44 - Seeing Jesus Alive

Paul had good news to preach. He announced to this synagogue full of Jews and Gentiles that God had fulfilled His promise to the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) that He would end the power of death. Their greatest longing, and ours, was that they would not remain in the grave, but would come back to life, not just spiritually, but physically. And Paul’s message on that Sabbath morning in Pisidian Antioch was that this wonderful promise was no longer just a hope. For the first time a man had escaped from the grip of death, and as He did He carried with Him the entire human race. A man who had died was literally alive, and would never die again. And He had been seen by many witnesses.

What if you could have been one of those men and women who actually saw Him standing in front of you? What if you, like Thomas, had been able to touch His scars? Or like the disciples who sat on the beach in Galilee, you ate the fish and bread he handed you? How would that change the way you think about Him? To be absolutely sure He is alive would change everything. We would not become religious, we would become His witnesses, joyfully announcing an historical fact. We’d tell people, “This is the Savior. He isn’t just one more of those teachers who say wise things and then die. After a brutal execution and three days in a tomb God raised Him up in complete health, with a glorious new body!” You wouldn’t spend a lot of time arguing or debating, you’d be telling everyone you could, “Jesus is the Savior. I know He is, I’ve seen Him!”