Jesus: Then and Now, Above and Below by Jill Carattini

- And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. (1Corinthians 15:14)
- For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. (1 Thessalonians 4:14)
- And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

A Slice of Infinity snippets:
I believe a Christology that starts with a historical examination of the resurrection offers us much reason to hope in the person and reality of Christ as the Son of God. “If Christ has not been raised,” writes Paul, “our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Similarly, I wonder if starting “from below,” with an investigation of the historical Jesus, does not offer us a certain hope (and starting point) for the current intellectual climate. Though there are no doubt those like David Hume among us who would not believe on any amount of evidence that something so unusual as the resurrection could happen, there are countless others who are asking good questions from below. Among others: What happened on that first Easter morning? Why would the disciples go to their deaths making such an outrageous claim? And why does the rise of Christianity remain a challenge unanswered?

Such questions are a good starting point for anyone, and often--like the resurrection for those who first beheld it--the questioner is moved quickly from historical matters below to matters far above. As N.T. Wright notes:
“[T]he challenge [of the resurrection] comes down to a much narrower point, not simply to do with worldviews in general, or with ‘the supernatural’ in particular, but with the direct question of death and life, of the world of space, time and matter and its relation to whatever being there may be for whom the word ‘god,’ or even ‘God,’ might be appropriate. Here there is, of course, no neutrality.”...

In the eyes of Jesus’s beholders, the resurrection had clear implications for our own bodies, lives, and deaths. Paul is similarly bold in his application: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). “He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18). As the fulfillment of apocalyptic hope, the risen Jesus is understood as the one who ushers in the future resurrection promised to all of God’s people.

The resurrection is so much more than an event in history, but that it is an event in history is what allows us--indeed, requires us--to answer the very question Jesus first asked his disciples: Who do you say that I am? However we answer this question, there is, of course, no prospect of neutrality.

Chad's Comments:
Friday evening, after a short run, my running partner, Ben, and I were stretching on the front porch. A neighbor came by to tell us that he would likely not be able to make it to dinner tonight (we have several neighbors coming over tonight for a get-to-know-you party) because his wife's dad was dying and they would need to work through all of those details. Jerry (my neighbor) was obviously hurting and in anguish for his wife and his relationship with her dad. Ben and I were able to simply love him.

The question of death was on his mind heavy. He was saying things like, I'm not a religious man, etc. Other than my saying, "but you know Jesus", Ben and I pretty much just listened to him talk. We stood there for perhaps 10 minutes while Jerry re-told some stories of the hospital and times he had spent with his wife's dad, growing up on a farm. Then, Ben and I witnessed an awesome thing. Something we didn't really realize till after the conversation with Jerry. Jerry continued to wrestle with and attempt to defend his position of being a 'good' man. He was saying how his wife's dad knew 'right from wrong'. Ben and I watched his mind try to justify 'good works' to us. Even though we were not challenging his position. We were only there, listening and loving.

Looking back on the event, Ben and I have both said how we were able to actually watch the spirit of God convict a man's heart right in front of our eyes. I reiterate, that Ben and I were only listening and loving. We were not arguing or even speaking of such matters - mostly just listening and nodding in understanding and support. Yet, Jerry continued to wrestle with, defend and attempt to justify a works righteousness.

At one point Jerry said, "well, I'm a Christian". Which was an encouragement.

In the current intellectual climate, referred to in today's 'slice', I want you to be sure of your faith. Continue to love and let God do the convicting.

I am also excited to know that the next time someone tells me that they can't 'see' God, I'll have another excellent example of a time I did.

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