-shaven younger man said softly, but firmly, “Just like He said He would.”
“You mean, He said He would do this?” Claudius asked.
“More than once. But we didn’t understand. We didn’t believe. Until today.”
“John,” one of the women asked the man speaking,“ you were there. You went to the tomb. Is that what you saw?”
“Peter and I saw the tomb. We saw it open and empty. But we didn’t see Jesus.”
Once again the room was quiet. Then Claudius broke the silence. “I have a question. I’ve told you what you wanted to know. Now you tell me what I want to know. This has been on my mind all weekend. It’s been on my heart ever since I struck the nail into Jesus’ hand. Who is this man? Who is this Jesus?”
If any head had hung before, it lifted at this moment. If any thoughts had wandered, they wandered no more.
“Is there any doubt?” Mary said. Her eyes were bright. She jumped to her feet as she spoke. “I saw Him! I saw Him risen from the dead. He is who He said He was. He is the Son of God!”
With that statement the room broke into chaos.
“Impossible!”
“No, she is right. Let her speak!”
“Why did He let them kill Him if He is the Son of God?”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“What doesn’t make sense is why you can’t believe!”
Claudius was silent. What he was hearing, he could not handle. But what he had seen at the grave, he could not deny. He leaned over and put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. Thoughts rumbled in his head. He was so intent that he didn’t notice the sudden silence. Stillness reigned for several seconds before he raised his head. A light filled the room. He looked at the door and the window; they were still closed.
Faces that had been cast in shadows now beamed. All eyes stared in his direction – not at him, but behind him. But before he could turn to see what they were seeing, a hand was on his shoulder. When Claudius turned to look at the hand, he found the answer for his heart.
The hand was pierced.
If we’re honest, we’ll realize that Claudius’s story is our own. Each of us, through our own sin, played a figurative role in nailing Jesus to the cross. The glory of Easter is that the same hands that were pierced by our rebellion now reach out to us in compassion and forgiveness. Truly, we can say with the prophet Isaiah, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
To those of you who are overwhelmed by the cares of life and burdened by the weight of the world during this Easter season, I urge you, look to the risen Christ. May His grace, peace and presence surround you and your loved ones not only on Easter Sunday, but every day.
Happy Easter
Jakarta, 5 April 2010
